TIHYGR CHAPTER 1

Episode 1
Chapter 1. This Is How You End a Marriage

The raging blaze gave off the scent of freshly baked bread.
That was because what was burning in the flames was wheat.

A man threw another bundle of wheat into the fire and finally cursed under his breath.
“How long do we have to keep up this madness? Why are we burning perfectly good wheat? We might as well feed it to the pigs!”

The man next to him flinched violently and hissed in alarm.
“Do you want to die? Keep your voice down!”

“So this is how House Taylor ends, huh? Ever since the late Duke and Duchess passed so suddenly, this family’s been cursed.”

“I said quiet!”

“They’re in debt all over, most of the wheat’s gone to pay it off, and now this? Burning the rest? A noble house with such a long legacy, ruined in under ten years.”

Even the man who had been anxiously scanning their surroundings ended up shaking his head and muttering,
“…They say they’re getting paid to burn this much wheat.”

“Supply drops, price rises. A profitable scheme, huh? But do they even realize this is borderline treason?”

“……”

“At least Lady Grace is still alive. Maybe there’s some hope after all.”

The man tossed the last bundles of wheat into the flames and let out a long, heavy sigh.
“But then again, she’s not even the heir. Just a daughter. Once she’s married off, she’s gone.”

His eyes turned red.

“Still… marrying her off to that notorious bastard, known for his debauchery even among us commoners? That’s too cruel.”

“Just wait. Lady Grace must have a plan.”

Their eyes turned toward the same direction—
The grand, towering Taylor estate. Darkness loomed over the castle, heavy and sorrowful.

Just like that night thirteen years ago, when the late Duke and Duchess met their mysterious and sudden deaths.

＊＊＊

“Mother! How do I look?”

Emma Taylor, the current Duchess of House Taylor, glanced up from her reclining position as she had her nails done.
Her daughter, Rosette Taylor, stood in front of the mirror, dressed in an extravagant pink gown, swaying her shoulders gleefully.

“You look beautiful, my lady,” said Lady Cornwall in a soft tone.

“Right?” Rosette beamed.

But the Duchess eyed her daughter up and down with a bored look and replied,
“Tone it down. You don’t need to try so hard—you’re already much more beautiful.”

Rosette’s cheerful expression hardened.
She spun around to her mother and pouted.

“I want to be the most dazzling one at the wedding!”

“Don’t worry. You’ll shine brightest that day, too,” said Lady Cornwall soothingly.

Still grumbling, Rosette opened a red jewelry case on the table.
Inside was a jewel so stunning even the noble daughter of the Duke’s house, Rosette herself, was momentarily mesmerized.

“Grace? That plain girl gets this?” she snapped.

Even though she knew it was the wedding gift from the groom’s side to the bride, Rosette couldn’t accept it.
She was supposed to be the star of the wedding. But just imagining all the nobles focusing their attention on Grace kept her up at night.

The Duchess chuckled at her daughter’s tantrum and dismissed the maids.
Admiring her polished nails, she spoke lightly.

“Then why don’t you marry Count Saxony’s son instead of Grace?”

Rosette’s eyes widened in horror and she shook her head violently.
“Mother!”

“Exactly. My daughter could never marry someone like that. The man has at least six known illegitimate children, and word is, he’s got sticky fingers too. So at least for tomorrow, try to be gracious to Grace.”

And that was not the worst of it.
According to custom, the wedding was to be held in the bride’s territory, so the Saxony family was currently staying at the Taylor estate.

Even here, the young Count Jack Saxony flirted with the maids and even resorted to violence.

They said the number of staff who cried after being slapped by him had already exceeded ten.

Emma smirked as she recalled Grace Taylor, the girl who looked exactly like the late Duchess.

“Grace marrying him means our debt to House Saxony disappears.”

The Count of Saxony not only demanded no dowry but also agreed to erase the massive debt House Taylor owed them.

Such a generous offer was proof of how much of a problem the young count had become.

For House Taylor, it was a huge win. They were shedding debt and gaining ties to the Imperial Empress’s family, all at the cost of Grace.

Even so, Rosette muttered under her breath.
“It’s only right that she repays you and Father for raising her.”

“Of course.”

The Duchess rose and patted her daughter’s shoulder.
“So quit whining about jewels.”

“…Fine.”

After sending Rosette off, Emma Taylor walked lightly down the flickering corridors, her footsteps light and buoyant.

Thirteen years ago, the former Duke and Duchess of Taylor died on the same day.
They had only one young daughter. And according to Imperial law, a daughter couldn’t inherit the house unless she ruled alongside her husband.

With no clear heir, even the loyal vassal houses that served the late Duke began dying off mysteriously.
And so, the once insignificant Baron John and his wife Emma found themselves inheriting the prestigious dukedom.

Emma still remembered how her knees trembled that first day she stepped into the castle, feeling like none of it belonged to her.

But she quickly changed her mindset.
This house was always meant to be hers.

Emma had the portraits of the former Duke and Duchess taken down and shoved into a damp storage room.
Anyone who mourned the former rulers was banished.

She wanted to erase all traces of them—
To make it seem like she had been the rightful mistress of this house from the start.

“You’re here.”

Grace Taylor, still reviewing the estate documents the night before her wedding, rose with her usual composed expression.

The only remaining bloodline of the late Duke.
The true Taylor.

The first day Emma met Grace, she knew—
She would never be able to love that child.

The people of the territory respected the former Duke and Duchess so much that they cherished Grace more than her own daughter.
Grace Taylor was a living reminder of the past she wanted to erase.

But that ends today.

All of this would finally be hers—not Grace’s.

Emma put on a kind expression and said,
“His Grace chose you a husband far above what you deserve.”

“……”

“The jewels are truly beautiful.”

Grace looked up quietly. Emma approached slowly, hiding a sneer behind her hand.

“So, when your husband brings his bastards home, or hits you sometimes, endure it. Life might feel unbearable, but what else can you do? Endurance is the only thing left—and something you’re rather good at.”

The venom behind her smile deepened.

“Once you’re married, you’re no longer part of this house. Don’t ever dream of asking the Duke for help. Don’t disgrace us. Just endure. After twenty years or so, you’ll have the honor of being Lady of House Saxony.”

If you can survive that long in hell, that is.

“In any case, live well.”

The Duchess spat out the curse dressed as kindness and turned away.

She had always hated Grace—
Even when she was just ten, she carried a grace and dignity that Emma, a full-grown duchess, never had.

Even now.
That unshaken, arrogant calm on her face.
Emma felt a chill and left the room abruptly.

Grace looked silently at the space the Duchess had vacated, then met the eyes of Lady Cornwall.

They exchanged a wordless look.
Then Cornwall left as well, and Grace turned back to the neatly stacked papers on the desk.

Astonishingly, most of the estate’s paperwork and finances, which should have been handled by the head of the house, had fallen to Grace.

Duke John Taylor, in name only a baron, had no capability to manage such a grand estate.
He had chased away the former loyalists of the late Duke but couldn’t dismiss a few key retainers—because he had no one to do the actual work.

Not only the Duke, but his wife, son, and even daughter focused only on indulging in their newfound wealth and power.
None of them cared about the responsibilities of running a duchy.

In the end, it was Grace who, by learning from the few remaining officials, handled all the major decisions and management herself.

Just as she was about to sit again—

“Milady, Milady!!”

A maid came rushing in, out of breath and panic-stricken.

“What is it?!”

Before the answer came, a terrible scream echoed from somewhere in the castle.

The maid cried out with a sob,
“Count Saxony’s son—he’s done something to Jessie—!!”