Episode 7
Asterophe didn’t hesitate as she started writing.
She wrote that she had been suffering from a high fever for several days, and that after that, the way she thought about Serpiewood had changed. She carefully described how Grand Duke Callian had personally taken care of her, how devoted he was, and how sincere his love felt.
“I wish I could talk about how beautiful Serpiewood is…”
Unfortunately, Asterophe didn’t know much about Serpiewood at all. She knew neither its beauty nor its ugliness.
Before, she hadn’t needed to know. She hadn’t wanted to know.
She had never cared about how the people here lived or what hardships they faced.
As a grand duchess, she had been busy throwing away her responsibilities. Instead, she had focused on collecting luxury items that made her look beautiful. Dresses and jewelry that were said to be fashionable in Sodel, the capital of Renirun—she felt satisfied only after owning them all.
While staying in this distant land of Serpiewood, Asterophe didn’t want to fall behind the trends of high society even a little. She wanted to remain at the very top of beauty. She believed that only then did she deserve to become empress.
Callian wasn’t very interested in such things, but if she wanted something, he always got it for her. He always agreed.
But now, thinking back, Asterophe found her old self ridiculous.
In the end—at the very end—none of those things mattered.
The moment status and honor fell to the ground, everything was either confiscated or burned. Right now, a single piece of bread she could put in her mouth felt more valuable than any shining jewel.
Asterophe stopped halfway through the letter and bit the end of her pen.
This wasn’t enough to bring them to Serpiewood.
Going to Sodel herself wasn’t a good option either. Crown Prince Billish was probably busy trying to win her favor by now. He would surely arrange secret meetings and whisper sweet lies to her and her brothers.
‘I have to bring them to Serpiewood.
To a place where I can keep my position.
To where Callian is.’
The central plaza of Sodel was also a place of trauma for Asterophe.
That was where she had died.
She remembered the face of the mage who had looked at her and called her foolish.
“How arrogant and disgusting. If I ever see you again, I’ll twist your limbs apart.”
Being reborn didn’t turn Asterophe into some pure angel.
She was still greedy. Still competitive. Still someone who hated losing to others.
She wanted power. She wanted honor. She wanted to shine forever, like a sun that never set.
Back then, she wanted that as the empress of Renirun.
Now, she wanted it as the grand duchess of Serpiewood.
And she never wanted to taste failure again.
‘I will definitely place Billish Numa’s severed head beneath my feet.
I’ll make his blood bloom like flowers across the white snow.’
She wanted no one to ever call Serpiewood an abandoned land again.
She wanted it to become a blessed territory—one that even the Renirun Empire feared and envied.
Asterophe stood up.
The fact that the Lunette family had already come here first could be considered a good starting point. But the letter she was writing still wasn’t enough. She needed something tempting enough to make her brothers come here on their own.
She left her room and walked down the corridor for a long while before stepping out onto the large terrace.
A sharp wind blew.
“Ugh…”
She still couldn’t get used to Serpiewood’s cold. Asterophe pulled her clothes tighter around herself.
Anne, her maid, approached and bowed.
“Your Grace, it’s cold. Please go back inside.”
“It’s stuffy.”
“Shall I bring you a thicker coat?”
“Yes. That would be good.”
After sending Anne away, Asterophe leaned against the terrace railing. As the wind blew, her black hair fluttered freely. She let it be, spreading beautifully like a dark scarf.
After experiencing being burned at the stake, she actually preferred the cold. The sharp chill felt like it was pulling her back from the memory of her body burning away.
She closed her eyes and faced the falling snow.
Her eldest brother, Berlo Lunette, hated the cold more than anything on the battlefield. When he was a young knight, he had once fallen behind during a war and nearly frozen to death. Since then, the cold had become a trauma for him.
That was one of the reasons he hated Serpiewood.
‘How can I bring Brother Berlo here?
If he stays for a long time, he’ll definitely help Callian.
He’s involved in central politics—things Callian doesn’t know.
