Chapter 1

Translator and Editor: Nana and Ishy

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Chapter 1

May 23, 532.

In the main hall of the Grand Duke’s palace.

“Excuse me.”

The count daughter’s face, which was raised by her chin and showed a smile, was stained with fine pearl powder.

“If you only have one dress, I’ll give you my spare dress. I’m not lending it, I’ll just give it to you. You won’t be able to wear such a dress again anyway.”

The count’s daughter easily insulted the woman in front of her. The woman was one of those who was presumptuous enough to raise their heads and look up, even though they’d crawled into the Grand Duke’s Palace because they wanted the Grand Duchess’s position.

They were currently at the party to find out who’d be chosen for the Grand Duchess’s position.

It wasn’t directly written in the invitation, but all the families of the White Empire would have understood the meaning of this party.

For that reason, the count’s daughter was willing to act like a villainess to others.

But she had always played such a role before.

She picked on a woman who stood out among the clumsy country bumpkins she had never seen before in high society.

She was a woman that had a strange air surrounding her. She was like an egret among many crows, and her presence was not buried even though she did not make eye contact with anyone.

But count’s daughter was confident that this woman would be crushed with a glass of wine and her tongue. It was a woman she had never seen in high society. Of course, she was not from a powerful family.

Although she had bright red hair, the whole empire wouldn’t have been so quiet if there was a descendant of ‘that’ family…

“I’ll pay for the clothes if you need them. One earring will do.”

As soon as the count’s daughter, who was blatantly insulting the woman, finished her words, bursts of giggles exploded here and there.

However, the woman did not give any response.

She just looked at the dark red wine and the count’s daughter, who deliberately spilled the wine on her.

Surrounding her were many sorts of people. Some giggled from watching her misery. Those who merely saw from the sidelines. Finally, those who openly showed ridicule and contempt towards her and participated in the acts.

The count’s daughter, who was smiling, paused, as the woman didn’t open her mouth.

Why wasn’t she responding?

The woman did not try to hold back her tears in shame or burst into anger. She only stared at her with those blue eyes.

And it seemed that the woman was smiling. The count’s daughter’s jaw twitched slightly. Because the woman’s blue eyes seemed to pierce her like the sharp blades of a razor.

“It’s impolite of you to look at me directly!”

The count daughter’s voice was cut off by the Grand Duke servant’s voice, which was very calm.

“His Highness, Grand Duke of Kalient has arrived.”

The hall became silent in an instant as everyone’s eyes went to the door that opened slowly. Many people held their breaths when they saw the person they had been waiting for.

That person was like a silent night.

He quietly stepped into the hall and took a slow stride.

The man who made everyone hold their breath suddenly stopped.

The eyes of those who were watching him caught his own.

His eyes went to the corner of the hall.

The woman with red hair like a burning fire.

The woman who was covered in wine.

The low voice of the Grand Duke was raised slightly, tearing the heavy silence in the hall.

“Ashily.”

The next moment, everyone’s eyes went to her at once.

The woman was like a fire that burned everything unclean.

The woman who was expressionless like a well-made doll, smiled brightly when she saw him.

Those who opened their eyes wide couldn’t take their eyes off her, like a moth drawn by fire.

She took steps toward him as she got closer to him.

The two people had gotten close to touching each other. Then, he gently wiped away the wine that was soaked in her dress.

As the Grand Duke’s brows were knotted, her lips as red as her hair called his name, which no one dared to directly say.

“Ludwig.”

Her short sentence caused a disturbance in the hall. It would be right to say it was a silent cry. From all over the empire, young girls of any rank who gathered to become the Grand Duchess were astonished. ‘Did she call him by his name?’ they were thinking.

‘Ludwig…’

Even the Crown Prince could not call the name of the Grand Duke.

Ludwig only focused on Ashily, as if she were the only one in the spacious hall.

“What happened?”

“It was just a minor accident. No, more exactly, it’s harassment.”

Ashily smiled at the count’s daughter, who poured wine on her.

“If it was an accident, it would mean that the lady was too nervous, and if it was bullying, it would be rude. Either way, she’s too stupid to sit in an important position.”

Contrary to her sweet smile, the words that came out of her mouth were cold. However, unlike before, the count’s daughter only stayed silent in humiliation.

She leaned slightly into Ludwig’s arm, and whispered with a bright smile,

“I expected this to happen.”

“But you didn’t know she would go this far, did you?”

“Did you hear what she said? I got goosebumps because what I said to you right before this party was so similar. It didn’t feel bad to listen to it, but it went as I expected, so I felt a little good.”

Ludwig’s eyes followed Ashily, and his azure eyes sank like the deep sea. Because of ‘her prediction’, as Ashily said, someone insulted and criticized her.

The count’s daughter didn’t notice that something flashed in Ludwig’s eyes for a moment. It was so brief and fleeting that no one noticed it.

Ludwig looked at Ashily and pulled her waist towards him.

“Where did you get hurt?”

“Nowhere, I wouldn’t get hurt just by wine.”

He pulled her to her side, but Ashily didn’t care at all.

To be exact, she didn’t even think that the distance between them was too close. They always looked at each other from that distance.

Even when they met in a dream, and when the dream had become a reality.

Ashily looked down at her dress and opened her mouth.

“Can you help me?”

As soon as she finished talking, Ludwig untied the ribbon on Ashily’s back.

The audience thought there was nothing more surprising than when Ashily called his name. But what happened before their eyes was that he undressed the woman in such a place, where so many people gathered.

Their eyes suffocated her.

Rip!

No one expected that they would hear a ripping sound. Soon the dress stained with wine came off in the hands of the Grand Duke.

After seeing Ashily, people opened their mouths so that their jaws would fall, because her dress was completely tailored to Ludwig’s suit.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

Ludwig held her hand and lightly kissed the back of it.

The hall was silent. No one dared to speak. They couldn’t even open their mouths.

They needed time to tell if what was happening before their eyes was real or a very bad dream.

‘Where did that unidentified woman came from?’

No one knew of her identity.

It was very important for them to know of her identity.

“Let’s do your late introduction.”

Ludwig, who drew everyone’s attention, stepped back. Ashily nodded lightly and straightened her back.

When they thought they couldn’t be more surprised, a shocking revelation came from her mouth.

The descendant of ‘that’ family appeared.

“She’s the descendant of Duke Bolsheik, Ashily.”

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