Chapter 1.4

It was completely dark by the time Aness returned home, and her heart was pounding. Even she thought her parents were both a bit abnormal.

Baron Klein was someone who would do any humiliating thing to grab hold of power, while his wife, influenced by her own family’s religious beliefs, was a blind devotee of chastity.

Unlike her father, who pressured his daughters to charm noble heirs for the family’s benefit, her mother insisted that a woman’s chastity was the most important virtue in the world.

That is, not obedience, but chastity—because of this, her mother would often argue with her father, and so their marital quarrels were frequent.

“Mother, I’m sorry.”

Since Aness had come home after sunset, she couldn’t avoid punishment. Baroness Klein, her face twisted in anger, inspected her youngest daughter’s clothes in detail. Then she had Dana, the only maid in the house, check her underwear as well.

After the embarrassing inspection and being certified as chaste, Aness had to kneel before her mother and listen to a tedious sermon for an hour, then write a hundred pages of reflection as punishment.

Erika, who had been listening to their mother’s chastity lecture with boredom, looked at her little sister with a face full of pity.

“What does Mother think she sees to be so suspicious? Just look at sister’s face. What nobleman in the Empire would even want to touch her? Maybe some lowly servant obsessed with noblewomen, but not a single nobleman.”

After their mother finally tired out from two hours of lecturing and left, leaving only the three sisters, Erika began to openly mock her little sister.

“Erika, stop it. What’s wrong with Aness’s looks? She’s cute.”

Kind-hearted Imelda, seeing their strict mother leave, smiled gently and helped her youngest sister, who had been kneeling, up into a chair.

“Sniff, Big Sister.”

Aness nuzzled up to her ever-kind sister Imelda, acting cute. No one else in the family ever responded to the youngest’s affection. Only sweet Imelda and equally kind maid Dana were her loving companions.

“Where did you go? The streets are dangerous at night. You have to be careful until you’re married.”

In this Empire, where gender discrimination was severe, a woman’s virginity before marriage was considered extremely important, so her sister’s words were out of concern.

“Yeah. I’ll be careful from now on. But I really didn’t meet any men. I just wandered around the shopping street.”

Aness shook her head, thinking of the sly Joseph she’d met earlier. Though he’d promised to help, she felt uneasy. In short, she had a very bad feeling about it.

‘Is he really going to help me for nothing? Can he really get that arrogant Knight Commander to show up? How much of this should I believe…?’

“Oh, stop worrying so much. Even if every woman in the Empire disappeared, no nobleman would ever lay a hand on Aness, so please stop with the pointless worry.”

Erika, looking thoroughly annoyed, pulled the bowl of raisins toward herself and started snacking. In her big sister’s arms, Aness giggled to herself.

She knew better than anyone why Erika was feeling so uncomfortable. As Madame Boris, an expert in society gossip, she never missed even the smallest romantic incident.

Her sister Erika was currently not doing well with Andrew of the Cromwell Barony. Andrew was a notorious playboy with nothing but his good looks. His family was insignificant, but he relied on his face and acted out.

She was secretly dating such a guy, but now that playboy Andrew was eyeing someone else. His new target was Clara, eldest daughter of the Herbert Marquisate—Erika couldn’t even compete.

He was clearly trying to use his looks to improve his station. Meanwhile, the suitor their father was pushing was Jeremy, eldest son of the Buckler Ducal family. But that was a pipe dream. Why would the heir of such a distinguished house choose the daughter of a lowly baron?

Erika was pretty, but not so stunning that men would fall for her at first sight. At least, that was Aness’s objective view.

‘Sister Erika just lacks a knockout punch. If she doesn’t have a striking appearance, her personality should at least be charming—but with nothing in her head, everything she says is just low-level.’

After her objective assessment of Erika, Aness gazed quietly at her big sister Imelda, who was comforting her. A decent face and a gentle personality. But that was just as difficult. Her looks and personality were too average to stand out.

Her father tried desperately to marry his daughters into noble families, but unless they had some outstanding feature compared to other young ladies, it was impossible.

That was because the noble houses of the Empire had long arranged marriages for their own interests, and unless someone was truly exceptional, there was no way to break into those circles.

