Chapter 1.1 – The Return of War Hero Johannes Fermel

The war hero Johannes Fermel had returned.  

As the commander of the Imperial Knight Order, he ended the war and brought a great victory to the Empire.  

The Emperor, delighted, granted him the title of Duke and bestowed upon him vast, fertile southern lands as his territory. It was an unprecedented promotion in the Empire’s history.  

The people of the Empire rejoiced at the end of the war and praised Johannes’s valor.  

When word spread that the savior of the nation was only twenty-seven, crowds flocked to the victory parade just to catch a glimpse of him.  

Living up to their expectations, Johannes shone.  

His wheat-colored hair glistened in the sunlight. His beautiful green eyes accentuated his handsome face, and his body was sturdy, befitting a knight.  

Riding in on a white horse with imposing dignity, he looked majestic to all who saw him. Women were instantly captivated by his gallant presence.  

Afterward, noble ladies eligible to attend the victory ball were busy adorning themselves, hoping to catch Johannes’s eye.  

Except for Serena Elven, the only daughter of the Grand Duke of the North.  

While others scrambled to see Johannes’s face, Serena merely watched from afar. Having quietly taken in his image from a distance, she quietly left.  

She was not only the Grand Duke of the North’s only daughter, but also a nurse.  

Nobles thought she was foolish for volunteering for such hard work. Even the other nurses she worked with felt uncomfortable, believing the fragile noble lady would only be a hindrance.  

But Serena, contrary to everyone’s expectations, devoted herself sincerely to caring for the patients.  

Her hands grew rough, and her complexion pale from lack of sleep, but she never stopped.  

The compassionate image of the beautiful lady quickly spread by word of mouth, and soon she was called the Angel of the Capital.  

But what did that matter?  

When the war ended, she thought her hardships would finally be over, but Serena instead visited the temple, caring for orphans and praying without rest.  

This was a point of discontent for Serena’s maid, Anna.

“Miss Serena! Tonight is the victory ball and how can you be so unconcerned?”

Anna, the maid of the Elven Grand Ducal household, looked at her master with sharp eyes. Today was the last day of the grand victory celebrations and the night of the ball every lady had been waiting for.  

For the ball held at night, all the ladies of the capital must have been preparing since dawn. But her master was working as usual, even today.

“Anna. I’m praying right now.”

Serena gently chided Anna with a kind voice.  

She understood why her maid was speaking this way. It was a gentle scolding, telling her to rest now after all her hardships.  

But at this moment, Serena had to give thanks to the goddess who had granted her wish.

“My lady, you are so peculiar. You worked so hard treating the wounded during the war, and after the war you spent your own money to care for orphans. Now that your hardships are finally over, why are you refusing to attend the victory ball?”

“That’s—”

Serena’s eyelashes trembled as she opened her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with agitation.

“Don’t you even want to see His Grace, Duke Fermel?”

“Anna!”

Serena jumped up and looked at Anna. She softened her gaze, regaining her composure.  

Anna realized her mistake and bowed her head.

“I’m sorry, My Lady. I overstepped. But…”

“No, I know how you feel. You’re just worried about me, aren’t you?”

“My Lady…”

Serena gave a faint smile and comforted Anna instead.

“You’ve worked hard because of me today. Let’s go back now.”

As they left the dim temple, the evening glow dyed by twilight came into view. The pond nestled under the thicket was filled with the red sunset.  

Looking at the distant pond, Serena recalled her childhood.  

The spring when she was seventeen.

When Serena fell seriously ill in the cold North, her father, the Grand Duke of the North, asked the Emperor for her treatment.  

Her mother, who had died giving birth to her, had also lost her life to a fever. When the Emperor, who cherished Serena, heard the news, he immediately brought her to the Imperial Palace.  

Thanks to the utmost care, she recovered quickly.  

Though she intended to return north once she was well, the Grand Duke wanted her to recuperate longer in the palace. The Emperor even assigned Johannes, the commander of the Imperial Knight Order, as her escort knight.  

At first, Serena felt sorry for Johannes.  

To have the busy commander as her escort seemed a waste of manpower.  

However, Johannes served her sincerely, and Serena opened her heart to his gentle nature.  

For a young girl who had never been close to a young man, it didn’t take long to fall for such a kind knight.  

The more her feelings for Johannes grew, the less she wanted to be a burden to him. So she took to walking alone when everyone else was asleep.  

That day, the night was especially dark. If she lost her way, it would cause great trouble, so Serena tried to hurry back but missed her step.  

At that moment of crisis, just as she was about to fall into the water, Johannes appeared and saved her.

“Are you all right?”

