Chapter 1
Spring finally came to the Winternight dukedom, which had always felt like a cold winter.
Estelle Winternight.
She was the young lady whose name everyone in the Empire knew.
She had white hair that many thought of as ominous, yet it looked more like clouds drifting through a clear sky. Her round pink-tinted eyes were like the first flowers of spring.
But it wasn’t her lovely appearance that drew all the Empire’s attention.
Eight years ago, while the Duke of Winternight was away, the duchy had been attacked. Many people were injured and killed. At the same time, the duchess—the woman the duke loved most—and their newborn child disappeared without a trace.
The two people he loved most were gone from the world. The duke searched the entire Empire for them, but not even a single clue was found.
That was when his madness began.
He hunted down every noble who had been involved in the attack and killed them. His “atrocities” grew without limit, but since no one had the power to restrain him, he never stopped.
After eight years, the Winternight dukedom held power equal to the imperial family.
By then, everyone called the duke a villain.
And then, Estelle appeared.
The child had messy gray hair, was thin and shabby, and her impression was so faint you could easily overlook her.
“…My lord?”
His aide called out to him, but the duke didn’t move. He only stared blankly at the begging child.
Without hesitation, he approached her.
“What’s your name?”
“…”
The child stared silently at the intimidating man for a long time without answering. It was strange. Most children who met the Duke of Winternight cried within a minute, but this child showed no fear.
After a long silence, she finally opened her dry lips.
“…White.”
“White?”
“My hair.”
“What are you doing here?”
“…Earning money.”
“Why?”
“If I don’t, my teacher hurts me.”
The duke found it strange. Despite the fact that she looked nothing like a Winternight, he instinctively felt this child was his daughter. He asked her to come with him. She hesitated, but thinking things couldn’t get any worse, she took his hand.
Blink, blink.
The skinny little girl in ragged clothes looked out the window of the luxurious carriage. Then she glanced nervously at the large, frightening man sitting across from her.
“….”
He sat with his arms crossed, eyes closed, showing no sign of moving or speaking. She folded her hands on her lap, trying hard not to let her dangling legs swing.
‘Am I really allowed to sit inside such a fancy carriage? Why is he taking me?’
Surely she must smell bad, yet the duke hadn’t frowned once.
‘But people said the Duke of Winternight eats children…’
She pinched her thin arm and thought she wouldn’t taste good anyway.
“…Your hair color.”
“Eh? Y-Yes!”
The duke’s flat voice startled her.
“Is it really that gray?”
“…Ah.”
She shook her head quickly.
“No… it’s actually white. But my teacher said it’s unlucky, so he dyed it gray every week.”
The carriage grew silent again.
Soon they arrived at the massive mansion—so large it looked like a castle. The child hiccupped in fear.
“Hiccup!”
“…”
She clapped her hands over her mouth, trying desperately to muffle the sound.
The carriage rolled across the vast garden before stopping. The duke stepped out first, then wrapped the girl in a blanket and lifted her into his arms.
“…!”
She panicked—surely she smelled terrible! But he ignored it and commanded the servants:
“Bring a maid who can look after this child.”
Her stomach churned as if she had been rolling inside a barrel. What was I just doing? Who was I talking to?
Her memories were blurry. Only one thing was clear—something urgent had happened.
“…?”
‘Wait. Why am I lying down?’
Yujin’s eyes flew open. A little girl she had never seen before was crying buckets of tears beside her.
“Mommy—!!!”
The girl sobbed so hard it seemed her tiny body might drown in her own tears.
“Um…”
“M-Mommy, I’m sorry! I won’t be naughty again, I promise! Sob, sob… Mommy…”
Yujin froze. Why is this child calling me mother?
She decided she had to calm her down first.
“Sweetie, don’t cry…”
The child had pink hair and soft lavender eyes. Thin and sickly, yet lovely.
As Yujin reached out to comfort her, she noticed something odd. Her hand was covered in calluses, and her sleeve was so shabby the threads were coming undone.
She staggered up, and pink hair spilled into her vision.
“What… is this?”
Panicked, she looked around the small but tidy old house. In a cracked mirror, she saw a woman with pink hair and golden eyes.
“Kyahhh—!!!”
