Chapter 1
The lash struck so violently that it felt as though her entire body was being torn apart. Even as her clothes shredded and her skin split, leaving her bloodied and broken, the whipping did not stop.
“You stole it—so just admit it!”
The noble young lady of the Roan count’s family—admired for her golden hair, milk-white skin, angelic features, and emerald eyes—was known as an angel in appearance… but only the servants and her family knew the truth of her cruel nature.
“How many times have I told you—I hate liars! You worthless beast!”
And of all those who understood her true character, none knew it better than her personal maid, Lanya.
The Roan young lady struck Lanya at the slightest irritation. If she was in a bad mood, she beat her. If she returned from a social gathering having heard unpleasant rumors, she beat her. If she couldn’t sleep, she beat her. If she lost her appetite, she beat her. There were so many reasons—so many excuses—that Lanya sometimes wondered how a person filled with such rage could even continue living.
Today was no different.
For the past several days, the young lady had been unusually irritable. She had screamed like a madwoman and fought frequently with the count. Eventually, in a burst of fury, she had accused Lanya of something absurd—claiming she had stolen her pearl necklace.
Lanya, who always took painstaking care not to provoke her mistress and meticulously performed her duties, had never once touched the young lady’s possessions. Moreover, she had seen the necklace herself—only ten days ago, when it was gifted to a friend on her wedding day.
She had spoken the truth, but the young lady dismissed her as a liar. It was unbearably unfair—so agonizing that Lanya felt as though she might go mad. Yet she endured it. She was a maid, and the other was her mistress.
“You wretched little thief!”
The young lady continued to strike her, as though determined to beat her to death while insisting she had stolen the necklace. Eventually, Lanya lost consciousness.
“Tell me where it is—now!”
“No!”
She jolted awake at the sound of shouting.
How long had she been asleep? Normally, she would have risen before dawn to kneel before the statue of the goddess Kelroneis and offer prayers. But the beatings had been worse than usual, and she had missed her morning devotion.
“Agh…!”
She tried to stand, but a wave of pain surged through her, forcing a groan from her lips. From below, the count’s furious shouting and the countess’s weeping intertwined in a chaotic din. Lanya didn’t truly care what was happening. The count always screamed over trivial matters, and the countess—frail of mind—seemed to cry day and night as if it were a pastime.
No wonder their daughter, the Roan young lady, had grown up so twisted.
Grinding her teeth in resentment toward the one who had reduced her to a ragged mess, Lanya forced herself upright and reached for her robe. She had to visit the temple before the head maid discovered her absence.
Prayer was the only thing that gave her the strength to survive the misfortunes of life.
But before she could descend the stairs, one of the other maids seized her.
“Pretend you didn’t see me.”
Lanya begged, but the woman ignored her and pointed beyond the servants’ gathering toward the count and countess, who were screaming as if they wished to kill each other.
“Can’t you see what’s happening? If you go to the temple now, you’ll die. After what the young lady did to you yesterday, how do you expect to walk anywhere?”
The count and countess fought like this every day—morning and night. Was it really unreasonable to go to the temple? Lanya puffed out her cheeks in frustration, and the other maid patted her shoulder soothingly.
“Just stay quiet today. Lie low.”
Finally, Lanya asked, voice edged with irritation, “What on earth is going on?”
The maid hesitated before answering.
“Apparently… the emperor has chosen our young lady to be the bride of the so-called murderer.”
“Bride?”
Lanya’s eyes widened.
A murderer?
“The emperor’s younger brother. The Grand Duke of Berkian.”
“The Grand Duke of Berkian…?”
Even Lanya, who paid little attention to worldly affairs, had heard of him.
Who hadn’t?
Everyone—even children—knew the name.
The emperor’s younger brother, Grand Duke Berkian. Once hailed as a genius, he was now infamous as a cannibalistic monster.
Five years ago, the temple prophesied that a bride must be sent to calm him. To save his brother, the emperor selected noble young ladies and sent them one by one. Yet every bride died within a day—before the marriage could even be consummated.
Most of those women had been daughters of prestigious noble families.
Naturally, the aristocracy demanded the execution of the grand duke, but the emperor refused to listen. Perhaps the situation would have erupted into open rebellion if the empress—Katrin, the so-called holy woman—had not calmed them by claiming it was the will of the gods.
“An escort from the palace was supposed to arrive this afternoon to take the young lady to the north… but she ran away last night.”
“She ran away?”
Lanya stared, dumbfounded.
She swallowed hard and pushed through the crowd of maids until she reached the front. There, in the entrance hall, the countess sat sobbing while the count raged at her.
“Tell me where she went—now—or you’ll regret it!”
The countess lifted her tear-streaked face and glared at him.
“Kill me if you want! My daughter will die if she goes to that monster—her insides torn out and devoured!”
Her voice broke in a scream of terror.
“How could you do this? How could the emperor… force my daughter to marry such a monster?”
“Mind your words! He is still the grand duke!”
“If my daughter must marry that beast and die, I would rather die first—”
Slap!
“Be silent!”
“Did you just hit me…?”
Stunned and furious, the countess turned toward her husband—only to freeze when she saw Lanya standing among the maids.
At her sudden gaze, Lanya flinched and instinctively stepped back. The countess rose quickly and seized Lanya’s cheeks, crushing them in her grip. Lanya’s eyes trembled with panic.
“Ma… madam…”
“Now that I look at you… your hair resembles my daughter’s golden locks.”
The woman who had been crying in terror only moments before now smiled with a glint of madness. As though she had found a jewel in a barren wasteland, she stroked Lanya’s golden hair with an ecstatic expression.
“And your eyes are green, just like hers, aren’t they?”
“Ma… madam… what are you doing?”
Lanya tried to retreat, but the countess held her face too tightly.
“You are my daughter’s maid. Therefore, you should offer your very soul for your mistress.”
A chill crawled over Lanya’s skin. She recognized this feeling—an ominous sensation that always preceded misfortune.
“If you consider all the kindness my daughter has shown you, you ought to do even more.”
Kindness? There had been none. Only cruel beatings. Just last night, she had been accused of theft and nearly beaten to death. Even now, her body ached so badly that the slightest movement made her want to scream.
And yet—kindness? To offer her soul for her mistress?
No!
She struggled, trying to break free, but the countess twisted her thin wrist with brutal force. The countess was consumed by her own delusion. Unable to watch any longer, the count stepped forward and forcibly pulled her away.
“What are you saying? Have you lost your mind? Don’t you know what happens to families that defy the emperor’s orders? If we switch places and the emperor discovers it, we—all of us—will be finished!”
