Prologue
“Throw the baby away! Just toss it!”
The man shouted at the woman in a furious voice. In the midst of a torrential downpour, a carriage wobbled dangerously as it crossed the streets of Londinium.
“It’s going to die anyway! They only want that child!”
“No! Please, at least leave it in front of some orphanage!”
Behind the man holding the reins, a terrified woman clutched a bundle tightly to her chest. Her black hair, soaked from the rain, hung ominously over her forehead.
“Give it to me!”
The man reached out roughly to snatch the baby, and the woman screamed.
“No! Stop! The baby!”
When the man slammed the carriage to a stop, the woman hugged the child tightly.
“If you leave it here, it’ll die.”
“Worry about yourself. If we’re caught with the child, we’re finished too.”
Through her sobs, the woman placed the baby at the doorway of the convent. The man tried to roughly force the crying woman into the carriage.
“Wait! The letter…”
The woman pressed a sealed letter into the baby’s tiny hand. When the baby met her gaze, it smiled brightly.
The heavy rain soaked the letter, smearing the blue ink onto the baby’s pink fingers.
“Get in, quickly!”
The woman rummaged through her pocket and hung a necklace around the baby’s neck, then kissed the child’s forehead.
“Elizabeth… my little one… survive. God, hear my prayer…”
Before she could finish her short prayer, the clatter of hooves sounded loudly from behind.
“Martha!”
The man shouted. The woman grabbed a stone from the flowerbed and hurled it at the convent window. When something shattered, she quickly climbed back into the carriage.
“Go in!”
Chapter 1 – The Hotel Next to the Convent
The sky was high and clear.
Lily walked along the street, glancing at a hotel under construction.
Workers were scrubbing away the grime from the exterior walls. Skilled carpenters smoothed the floorboards and carried sawdust in sacks outside.
In the garden, iron tables and chairs were arranged with intricate lace-like patterns, and a red awning over the entrance added a fresh touch.
It wouldn’t be long before the gas lamps on the exterior were lit.
Bellmore Hotel
Lily looked at the hotel once, snorted, and continued walking with a sharp, pointed step.
The Bellmore Hotel was right next to St. Margarita Convent, where Lily lived. They were so close, exaggerating only slightly, that one could practically climb between their windows.
In short, it was like a well-dressed gentleman standing next to a shabby beggar.
“Good afternoon, Sister Brigida! Sister Bolina! Uncle Oliver! I’m back!”
The convent, blocked from sunlight by the hotel, was quiet even at noon. Lily tilted her head and headed straight to the basement to organize canned goods. Her nimble hands put everything neatly in place.
It was now time to prepare snacks. Lily, holding an empty basket with a sense of relief, paused halfway up the stairs.
Who is that?
A stranger blocked the basement entrance, looking down at her. From the steep basement stairs, the man’s silhouette was visible against the sunlight behind him.
His neatly combed hair shone like gold beneath the tall top hat.
The man’s long shadow reached her feet, and Lily hesitated. He was very tall. Just as she was about to ask who he was, Sister Brigida’s angry voice echoed down the stairs.
“I know this land belongs to the Bellmore estate, but you can’t just move the convent overnight! Are you planning to destroy the murals?”
It was rare to see Sister Brigida so agitated.
The gentleman didn’t say a word, and an elderly priest beside him tried to calm her down.
“Brigida, don’t get too worked up. Sir Bellmore is moving the convent for us, isn’t he?”
“The priest is being unreasonable too! You said our convent has the most beautiful sacred paintings in the country! We cannot leave!”
“Ah… he’ll find a way to preserve them…”
Lily crouched on the basement stairs, scribbling the words that drifted to her from the heated conversation:
Threat, Archangel Gabriel, Preservation, Settlement Fee.
She circled settlement fee a few times in dark ink.
At that moment, the arguing priest and angry nun fell silent.
When she looked up into the sudden strange silence, her eyes met the stranger’s. He was still watching her. Lily tried to look back steadily, but the bright sunlight made her squint. He was probably the one responsible for this quarrel—the infamous Sir Bellmore.
“Excuse me, could you move aside?”
Lily mustered the courage to speak. For a moment, the world seemed to pause.
“My goodness, Elizabeth! How long have you been there?”
The nun called Lily’s name, flustered. Lily wiped the soot from her hands on her apron and stood.
