—
“Karia—or rather, my sister—is getting divorced?”
“What nonsense! Who said she’s being allowed to divorce? Absolutely not, never!”
The emperor exploded in anger at the question from his daughter, Princess Serivis. He couldn’t bear the thought of Karia returning to the Grand Duchy and turning the entire household into an icy battlefield again.
His younger brother had already suffered greatly because of Karia. Things had just started to improve between him and the Grand Duchess—how could he let all that progress unravel?
“Why all of a sudden? I thought things were going well—what’s the problem now?”
“Apparently she almost died falling down the stairs and came to her senses—said she wanted to live her own life. But really, to say something that childish at her age?”
“She almost died? Then how come no one heard about it?”
Crown Prince Robert’s sharp remark brought a moment of silence to the dining table. In truth, not only outsiders but even her royal relatives knew next to nothing about Karia’s life after marriage.
“We knew their relationship wasn’t great, but Duke Pandeon really went too far. Laughing it up at parties while his wife was in critical condition?”
“T-that’s because the Duke is busy! No matter how much he works, the estate’s situation isn’t improving, so he had no choice!”
“How could things get better if he doesn’t even know there’s a thief in his house? I’m not giving any more help until that thief is thrown out. It’s like pouring water into a broken jar.”
The emperor clicked his tongue, recalling Duke Pandeon, who always wore a troubled expression despite his youth. The man had talent—a decent head on his shoulders and the ability to humble himself when needed.
But he kept getting stabbed in the back—either because he was clueless or because he didn’t want to know.
Since the Pandeon estate was an important part of the Castaros Empire, the emperor gave it minimal support, but he didn’t value his nephew-in-law enough to waste money on a hopeless cause.
—
“Your Majesty, the High Priest from the Temple requests an audience.”
“The High Priest? At this hour?”
“He said it’s regarding the ‘Scales’…”
Just then, the emperor’s chamberlain appeared, announcing the priest’s arrival. At the word Scales, the emperor’s expression darkened.
“Lost my appetite. I’ll go see him—finish your meals.”
As the emperor stood up and left, Serivis tilted her head in curiosity while watching his back.
“What is this ‘Scales’ thing? He always gets nervous when it’s mentioned. Brother, do you know anything?”
“Who knows.”
Robert only shrugged and gave her a subtle smile. He resumed eating, while Serivis watched him, feigning a grumble to probe his reaction.
“Father’s being so harsh. It’s not like Karia stirs up trouble for no reason. There must be something serious going on for her to talk about divorce.”
“What’s this? Is the sun going to rise from the west tomorrow? You’re taking Karia’s side now?”
“Well… I’m not a child anymore.”
Indeed, when she was younger, Serivis had tormented Karia relentlessly. As the youngest royal, she was spoiled by her older brothers. When Karia arrived and started stealing the spotlight, Serivis became hostile.
Karia had always been at the mercy of the tiny, acorn-sized princess, but one day Serivis lost interest and began ignoring her altogether.
“You know it already, but even if the Duke divorces her, Father will never let you marry him. Just give it up.”
Robert was well aware of his little sister’s feelings. It had been years since she started following the Duke around like a lovesick puppy.
Everyone knew, including the emperor—who even scolded her once, though rarely. But Serivis still hadn’t given up on her feelings.
Robert let out a deep sigh and put down his utensils. His plate was already empty.
“You’re hardly eating these days. If you’re not well, you should see the palace doctor.”
“Yes, Brother.”
He gave her a sympathetic glance and left for work. Serivis sat there, lost in thought, as her food went cold.
“Ugh!”
Then she clapped a hand over her mouth, overwhelmed by nausea.
“Ugh… what do I do? What should I do?”
It was becoming harder to eat. The less she ate, the worse she felt. Eventually, her vision blurred, and the room spun—but she didn’t call for the palace doctor. She couldn’t risk anyone discovering her condition.
Sweating and trembling, Serivis slowly placed a hand over her belly.
“What are we going to do, baby?”
She bit her lip hard, drawing blood. Another wave of nausea hit. Something had to be done—immediately.
—
“Heading out?”
“–So what if I am?”
Later that morning, after washing up and dressing, Karia emerged at the front entrance with a small bundle. Waiting there, as if he’d known all along, was Zurin Baltos.
He’d probably seen how she dealt with the Grand Lady and heard reports from the Duke about her strange behavior, yet he stood stiff and formal as always.
“It’s dangerous to go alone. Please take Sir Ansen with you.”
“Duchess, allow me to accompany you.”
“No thanks. I’ll be fine alone.”
Then she saw her ever-annoying escort once again—always paired with that beat-up old carriage.
Ansen Miller, a young knight who had just come of age last year. He’d never so much as carried a heavy bag for her, just stood by her side in name only.
“I’ll have the carriage prepared. Where are we headed today?”
“…”
“Lovely weather, isn’t it? Not a cloud in the sky. It was gloomy all day yesterday.”
“–Sir.”
Something was off about him today. Normally so sullen, he now wore a bright smile and struck up cheerful conversation.
Karia found it extremely irritating.
“Was he always this chatty?”
“Ah, well…”
He wasn’t a bodyguard—just a watchdog. No doubt the Duke had him spying on her movements.
Still, after three years of blatantly ignoring her, did he think she’d suddenly warm up to his small talk? With a master like that, no wonder the servant was clueless.
“–Apologies.”
“You’re not going to obey me anyway. At least keep quiet.”
She climbed into the small carriage he had waiting and shut the window to block his face from view.
Since she hadn’t secured her own carriage yet, she’d have to put up with this for now.
“Take me to the back of the market district.”
“Not the usual orphanage today?”
She didn’t answer another word after that.
—
“Uh, Duchess? I mean—what exactly are we—”
When they finally arrived at their destination—a shabby little tavern—Ansen realized, too late, that she was really angry.
“I’m hiring the Black Night. I’ll pay two gold coins to anyone who can kick that bastard away from me.”
“Duchess!”
Truthfully, Ansen had resented being assigned as her guard.
‘You want me to protect her?’
He was born and raised in the Pandeon duchy, a street rat who used to fend off bandits and help villagers survive winter. Being a noblewoman’s bodyguard had never crossed his mind.
‘I’m no good at this. Just let me go bash some bandits instead.’
‘You’re a soldier now, not a thug. Why do you think we made you a knight? Orders are absolute.’
‘But still—!’
His protests meant nothing. Though young, he was strong enough to fight bears. In three years, he learned to wield a sword and earned a knighthood.
What he thought was a gift turned out to be a debt. Ansen spit on the ground, cursing the honor of knighthood.
‘I should just quit and throw this uniform away.’
But of course, he couldn’t. His grandmother and little sister depended on his wages to survive the winter.
No matter how humiliating, there was no quitting this miserable job.
‘Huh… she actually smiles sometimes.’
Over time, he got used to the role. She might’ve been a bit stiff, but she wasn’t arrogant like most nobles. Seeing her roll up her sleeves at the orphanage gave her a human side.
What was it about this fragile woman that made everyone in the estate treat her so cruelly? He never got to ask—he was just a nameless knight on the Pandeon payroll.
But then…
‘I am His Majesty the Emperor’s niece, daughter of the Grand Duke, sixth in line for the throne. My name is in the royal registry. So why does the Pandeon household act like I don’t exist?’
Watching her threaten the Grand Lady with amputation, Ansen finally realized—something was very, very wrong.