He must also know far more about tactics.’
Billish had used that fact well.
Physically, Billish was weak enough that his thin arms and legs could easily be chopped off on a battlefield. According to her drunken second brother Jed, Billish had no talent for swordsmanship, archery, or anything related to combat.
His movements were slow, and he was cowardly.
Yet simply because he was the crown prince, he had been dragged to multiple battlefields, suffering through them.
There was a time when Asterophe had pitied him.
Because of that, she had hated Callian, who was born with natural talent. She had thought it would have been better if Callian’s abilities had gone to Billish instead.
‘Looking back now… it was ridiculous.’
But that was the kind of love she had learned.
Pathetic. Blind.
Maybe that was why she had been abandoned.
Because she became boring.
Because she lost her charm.
‘If you love someone to the very end, does betrayal in the form of death always remain?’
Just like she had done.
Just like Callian Onyx had done.
Asterophe raised her hand, trying to catch a snowflake. But the moment it touched her palm, it melted away.
Just like love—so meaningless.
“Lope.”
At that moment, a large, heavy coat was placed over her shoulders.
It was Callian’s.
“You haven’t been collapsed for that long. Why are you outside in weather like this?”
“That’s not something the man who tormented me in bed should say, is it?”
At her bold reply, Callian cleared his throat awkwardly. He wrapped her in his strong arms and continued.
“Even so… I’ve told you several times that Serpiewood’s weather is still too harsh for someone who came from Sodel.”
Asterophe leaned into him.
Callian’s body was solid and warm. Just by his presence, it felt as if the season around her had changed.
Peeking her face out from his arms, she looked at the garden and said bluntly,
“Then you should’ve come earlier. My hands are already frozen.”
Callian laughed quietly and held her small hands.
His large hands were big enough to cover both of hers with just one.
“My fault.”
“That’s right.”
She said it shamelessly.
Callian kissed the back of her neck. His laughter seemed to scatter wherever his lips touched. Asterophe shivered slightly, finding the sensation sweet.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“Please tell me about Serpiewood.”
“About Serpiewood?”
Callian asked as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly.
Asterophe turned her head to meet his eyes. He looked flustered—more accurately, confused about her intentions.
Did he think she was trying to leak military secrets on Billish’s orders?
She deliberately rubbed her forehead against his cheek as she continued.
“I’m not curious about difficult things discussed in meetings.”
“Then what are you curious about?”
“What Serpiewood’s people eat. What they like. How they survive this cold.”
“And whether there’s anything they want from me.”
Even though she spoke sweetly on purpose, Callian’s expression hardened.
Was he suspicious?
Just as Asterophe was about to speak again, his cold voice cut in.
“Who told you to say things like that?”
“What?”
“Was it Somer? Not Chester. Was it that old man Tama?”
Callian was instantly furious. He seemed to believe someone had forced Asterophe into acting like a proper grand duchess.
Clenching his teeth, he said,
“Lope, you don’t have to lift a single finger in Serpiewood. No one can force you to do anything. You are practically me. You are the master of this land. If anyone dares say otherwise, they’ll be severely punished.”
Asterophe pulled her hand free from his grasp and gently placed it against his cheek.
“Your Highness, you’re wrong.”
“I’m wrong? No, that’s not it. Who told you this?”
Callian clearly looked uncomfortable. He truly believed she had nothing she needed to do here.
Asterophe slowly brushed her thumb over his lips.
“Am I really the grand duchess of Serpiewood?”
“Lope! Don’t say nonsense. No one but you can be the mistress of Serpiewood!”
As he raised his voice, Asterophe slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again, locking gazes with him.
“Then tell me.”
“…Tell you what?”
“Everything. From one to ten. All of it.”
“So who made you think about—”
“No one told me to.”
“I just want to get to know this place a little more.”
At her words, Callian’s eyes wavered.
The more shaken he became, the more firmly Asterophe stared at him—like she was swearing there wasn’t a single lie in her heart.