What? Is this a dream? It feels too real! Yujin slapped her cheeks hard. The child clutched her arms in horror.
“Mommy, don’t hurt yourself! I’m sorry, I’ll be good!”
Her cheeks stung, turning red and swollen. The little girl cried even harder, as if she herself had been hit.
“Who are you…” Yujin tried to ask, but suddenly a sharp ringing filled her head and pain shot through her skull.
“Ugh…”
“Mommy, are you okay?! Does it hurt?! Do you want me to blow on it?!”
Memories that weren’t hers flooded in—of a wealthy young man at the mana refinery, stolen sweet days, promises of love… and his disappearance.
Then came the memory of a child.
Yujin groaned and clutched her head. The girl panicked.
“Mommy, what do I do…”
“…Bonita.”
“…!”
She called the child by name. Bonita’s tears vanished into a wide smile.
“Yes!”
Reina—once Yujin—wiped the tears from the girl’s cheeks.
“Sorry, I must’ve been tired.”
Memories of “Reina” filled her mind. From then on, Yujin lived as Reina.
She had little of Yujin left—perhaps her past life had only been a dream. But unlike the real Reina, she could read, calculate, and work better.
Maybe it’s because I transmigrated.
But even with those skills, life was hard. A woman with no connections, no magic, was not easily hired.
Reina pitied herself—suddenly awake in another’s body, with only Bonita by her side.
At least Bonita was mature for her age, and over time, Reina came to truly love her.
One winter night, Reina came home empty-handed again, unable to find work. She called for Bonita, but found her burning with fever.
“Bonita… oh no!”
Her heart dropped. She bundled the girl in every piece of clothing she had, even her own coat, and rushed through the snow, begging for help.
But no villager opened their doors. Healers turned her away when they saw she was a poor single mother. Even the temple refused without a donation.
“Mommy…”
Bonita weakly clung to her.
“It’s okay, you’ll be okay,” Reina whispered, though fear gnawed inside.
The girl begged not to be abandoned. Reina’s chest ached.
“I’d never leave you,” she swore.
Finally, through her tears, she saw a grand mansion—Winternight Castle.
She had heard the duke was cruel, insane, a villain. But the gods had already turned her away.
If it’s to save Bonita, I’ll even grab the devil’s hand.
With frozen feet and trembling legs, she staggered to the gates.
“Please!!!” she cried. “Please save my child!”
The guards hesitated. Then a black carriage arrived, and a cold voice asked:
“What’s happening?”
The Duke of Winternight stepped out. Black hair, icy blue eyes, a face as cold as winter itself.
Reina fell to her knees, clutching Bonita.
“Please… save her,” she begged. “I don’t care what happens to me, just save my child.”
That was how Reina Borton first met Damian Winternight.
“Reina, look!”
Her thoughts drifted back to the present. A girl with shining white hair smiled brightly at her.
“Lady Estelle.”
Estelle laughed over her cocoa topped with marshmallows. All the servants around her couldn’t hide their fond smiles.
A few months earlier, the duke had brought home a shabby gray-haired child. Searching for someone to care for her, the butler thought of Reina—since she was the only maid raising a child herself.
When Reina first met the girl, she introduced herself.
“My name is Reina. What’s yours?”
“…White hair.”
“…Pardon?”
“My name is White Hair.”
Reina froze. Before she could respond, the duke spoke one word:
“Estelle.”
“…?”
“Your name is Estelle, not White Hair.”
From then on, the child was Estelle.
Reina took her to bathe. But when the water ran over her hair, gray dye washed away, revealing snowy white strands.
Estelle panicked. “No! Don’t wash me!”
Reina gently wrapped her in a towel and calmed her.
“It’s okay. You’re someone precious the duke brought home himself. No one here will hate you.”
“…Even if I have white hair?”
Reina smiled softly.
“You’re not White Hair. You’re Estelle.”
She bathed the girl, dressed her in clean clothes, and fed her well. Estelle was overwhelmed by the attention and food, but Reina guided her gently.
From that day, Estelle followed Reina closely—more than anyone else.
Though the other servants whispered about the “lucky maid,” Reina endured it all and stayed by Estelle’s side, smiling.
