Chapter 1

Tenere first met Leonard when she was about nineteen years old.

Actually, it wasn’t really the first time.

As the daughter of Evan Marquis, she, like other young ladies, had debuted at around seventeen, attended social parties, and so on.

The only problem was that Leonard was too far away for her.

The Imperial Crown Prince, and the fiancé of Alenia Salvatore, a perfect lady and the future Empress.

Kind to everyone, but just that – nothing more.

For Tenere, Leonard was more like a statue that occasionally acknowledged greetings.

So, when he approached her first at the hunting ground Alenia had invited them to, Tenere couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Did you do that on purpose?”

His voice was firm yet gentle.

His neatly groomed black hair glowed in the orange sunset, casting a reddish hue. The faint shadows highlighted his sharp face and golden eyes.

“What are you talking about His Majesty…”

Tenere looked away, her words trailing off. It wasn’t considered proper for a lady to engage in lengthy conversations with a man who was already betrothed to someone else alone. The social circles were quick to gossip, and being a quiet and modest lady despite her humble lineage, she would suffer more than others.

Yet, Leonard, the supposed fiancé, spoke to her as if unaware of her efforts to avoid him.

“Marquis Evan’s daughter not catching a single rabbit was peculiar.”

“Well…”

Tenere hesitated a bit. His words were true. Known for their archery skills, the wandering folk of Patrona, to which she belonged, were all adept marksmen. Even Tenere, inheriting the skill from her mother, showed talent in archery from a young age. If she set her mind to it, she could catch more prey than even the Crown Prince in front of her.

So, it was strange that she indulged in idle chatter instead of hunting. Moreover, she seemed to be petting a fox, making the situation even more suspicious.

“It seems my skills are lacking, causing concern for His Highness the Crown Prince. It was merely my first time hunting, and it wasn’t intentional to have any other motives.”

Tenere politely lowered her head. Leonard looked at her without a response. She could feel his gaze, but she pretended not to notice, keeping her eyes lowered.

“Is that so?”

After a while, the voice came, as soft as ever. Only then did Tenere lift her head.

His jewel-like golden eyes, along with the gentle curve of his lips, framed by a sturdy nose and strong jawline, softened the otherwise imposing impression. Although Tenere saw him more as a handsome statue than a person, admiring a statue wasn’t uncommon.

“Lady Evan?”

“Oh… yes, Your Highness.”

In response to the voice, Tenere finally snapped out of her thoughts. Leonard was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

“Wouldn’t it be better to return now? Is there any uncomfortable place for you?”

“No, there isn’t.”

“If you’re not feeling well, you can ride with me.”

Leonard kindly gestured towards his words. A glossy white horse snorted as it looked at Tenere.

“It’s alright.”

Tenere continued to answer politely. Riding with a prince who was engaged was not a suitable thing to do.

Perhaps realizing it was excessive consideration, Leonard didn’t press further and mounted his horse after a brief exchange of words.

Tenere, too, after caressing her horse’s mane a few times, mounted her saddle.

***
Clang.

With a loud noise, heads turned sharply.

Tenere, without even thinking about wrapping her reddened cheek, bowed her head.

Lord Evan watched her with a wry smile.

“…Anyway, it’s frustrating.”

It was a hunt invited by Alaina Salvatore, the fiancée of the Crown Prince.

To return empty-handed when she could have shown her skills and gained favor—it was aggravating.

He was furious to the core at his daughter’s foolish behavior.

“Salvatore’s daughter invites you to a hunt, and considering your bloodline, you can’t even catch a mouse?”

Although Tenere scolded herself every time she drew her bow, the Marquis seemed to dismiss such incidents from his memory.

He knew how rich the blood of the Patrona was.

Not catching anything wasn’t the issue; the fact that she hadn’t caught anything with that blood in her veins was the problem.

“…I just didn’t want to kill living beings for amusement.”

Tenere replied quietly. She wasn’t unaware that this hunt was an opportunity.

She had been trying to build a friendship with Alaina as per her father’s orders, but it had been consistently shaky.

