01.

– Riad Ingel is getting married!

One late night, despite the sun having set, the dazzlingly bright party hall was filled with an irresistible topic of conversation.

The unexpected news fluttered between fans, stirring the nobles who always craved gossip and excitement. Even those with bored expressions began to perk up and chatter.

“With whom? That man who went to the battlefield and never returned?”

“Count Ingel? I thought for sure he was… Ahem, pardon me. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Riad Ingel.

If one were to start talking about him, three days and nights wouldn’t be enough time.

At the age of fifteen, he returned as a hero of the Empire after achieving a grand victory in his first battle.

He continued to fend off numerous invasions, sealing victories in every war and finally ending the long war with the Moltan Empire at the age of twenty. He was called the embodiment of victory, the greatest knight of the Empire.

He was the emperor’s most cherished loyal subject, his right-hand man, and famously known as the secret love of the princess.

Though the Ingel Barony lacked honor and prestige, it had more wealth than could be spent in a lifetime of extravagance, and Riad was the first to bring dignity to his family.

At this moment, he was the strongest and wealthiest man in the Empire.

Whenever he moved, many people paid attention, and it was well known that unmarried noblewomen vied for even a glance from Riad.

As someone always at the center of attention, his wedding news had everyone forgetting their decorum, eyes wide with curiosity, and chattering non-stop. But in the end, there was only one question on everyone’s lips:

“Who on earth is it?”

However, their curiosity remained unsatisfied as the night deepened, and even as the fervor of the party died down. Even days later, when a new rumor spread about the princess flying into a rage and taking it out on her innocent maids upon hearing the news, the question was still unanswered.

Only a fortnight later, with no prior announcement, the situation heated up again when Hennessia Ardin of the Ardin Ducal House walked down the aisle, replacing the man who had gone to battle and never returned, reigniting the topic of Riad Ingel’s marriage.

* * *

Crunch… Crunch….

In a quiet room, a woman anxiously bit her fingernails, pacing restlessly. She was so tense that she didn’t even notice someone had entered the room.

At that moment, the door, which hadn’t been oiled, creaked loudly as it closed. Startled, the woman, who had been nervously tossing her long, pink hair behind her, snapped her head up.

“Henny.”

The woman, whose name was called—Henesstia—turned pale upon seeing the person who had entered.

“Brother…”

“It’s your wedding day, but you don’t seem very happy. Well, I suppose it’s sad to leave Ardin behind.”

As he approached with firm steps, she forced a weak smile onto her pale face, barely finding strength in her legs to stop herself from retreating.

“You look lovely in your bridal gown.”

The man who approached was Heron Ardin, who had recently inherited the dukedom after their father died in a carriage accident. He had assumed the title of duke at a young age.

At the same time, he was the one who had arranged her marriage to a man she had never met, almost the only family she had left.

“It’s sad… to think you’re leaving my side.”

Heron gently embraced Henesstia.

Though her body was stiff in his arms, he seemed not to mind, smiling as if he truly regretted it.

“It’s a shame your husband won’t be with you on the wedding night, but don’t be too upset about that.”

“Brother… this isn’t right. Don’t you think?” Henesstia spoke faintly, her voice trembling as she clasped her hands tightly together in front of her chest.

Heron tilted his head.

“What isn’t right?”

“R-Riad Ingel… he’s the man the princess loves…”

“Oh, Henesstia.”

He untangled her delicately styled hair. Henesstia pressed her lips together.

The words she had just managed to utter were stifled by the menacing gesture of Heron caressing her hair and softly gripping the nape of her neck.

“What does the princess’s love matter? No matter how impressive Count Ingel may be, he’s still just a knight from a baronial house. He could never marry a princess.”

Heron mentioned the name of the man she was about to marry, who had only been elevated to count two years ago after his achievements had been recognized, and who had married her in a modest ceremony just days before.

“By rights, he wouldn’t be able to marry someone like you either… but in a way, he should be grateful. He’s getting a noble lady as his wife.”

That’s not true, brother. Henesstia wanted to say this, but the words wouldn’t come out.

She held back her tears. Her nose stung, and her eyes burned, but she had no choice but to endure.

People might say that a noblewoman marrying the Empire’s greatest knight and the emperor’s most trusted confidant sounded honorable, but she knew better.