“Everyone, please leave. The convent will not move.”
Sister Brigida pushed the intruder away, her voice nearly strangled with frustration. Only then did the man withdraw silently, melting into a shadow in the sunlight.
As the door closed, Lily ran up the stairs.
“Sister! What on earth is happening?”
Lily gripped the locket around her neck tightly. The veins on her pale wrist stood out.
“They want to destroy a mural that hasn’t even been a year old for a hotel? No matter how powerful Bellmore is, this is unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.”
The painting depicted the golden angel Gabriel presenting lilies to Mary to announce the birth of baby Jesus. While Mary’s shoulder area had suffered damage, her kind and beautiful face remained vivid.
“Where do they want to move the convent?”
“To East Longfell.”
Lily groaned at the nun’s answer. Bellmore intended to exile the convent to a coastal village far from the capital.
“That’s impossible. My parents won’t be able to find me. This is absurd.”
Staying here was the only way to one day reunite with her family.
“I’ll help, Sister. Bellmore will not have his way!”
Sister Brigida watched anxiously as Lily stormed off.
“She’s smarter and calmer than we thought. Don’t worry too much, Brigida,” Sister Bolina said, patting Brigida’s shoulder.
“She’s like a popped bean sometimes. Unpredictable.”
Bolina laughed in agreement.
From that day, Lily practically lived in the library. She meticulously recorded everything about the Bellmore Hotel and its family, even poring over ridiculously thick law books.
Oblivious to the ink on her nose, she buried her face in piles of papers.
“Archibald Neal Bellmore, controlling the empire’s economy?”
The old newspaper photo of the man was blurred, but his arrogant expression was vivid.
[Through insurance, shipping, postal investments, etc., he amassed great wealth… a major investor in newspapers, merchant ships, and artworks… son Ruari Bellmore, newborn grandson Archie]
[Postal fraud or legitimate business… The Vanderwood family and Bellmore family are in court dispute]
The two-page article gave a detailed introduction. The Bellmore family portrait exuded luxury. At its center was Archibald N. Bellmore, flanked by his wife, son Ruari C. Bellmore, and a delicate lady holding a newborn baby. Without context, it could have been mistaken for an ordinary aristocratic family photo.
Who had given that man the right to seize a convent?
Nobles seemed like people who only looked to God when they were about to die, ignoring Him beforehand.
The sun had slanted through the library window, turning Lily’s face red. It was time to go. She packed her scrapbook and left the library.
The Bellmore Hotel opened its doors for the first time today. The entrance was crowded with guests, but the owner, “Bellmore,” avoided the crowd, sitting in his office on the penthouse floor.
“Sir Bellmore, everyone’s asking when the guest of honor will arrive.”
“I don’t have a hobby for cutting ribbons with scissors.”
He didn’t even lift his head, responding to his secretary and lawyer, Rufus Ollivander.
“You’re becoming more like your grandfather… scary even. Work on a day like this?”
Rufus gestured to a large portrait on the wall.
Yet the resemblance was minimal—only dark hair and grayish-blue eyes. The young master had deep eyes, a straight nose, and sculpted lips—a picture-perfect handsome man.
“I wish I inherited half of my grandfather’s ability.”
“Ah, but you’ve surpassed him in some ways. That handsome face—your father—”
“I know what you were going to say, but stop there.”
He cut off the joke immediately. Rufus shook his head knowingly.
“Not me, Lady Norma said it. Anyway, take a break. You don’t know how to rest, and you might die from overwork.”
“Not until the annex groundbreaking.”
“Well, it seems the convent will stay put today. At least visit the greenhouse… or take a walk by the hotel pond.”
“….”
“You need to rest.”
After Rufus’s endless nagging, Christopher finally lifted his head and put down his pen. The greenhouse was a better option, shielding him from bothersome people.
“You’ll work while I rest. No running away.”
Rufus started to leave, sighing heavily. Christopher raised an eyebrow as a silent warning.
“The convent will be relocated according to our plans. Persuading the nuns is just for show.”
He handed Rufus a stack of documents and put on his jacket. The fitted outfit highlighted his strong physique.
“You still need to attend the banquet later.”
He tapped the documents instead of replying. Rufus muttered behind him, glancing at the piles that normally would have been Christopher’s responsibility.
“Isn’t this too much? No heart or mercy. Sir, you’re a genius… in a bad way.”