‘And unfairly, the daughters of noble families are already blessed with excellent backgrounds and are all beautiful. Just look at Linda, second daughter of the Robert Marquisate, and Emily, eldest daughter of the Byron Ducal family. Where in the world could you find maidens more beautiful than them? Father needs to let go of his vain dreams. Our family is hopeless. It’s all in the genes.’

Aness saw her family’s future with more objectivity than anyone. Extremely ordinary-looking parents, a declining and humble family—was there really any future?

“Aness, what are you thinking about so deeply? I set aside dinner for you in the kitchen. I’ll warm up the chicken stew, so eat and go to bed.”

Her big sister gently took her hand and led her down the narrow hallway toward the kitchen. Snapped out of her thoughts, Aness smiled brightly.

“Yeah, thank you, Big Sister.”

As she followed Imelda to the kitchen, Aness made a vow to herself.

‘I’ll work hard to earn money. I’ll stay single and do my best to revive this family. Who says only sons can restore a family? Father thinks daughters are only good for marrying off, but I’ll prove him wrong. Maybe I’ll save up and buy a castle? If I hire expensive mercenaries and send them to war under our family name, maybe the Imperial Palace will recognize us.’

Even as she sat at the kitchen table eating meat stew, Aness couldn’t stop thinking.

‘First, I have to make this work. If the meeting between Miss Abel and Duke Perschtman goes well, word will spread. The more famous I become, the more money will pour in. Maybe I’ll even open an office on the shopping street. If I wear a mask, no one will know…’

So filled with dreams and hope, Aness’s heart fluttered so much she barely noticed whether the stew was going in her mouth or up her nose.

***

“What is this about?”

Returning from the Imperial Palace, Caron frowned when he saw the uninvited guest waiting in his office.

“Hey, Duke Perschtman, you’re so cold. Does an old friend need a reason to visit your house?”

Joseph was lounging comfortably in Caron’s chair, smiling leisurely.

“If it’s about the favor from last time, it’s already over. I won’t grant it. The more turbulent the world grows, the more justly the law must be applied. Tell Earl Richmond directly. It’s best not to even think of using any underhanded means.”

Caron, seeing his overly persistent friend Joseph, raised his thick eyebrows in annoyance, showing his displeasure.

“Hahaha. That’s not why I came today. I’m here to talk about you.”

Before the stubborn Caron, Joseph hid his discomfort and grinned shamelessly.

“About me? I don’t intend to ask you for anything, so what do you mean by that?”

Caron, savoring a cup of warm herbal tea, turned his head toward the window. Though they’d been close friends since childhood, as adults, their paths had diverged completely.

One had become the Knight Commander loyal to the Imperial Palace. The other, a supporter of the noble faction opposing the Emperor’s authority. So, the two inevitably clashed sharply.

“Hoohoo, I hear proposals keep piling up for you day after day? I could help with that, you know?”

“Hm, it doesn’t really bother me.”

As Caron turned his head back to the documents he was reading, Joseph shrugged as if he’d expected that.

Caron was now openly showing that he wanted Joseph to leave. Knowing Caron’s inherently arrogant and high-handed nature, Joseph responded without a care and pointed somewhere outside the window with his finger.

“Caron, take a look over there.”

From the window of the Duke’s office, the front gate of the mansion was clearly visible. There, a scene Joseph had orchestrated was unfolding.

“!”

Caron, who was rarely surprised, saw something and furrowed his brow deeply. In front of the mansion’s gate, several noble young ladies were gathered, peeking eagerly inside.

They had all received information from a mysterious source earlier that morning and had rushed out in excitement. Rumor had it that Knight Commander Caron would meet the girls who had sent him proposals that morning, and now all of them were filled with dreams.

How could they not be delighted, when the arrogant nobleman who never even glanced at women was willing to meet them?

“What kind of trick is this?”

“What do you mean, trick? You’re not suggesting I orchestrated this, are you?”

Joseph widened his eyes as if he’d heard something absurd and shrugged. But Caron, glaring at him from across the room, already knew.

Joseph had always been that way since they were young. No matter how small the matter, if he suffered a loss, he’d always make sure the other person paid for it, so Caron couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“In any case, if you don’t send those girls home, your family’s name will be all over the Imperial Gazette tomorrow morning. You’re not just any man—you’re the Knight Commander and a minister. Wouldn’t that be a disgrace? How unfortunate.”