Johannes’s gentle voice and warm embrace were unforgettable even now. From that day on, Serena gave her whole heart to Johannes.

‘But he already had someone he liked…’

On the day of her coming-of-age at eighteen, Serena resolved to confess the feelings she had hidden for so long.  

With Anna’s help, she dressed up in a way she never had before and went looking for him. In her right hand was a letter, filled with her heartfelt emotions.  

But when she spotted him from afar, there was already a young noble lady confessing to him.  

Though she had done nothing wrong, Serena hid herself.  

And, quite unintentionally, she overheard their conversation. Johannes gently refused the earnest confession, saying he already had someone in his heart.

“She is someone who saved me when I was very young. I have decided to keep her in my heart for the rest of my life.”

Serena first met Johannes in the spring when she was seventeen.  

And if anything, she had only been helped by him; she had never saved someone so much older than herself.  

Before her heartbreak could heal, Johannes left for the battlefield. Even though she never got to deliver her first love, Serena foolishly could not give up her feelings for him.  

After that, Serena sought out what she could do.  

While the man she loved was risking his life, she didn’t want to just sit and cry. Because she was born with a naturally weak body, she couldn’t become a soldier.  

So, despite everyone’s objections, she became a nurse.  

Not even her father or the Emperor could break her resolve.  

Serena cared for the wounded in a rear hospital. She tended those writhing in pain until past midnight, then prayed to the goddess at dawn.  

She always prayed.  

‘Please, let Johannes return safely.’

And since the goddess had answered her prayer, that was enough for her.  

That would be enough….

“My Lady! What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go home.”

Serena quickly gathered herself and hurried toward the mansion. On the way, she took the time to hug the children once more, so by the time she arrived, dusk had already fallen.

But today, the usually quiet mansion was unusually busy.  

The servants greeted Serena as they bustled about, moving luggage. The hall was filled with boxes of clothes she had never seen before.

“You’re late, Serena.”

Amidst the countless boxes, her cousin Leah appeared.

“Leah? What is all this?”

Leah, the Emperor’s eldest daughter, often dropped by unannounced. That wasn’t surprising, but the endless stream of boxes certainly was.

“Well, I’m just in charge of delivery. Ask that man later.”

“…Pardon?”

Leah crossed her arms and looked Serena up and down with a sharp gaze.  

Even dressed plainly in a nurse’s uniform, her cousin Serena shone. If she were to dress up beautifully, it was obvious she’d capture everyone’s attention.  

Besides, the dresses and jewelry that man had prepared all seemed to suit Serena perfectly, even at a glance.

‘Honestly, that man should have just come in person. I’ll let it slide since I owe him for persuading my father when I got married.’

Leah had married Maximus, who was once her escort knight.  

As a princess of a kingdom, she had even gotten pregnant before marriage, causing the Emperor to nearly faint from shock.  

If it hadn’t been for Johannes—Maximus’s close friend and the Emperor’s most trusted man—they would never have been allowed to marry. He had tirelessly persuaded the Emperor day and night.

“Where’s Hanna? It’s so late, shouldn’t you be heading back?”

Serena asked with genuine concern.  

Leah’s daughter Hanna was only four years old. It was an age when a child needed her mother’s embrace.

“Don’t worry. Maximus is watching her. More importantly, there’s no time, so let’s get you ready. Anna, can you help?”

“Yes! Your Highness!”

Anna was so delighted that she rushed off to prepare without even asking Serena’s opinion, a huge grin on her face.  

Serena couldn’t bring herself to scold the happy girl and let out a short sigh.

“Leah, please don’t do this. I’m not going to the ball.”

Leah narrowed her eyes. Her cousin might look delicate, but she was stubborn.

“All right, if you really feel that way, skip the ball. But shouldn’t you at least pay a visit to my father? You haven’t been to the palace in a while because of all your volunteer work.”

“His Majesty?”

The Emperor was very fond of Serena, his niece who looked just like his late younger sister. Perhaps even more than his own troublemaking daughter, Leah.

“Father has been so disappointed that his second daughter hasn’t visited home lately.”

To Serena, the Emperor was like another father.  

He called his niece his “second daughter” and cared for her even after she became an adult. Serena, knowing his warmth and kindness, was weak to such persuasion.

“All right, Leah.”

The reason she had kept refusing invitations was only because of her own feelings.  

Even now, just thinking about Johannes made her heart race. If she saw him in person, she would surely fall for him all over again.  

But still, she couldn’t just avoid the palace.

“I’ll just pay my respects to His Majesty and come back.”

“Fine. That’s all I ask.”

Serena was always weak to this kind of gentle persuasion.  

Leah hid her smiling face behind an open fan.