Chapter 1
In the modest chamber of Baron Javern’s household, the room was so plain it was hard to believe it belonged to a noble family. Its size was not large, and with only the most essential furnishings placed within, it felt almost bare.
Its mistress was Raiel, the baron’s only daughter. She was a striking beauty, a figure wholly out of place in such unadorned surroundings. Her features, though not ostentatious, were exquisitely balancedas if sculpted by the hand of a god. Each detail of her face was smooth, graceful, and perfectly aligned. She was a woman of serene beauty, like a lily in bloom.
Her eyes, gently downturned, conveyed calm elegance, while the faint smile lingering at her lips carried the freshness of a flower on the verge of blossoming. Her silver hair shimmered like silk woven with threads of light, and her sapphire-blue eyes glimmered brighter than gemstones, clear and pure as a tranquil lake.
“I never thought a reply would come so quickly…”
Raiel murmured softly, gazing at the letter in her hands, her expression touched with unease.
Only a few days earlier, she had received an unexpected marriage proposal. And not from just any house but from the Ducal House itself.
The shock of such an offer had lasted but a moment. Composed as ever, Raiel soon accepted the reality. The letter’s phrasing had been formal and rigid to the point of coldness, yet through her ability, she had read the true emotions behind the words and they overflowed with affection.
For Raiel possessed a secret gift known to none: she could perceive the color of one’s aura, and through it, sense their feelings and thoughts. Even an object touched by someone’s hand would bear traces she could read. More than that, she could, if she so willed, nudge and guide another’s emotions and thoughts, bending them subtly toward her desire.
And so, after glimpsing the sincerity hidden behind the letter, Raiel had not hesitated long before deciding to accept. In truth, there had been no real choice.
How could a baronial house refuse a ducal proposal?
Her reply had been carefully written: though she could not consent to marry a man she had never met, she at least wished to see his face before their union. The words carried the quiet implication of acceptance.
Even her father did not know she had sent this letter. She had deliberately kept it from him, knowing full well he would oppose such a match.
For the ducal house carried a fearsome reputation – one heavy with rumors of cruelty. The current Duke, Carpel Yvern, was described in the simplest of terms: the greatest madman in the Empire’s history, perhaps even the entire continent’s.
Stories abounded.
A noble who had once spat in the direction of the Duke’s lands was found dead the very next day. Another tale told of a man who offended the Duke merely by the tone in which he spoke then his tongue was cut from his mouth.
Nor were such stories limited to violence. For a time, scarcely a day passed without Carpel visiting some young lady of the capital, leaving behind whispers of scandal. Should any of those ladies commit the slightest misstep, their families would be crushed with political pressure, driven to the brink of ruin.
How, then, could her father possibly consent?
And yet, less than two days after her reply, the Duke had answered. He would come at once to see her, and by tomorrow, he would arrive at their estate.
Raiel had not yet persuaded her father. Indeed, she had not even broached the subject. But there was no more time to delay.
Just then, Baron Javern himself entered. His face, usually warm with gentle smiles, was drawn with weariness and deep gravity.
Raiel, who had been searching for a chance to speak with him, rose with a smile to greet him.
“My dear child.”
The baron’s voice was low and heavy.
“Yes, Father.”
“You must go to the House of Count Raizen.”
Raiel’s smile faltered. “What?”
The baron sighed, as though each word weighed heavily. “Years ago, our house received a great debt from Count Raizen. In return, he vowed to grant us any one request. I intend to send you to them as his adopted daughter.”
Raiel’s eyes widened, immediately understanding. Her father sought to spirit her away, to shield her from the Duke’s proposal.
“If you leave for the Count’s household, the daughter of House Javern will be declared dead. Not even the Duke can demand answers for an accident.”
The preparations had already been made: a staged carriage accident, a loyal coachman, and a plausible reason for her departure. If the suitor had been anyone but the Duke, if not for the dreadful tales that surrounded him, the baron would never have gone so far.
But how could he allow his cherished daughter to be bound in marriage to a man so infamous for cruelty, condemned to a life of loneliness and pain?
Raiel’s heart tightened. She understood his fears. Indeed, until she had read the aura within the letter, she too had imagined the Duke as little better than a demon risen from hell. But now… she had chosen to accept him.
“…The Duke offered five million gold coins as the price of marriage.”
That sum, more than anything, had swayed her. The Javern household teetered on the edge of ruin. Once a count’s house, they had been stripped of rank and exiled from the capital. Ten years of disasters had left their domain on the brink of collapse. Their coffers were drained, their estate nearly bankrupt.
With such a dowry, they would not only survive but flourish at least for years to come.
But the baron shook his head. “Even so, I cannot send you to such a fate. You have already borne enough hardship. You lost your mother young and took her place as mistress of this house. You were denied the joys other noble daughters take for granted. And still, you endured. No, my dearest, you deserve happiness. Let me bear the burdens of our family. You must live for yourself now.”
When Raiel asked how he intended to save their house, he answered quietly, “There is one heirloom, passed down through generations of barons. If I sell it, it will suffice.”
She shook her head fiercely. “No. That cannot be.”
To sell their ancestral treasure, kept safe for generations, was unthinkable. She would not let her father destroy their legacy when she could resolve everything herself.
She bowed her head, her voice soft yet firm. “Forgive me, Father. But I have already written to the Duke. He will arrive tomorrow.”
The baron started as if struck, his body swaying with shock. He knew his daughter’s temperament well: Gentle on the surface, yet unyielding once her mind was set. And this time, her resolve would not bend.
Seeing the anguish in her father’s face, Raiel quietly released her aura. The gentle tide of her energy enfolded him, soothing his trembling heart. Slowly, the tension drained from his features, leaving him calm once more.