So, she had hoped to get closer to her during this hunt.

However, once she set foot on the hunting grounds, Tenere found herself unable to do anything.

Having witnessed a deer in agony after being hit by Alaina’s arrow, she almost turned away, feeling nauseated.

How could one find pleasure in killing innocent animals? How could this be considered entertainment?

The things she had lightly thought about became intensely repulsive when she saw them unfold before her eyes.

But she didn’t have the courage to break the harmonious atmosphere.

All she could do was purposely shoot arrows that narrowly missed, scaring the animals away.

“You’re just like your mother.”

Lord Evan raised his hand again. Tenere prepared herself for the impending pain and closed her eyes.

His adopted son, Eric, tried to intervene.

“Father, I told you not to hit her. She’s only good for her face. What will you do if she gets a scratch on it?”

At the sarcasm, Marquis Evan barely lowered his hand. But that didn’t mean his anger had abated.

“Who asked you to be the Emperor’s mistress? I don’t expect anything of the sort from you, and I’ve told you repeatedly to make acquaintance with Lady Salvatore!”

“I am sorry, father.”

Tenere bowed her head quietly.

If she had been a bit more worldly or if the emperor had been a bit more lenient, Lord Evan would have readily pushed his daughter into the imperial court, even with her clumsy disposition.

However, Tenere, who was neither exotic nor cunning, wouldn’t bring significant benefits to the family even if she became part of the emperor’s court.

Eric grabbed his father’s arm as if to calm him down.

“Now stop it, Father. You know she won’t understand no matter how much you scold her. Don’t raise your temper for nothing…”

“Viscount Henleon has sent you a marriage proposal.”

At those words, Eric’s face distorted. Tenere nodded calmly.

“Yes.”

“You worthless wench, why would I refuse to receive such a high price for you? If you don’t want to be sold as an old man’s concubine, behave yourself!”

After finishing his words, Lord Evan left the room. The servants looked at Tenere with pity.

After the door closed, Eric finally turned his head towards Tenere.

“Are you really that clueless?”

“…..”

“Do you not mind marrying an old pig? He’s twenty years older than you.”

Lord Evan’s threat to marry Tenere to Viscount Henleon was more of a coercion than a sincere proposal.

Eric was well aware of this, but seeing Tenere sitting quietly still frustrated him.

“If Father tells you to get married, just do it. And…”

“…?”

“Everyone ages. You might gain weight, and if you’re going to marry an old man, it might be better if he’s truly old and not that Viscount Heleon. After enduring a few years, you can inherit the fortune and remarry.”

“He has a lot of mistresses and she sends a marriage proposal to other young ladies your age”

Her lowered eyes remained still, without a hint of movement. Eric asked her suddenly.

“……”

“There are rumors about him getting involved with maids as well”

Tenere remained silent. Her long, jet-black eyelashes trembled briefly. But only for a moment, and then her lips twitched helplessly.

“It’s just a rumor,” she said, “maybe he’s actually got a lot of good in him…….”

“Stop talking nonsense, Tenere.”

Eric’s face twisted with frustration. Though he approached her with determined steps, Tenere just sat quietly in her chair, not running away.

“Yeah, let’s say rumors about him getting involved with maids are just rumors. But the fact that a man well over forty has sent a marriage proposal to you, who is not even twenty, is not a rumor but a fact. What’s good about a man like that? It’s pitiful…”

“If I say I don’t like it…”

Tenere slowly lifted her head. Her pale purple eyes were like a calm lake.

“Then… will something change?”

Eric was at a loss for words. Tenere spoke softly as if whispering.

“It doesn’t matter who I marry.”

There was no malice in Tenere’s voice.

Her voice was always gentle and warm, with a faint smile.

As if she had given up on many things.

That expression always irritated Eric.

“…You’re foolish.”

Eric struggled to find words for a long time before finally opening his mouth.

Tenere just sat quietly in her chair, like a flower stuck in a vase.

When Eirich left the room, Tenere took out a hairpin.

Her breath, drawn in heavily, trembled faintly.