Chapter 2

Dane. It was the mans name.

The Vergo, whom he adopted, is a family from a country called Aiden, which excelled at making weapons such as guns and artillery, and was also a place that led huge mercenaries. The fame of the Vergo family was so famous that it extended to the empire where Liv lived.

No one expected that a man who had been adopted into such a great family would suddenly abandon everything and return to the Empire.

It was not long before he even abandoned his last name, Vergo, and appeared in the social world with the two characters of his name,Dane[1].

It was also the first day she faced Dane since childhood.

All the scattered families gathered at the ball hosted by the emperor.

The nobles who formally asked each others well-being under the splendid chandelier immediately brought up the topic.

The Emperor is too much. He gathered us together in one place like this just for the sake of that lowly bloodline.

An era of peace.

The word war has long since disappeared, but big and small things have happened constantly and tormented the people of the empire.

Has everyone been through an era of peace for a long time. The nobles, who had the duty to protect the country, only took care of themselves, and no one came forward.

At that time, it was Dane who took the lead on behalf of the nobles. Dane led the troops to settle disputes around the border, which he was particularly reluctant to do.

The fact that an unknown man appeared out of nowhere and guarded the border eventually reached the emperors ears, and the emperor headed to the border to meet him in person. No one knows what words were exchanged between the two that day.

A few days later, Dane broke into the rebel base, the empires biggest trouble, killed the chief and decapitated him and sent him to the emperor. The emperor, who appreciated Danes credit, asked him to enter the empire and become an imperial soldier.

Those who wondered why someone who was not an imperial citizen fought for the Empire were astonished to find out later that he was a child in the back alley that was adopted by the Vergo family.

The most despised place in the empire was the back alley. People living in the back alleys were spit on the street for no reason, and they were always pointed at. It was obvious that if he, who was from there, returned to the empire, the gazes on him would not be good.

Contrary to everyones expectations, however, he returned to the Empire under the Emperors orders and became an Imperial soldier.

Countless envy and jealousy of the nobles poured out towards him, who quickly became the emperors most favored soldier. Because he once abandoned the empire, the word traitor always stuck behind him like a tag.

A dirty traitor from the back alley. That was the word for him.

Todays ball was organized by the emperor himself to commemorate the mans appointment as captain.

By the way, has anyone seen his face?

I heard he looks pretty good.

No wonder his father is a man who used to sell himself in the back alley.

Oh my, is that true? The man continued to speak among the astonished women who were covering their faces with a fan.

Thats why he said he has no last name. He said he couldnt come back to the Empire and use his lowly fathers last name, so he didnt attach anything at all.

What about the woman who gave birth to him?

Maybe she abandoned him and ran away?

The story for him was so endless that she didnt know where and to what extent it was real.

Liv, who had her hair down and covered the scars on her face, took a glass of wine and moved to the corner.

A small moan could be heard in Livs ear. Knowing that they were a man and woman who enjoyed secretly making love, she did not turn back. She lifted the glass she was holding and took a drink.

The whole thing was pathetic. Without any worries, haha and hoho smiles, and a perfectly dressed outfit. Everything didnt seem to suit them.

They were just lucky to be born into nobility. And she wasnt much different either.

It was a terrible self-loathing that started as a child.

At some point, all the nobles began to look like pigs. Greedy pigs.

The pig also gives birth to a pig, and a new pig is born. The ancestors may not have been pigs, but all descendants became pigs. She herself, caught in the gap, was no less than a pig.

When Liv poured all the wine in the glass into her mouth and was about to lift the second glass, a strange scene unfolded. Everyone in the hall was looking at someone in unison.

Liv also naturally turned her head to where peoples eyes were directed.

The man was dressed in a uniform like any other officer. The angled hat on his head made his sharp eyes look deeper, and the blue uniform matched the mans dark skin very well.

I can see why such rumors were made.

The woman who had just heard his dirty gossip looked at him and said. Everyone seemed to agree even if they didnt say anything.

He was so beautiful that it was natural for womens eyes to gather. His thick upper body and well-proportioned legs made him stand out even more.

Youre here.

Colonel Elbern greeted Dane.

