Chapter 1.1 – Spring  

Twenty-three years. If someone claimed they had never felt the emotion of love until this age, it would be a lie. However, Greta could say with certainty—she had never felt such an intense love in her life before. This, she believed, was true love.  

The “love” Greta had experienced before amounted to nothing more than a childhood crush on her handsome distant cousin or fleeting feelings for a flirtatious academy peer with whom she had shared a few hand-holding moments and stolen kisses. So when Greta encountered what she thought was real love, she was utterly shocked by how her mind became consumed by a single person. Ordinary things like flowers on the roadside, drifting clouds, favorite foods, or hobbies that once gave her joy—all became reminders of him. Even trivial decisions, like which tea to drink, brought his image to the forefront of her mind!  

Whenever Greta styled her hair, she thought about the hairstyle he might like. When choosing a book, she considered the ones he might enjoy. When horseback riding, she found herself thinking about his favorite steed. This constant preoccupation with him left her flustered and helpless. After all, she knew almost nothing about the man she loved, and worse, the man she loved had absolutely no interest in her.  

Yes, Greta was deeply and hopelessly in unrequited love.  

***

The Lievo Count family was blessed with many children—five, to be exact. The eldest daughter, brimming with talent for martial arts and a restless spirit, had embarked on a journey as soon as she reached adulthood. The family only occasionally received news that she was alive and well. Now thirty-two, her mother, the Countess of Lievo, often joked that she wouldn’t be surprised if her eldest daughter someday showed up with a couple of children, claiming they were hers.  

Unlike her older sister, who had been more focused on her future and freedom, the second daughter had grown up acting more like the eldest. At thirty-one, she had firmly established herself as the heir to the family. She had already secured a husband—a mild-mannered and caring administrative officer of commoner origin who bore a striking resemblance to her father. Soon, she was set to inherit the family title.  

The third child took after their father, who had a strong artistic sense, rather than their fiery and strong-willed mother. Concerned about his son’s gentle nature, the Count of Lievo had pushed him to gain independence early on, hoping that life experiences would toughen him up. Although his musical talent was average, his innate sensitivity and determination had landed him a position in the Imperial Palace Orchestra, finally putting the Count’s worries to rest.  

The second son, the fourth child, inherited both his mother’s and eldest sister’s aptitude for martial arts. Fortunately, he did not inherit their restless wanderlust and had secured a stable position in the Imperial Knights. At just twenty-six, he had already climbed the ranks quickly, often boasting about his achievements. Whenever the Countess saw him, she would click her tongue, lamenting to her husband, “I can’t imagine who would take that reckless colt of a boy as their husband. I already feel sorry for her.”  

Lastly, there was the youngest child, Greta. Born unexpectedly due to the Count and Countess’s strong affection for each other, she was deeply loved despite being unplanned. The second daughter (as Greta didn’t remember much about her eldest sister) had always wanted a younger sister and treated the eight-years-younger Greta like a doll. The gentle eldest brother didn’t show much interest but always regarded her fondly, while the mischievous youngest brother often teased her but was also her closest friend.  

At twenty-three, Greta was the youngest of her siblings. Unlike her older siblings, who had all found their places in life and were showcasing their respective talents, Greta had just graduated from the academy and was spending her days idly at home. Reflecting on herself, Greta thought she was mediocre at everything—good enough at most things but exceptional at none. Moreover, she had no particular aspirations, so she had decided to take a year or two off to relax. She didn’t need to inherit the family title or marry, so she was free to enjoy her leisurely life at home, a freedom that her friends envied.  

It was during this time, as Greta prepared to fully embrace her idle life, that love struck her like lightning.  

The Lievo Count family, descendants of the master archer Lievo, a close friend of the first Emperor, were all skilled in archery (even the gentle eldest brother was a perfect shot!). Thanks to this heritage, one of Greta’s favorite hobbies was archery. For the archery-loving people of the Egahen Empire, one of the most common ways to showcase their skills was by participating in hunting tournaments.  

The first hunting tournament hosted by the Imperial Family after Greta’s return from the academy was the Ayane Quail Hunting Tournament. This tournament, held every early spring, was an annual event designed to hunt quail and use the meat to make jerky for distribution to the poor. Although it was a yearly event, it attracted competitive nobles because the first-place winner received a golden quail trophy and the jerky donations were made in their name—a significant boost to their reputation.  

The hunting grounds for the Ayane Quail Tournament changed every year to manage the quail population. This year, for some reason, the location was the Gorgon Forest on the outskirts of the capital, Hiteria—a place that had never before been chosen as a hunting ground. It was later revealed that the forest, known for occasionally harboring dangerous animals, had been deemed unsafe for such events. However, the second prince, participating in the tournament for the first time, insisted that the forest, with its abundant quail population, was the best location for him to secure first place. The great Emperor was said to have sighed, commenting that it was a relief the boy had been born as a late child with such a large age gap.  

Regardless, Greta participated in the Ayane Quail Tournament.  

The tournament appeared to proceed smoothly. Greta, known as one of the best archers in the Egahen Empire, was determined to place in the competition and was enthusiastically hunting quail. But then, as if by some cruel twist of fate, a bear appeared before her.  

Although dangerous animals occasionally appeared in the Gorgon Forest, no one had ever heard of someone being eaten by a bear. Moreover, the gray bear standing before her was notorious for being a lazy creature that didn’t wake from hibernation until late spring or early summer. 

This was early spring, the peak season for quail activity! Had it overslept and lost track of time? Or had it woken up early due to hunger?  

Stupid bear! Foolish bear!  

Though Greta cursed the bear inwardly in shock, she remained calm, a testament to the steel-like nerves of the Lievo Count family’s youngest. Thanks to her composure, she avoided the mistake of running away in panic. After all, encountering a bear at such close range meant it was already too late to flee. Turning her back on the bear would only result in her small head being swatted far away by its massive paw! The only thing Greta could do was lock eyes with the bear in a fierce staring contest.  

The bear, though clearly hungry after waking from hibernation, didn’t immediately attack Greta. Glancing around, she noticed a pile of heavily mangled Ayane quail carcasses and blood on the bear’s snout. This indicated that it had already eaten something—at least a snack, if not a full meal. Though this was a relief, the bear, standing over two meters tall, was unlikely to be satisfied with just a few quails. Greta’s intense glare might have bought her some time, but it was likely only because the bear was debating whether or not it needed to eat more.  

Eventually, the bear seemed to decide that it did, in fact, need to finish its meal by devouring this small bipedal creature.  

“Crroooarrr!”  

The massive bear roared ferociously.  

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”  

Greta didn’t back down and roared in defiance. Of course, it was entirely futile. A bear wasn’t weak enough to be intimidated by a small bipedal creature.  

The way the bear lumbered toward Greta, swinging its massive paw the size of a cauldron lid, seemed almost slow to her. With all her strength, Greta rolled to the side to dodge the paw and calmly fired an arrow. Even the moment when her arrow struck the bear’s left eye felt like it was unfolding in slow motion.  

Thanks to her tense preparation, she managed to dodge the bear’s smashing paw and land a hit. However, it was as though she had spent all the luck she’d ever had in her life in that single moment. One arrow wasn’t enough to drive off such a massive bear. Furious, the bear roared in rage. Greta knew she couldn’t hope for a second stroke of luck.  

So this wasn’t luck—it was fate.  

Like a comet, someone suddenly appeared between Greta and the bear. The speed was unbelievable. The man, wielding a massive sword, began to confront the bear as if he had been prepared for this moment.