The whole world was singing about how she had stolen the man the princess coveted.

‘Two years ago, my father, the previous duke, gambled away our family’s fortune, and our estate and title went up for auction. It was… Ingel, the baron, who bought me as a bride for his son in exchange for bailing us out…’

Henesstia’s inner protest echoed in her mind.

It wasn’t just the estate and title that had been sold—it had been her.

The current Count Ingel was, without a doubt, the most eligible bachelor in the Empire, but he had one glaring issue: his origin.

The Ingel family, originally commoners who had amassed great wealth through trading, had purchased a baronial title. Nobles despised those who bought their titles with money.

Though the current Count Ingel had risen to fame as a knight and earned the emperor’s trust, eventually gaining the title of count, he still bore the stigma of low birth.

Baron Ingel had paid a great sum of money to buy his son a noble bride.

The bankrupt Ardin family gained the funds they needed, and the Ingel family received Henesstia Ardin, the only remaining daughter of a ducal family and a distant relation to the imperial family. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

In theory, it was a perfect transaction.

Except for the fact that neither Riad Ingel—who was still at war and unaware of his impending marriage—nor Henesstia had been asked for their consent.

But she could say nothing.

She knew all too well how her brother would react if he got angry.

“Riad Ingel is the only son of the richest merchant in the Empire, and he became a count two years ago. So, even if you don’t see it now, you’ll come to realize that this marriage is more than enough for you.”

Henesstia could only slowly nod under the pressure of his gaze, as though he were demanding an answer.

The moonlight cast a faint glow over the room.

Heron, who had been lightly tapping his lips with a faint smile, bent down to meet her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

“Henny, listen carefully.”

Gulp. She swallowed hard as a knot formed in her throat.

Her legs trembled with tension. What would he say next?

Just like four days ago, when she hadn’t known about her own wedding until then… And like this morning, when she was dragged off, dolled up, and forced into a bridal gown, the terror once again surged through her.

“When the count returns, get pregnant right away.”

“…P-pregnant?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. The thing about Count Ingel is that he’s known for being difficult to deal with, probably because of his low birth. He’s of no use to us.”

“Useless? What are you saying, brother…?”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand. You’re still my sweet little sister.”

He kissed her on the forehead.

But the grip on her shoulders only tightened further.

“Once you’ve had a child, I’ll make sure the entire Ingel estate goes to your child by eliminating all the others.”

Henesstia could hardly believe her ears. She wanted to doubt what she had just heard.

Her small hands, clasped tightly in front of her, turned white, her knuckles showing beneath her pale skin.

“Though the Ingel Baron’s family has other relatives, they’re still just commoners. It’ll be easy to ensure that all the inheritance goes to your child. What do you think? That’s something you can do, right?”

“……”

She couldn’t lift her gaze from the ground. Her thick lashes quivered pitifully.

“Henny.”

“…I-I…”

“Henesstia Ardin.”

Ah, but she’s no longer an Ardin, is she? Don’t worry; you’re still my one and only sister.

His voice slithered into her ear like the whisper of a devil.

“Come to think of it, Mother’s been asking about you often lately. She seems to be losing her mind more and more these days… I wonder what might happen if she doesn’t get her medicine… I’ve been quite worried.”

Henesstia’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. Her lips, which had been firmly shut out of stubbornness and hesitation, finally parted.

“I-I’ll do it.”

She couldn’t refuse him.

When the family faced ruin due to gambling, Heron’s first move as the heir had been to orchestrate their father’s death in a staged carriage accident.

And the ailing mother Henesstia loved more than anyone in the world had been sent away to a distant villa under the guise of “convalescence,” becoming the perfect shackle to bind Henesstia.

Knowing this, even in this moment, she could only nod.

“Good. That’s my sweet sister.”

Swallowing the tears that threatened to fall, Henesstia stared at the unfamiliar castle that now loomed before her—the one that the emperor had bestowed upon Riad Ingel when he became a count.

Her pristine bridal gown felt suffocating.

But more uncomfortable than that were the beautiful portrait of Count Ingel hanging in the corner of the room and the arms of Heron wrapped around her.

“I trust you’ll do well.”

And so, on that day, Henesstia Ardin, who had married Count Riad Ingel—unbeknownst to him, as he was still away at war—became Henesstia Ingel.