Colonel Elbern was quite famous as a young man, and his reputation remained unchanged even as he grew older. The other officers, who looked at Dane with discontented faces, were forced to smile as Colonel Elbern welcomed him like that.

Standing next to a stout man, the young officers who had never suffered before did not feel like soldiers at all. What kind of sense of duty do you have in the job you inherited as if it were just natural.

What nobility is. Anton often said. Nobility refers to a person with dignity. He rules the country with dignity and grace. At those words, Liv once firmly believed that she was a special person for a moment.

Among the nobles, Dane was the most brilliant. The person who just took over cannot surpass the person who won it by himself. He was the most dignified man here. Only he seemed to deserve it.

The more Liv looked at him, the more shabby she felt.

The only thing he doesnt have is his origin.

Thats right, but dont you think he can make it no matter where he came from?

The noble ladies glanced at Dane with meaningful eyes. Even if they say a lot of gossip when they cant see the person, when he looks pretty, people want it.

His only flaw was his origin. Thats all he can fill. It was okay to have fun and make him a lover. The woman, who had been immersed in such thoughts while waving her fan gently, stopped her hand when her eyes met the cool, shining black eyes.

The woman immediately changed her mind. It was impossible to keep such a man as a lover. Hed rather be a husband.

He was a man from a back alley and had dirty rumors, but she was too greedy to take her eyes off him.

Among the girls with glowing eyes, Liv was moving against the wall as inconspicuous as possible.

I want to get out of here quickly.

Liv scoured where Anton was. He seemed preoccupied with the conversation.

Ah!

While walking looking at Anton, she bumped into someone. The glass she was holding fell to the floor, making a sharp noise. Everyone looked at her at the sound of the hall ringing.

This, are you okay? Im sorry, Ive been distracted.

The young man took a handkerchief from his bosom and handed it to Liv.

It, its fine.

The floor can be slippery, so take my hand and come this way.

Liv was wearing a slightly high heel, so she didnt refuse and took his hand and moved.

While wiping her wrists with a handkerchief, she looked at the wine and glass fragments scattered on the floor, and she looked up at the persistent gaze that she suddenly felt.

In the distance, Danes black eyes met her eyes.

Why are you here?

She heard a sound she didnt know if it was just her hallucination.

Liv felt like her whole body was immersed in hot water. She felt her face heat up and quickly lowered her gaze.

Then.

Then, with a smile that she barely practiced again and again, she greeted the man in front of her and moved her trembling legs.

She heard the man talking to her to wait for a moment, but she didnt have time to answer because of the heavy gaze she felt from afar. Liv had to walk with strength on her feet to keep herself from running.

* * *

Returning to the mansion, Liv could not sleep easily even though the night was deep, and for a long time she tossed and turned in the blanket.

A faint sound of a carriage came through the window. It was the sound of Anton returning to the mansion.

Soon after, I heard the sound of someone going up the stairs. Liv covered herself with a blanket and held her breath. It was a habit that started after she had a scar on her face.

If even the slightest breath escaped, her father would open the door and enter immediately. She was terrified of the sound of her father climbing the stairs.

She started hearing hallucinations in her ears. Her fathers screams and sharp bursts of something breaking. A cold gaze looking down at herself as if she was trash and a pain so great that she couldnt even breathe.

Liv grabbed the blanket as hard as she could.

As she heard the door shut, she poked her face out of the blanket in a visibly relieved gesture. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead from how tense she was for a brief moment.

Outside the window, she can see the darkness. The appearance of stars embedded in the night sky reminded her of someones black eyes.

Even though they only met for a few seconds, it was as vivid as if they had been together for a long time.

Everyone looks at him. He doesnt shy away from any gaze and looks around with an indifferent expression. He was like a huge rock that would not be shaken by any stimulus. He was the exact opposite of herself, who was easily shaken by even a small stimulus.

As she recalled his face, she felt an unpleasant palpitation again.

She had no choice but to attend the ball at the order of the emperor, but she would not run into him anymore because she had no intention of going to the ball.

Liv closed her eyes to shake the thoughts of Dane that kept coming to her.

TL Notes:

[1] Dane () has only two characters in korean.