Baden (1)

It wasn’t unheard of for nobles to refuse a marriage proposal from the imperial family.

Given the age gap between the Grand Duke and Alicia, and the fact that she was still so young, there was sufficient cause to decline.

As the Marquess returned to his cold, impenetrable expression, honeyed words poured down from the lofty throne.

The formal wedding between the Grand Duke of Tessen and Lady Rain would take place in two years.

The imperial family would temporarily provide Luderne Castle in the capital for the future Grand Duchess.

The Grand Duke would grant Lilizet, the Tessen estate’s western villa, to the future Grand Duchess.

The Grand Duke would also permanently grant Echeveria and the title of Countess of Echeveria to the future Grand Duchess.

The outlandish declaration was broken by an awkward cough.

“Ahem, I never approved that last gift. But it seems my dear brother is quite the romantic. I had no idea. After all those times I commanded him to marry, he ignored me completely—and now, suddenly, he hands over an entire territory for life? Has he gone mad, do you think?”

The Emperor’s voice carried both amusement and annoyance.

“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”

The Marquess lowered his gaze and responded with humility.

“I warned him: what’s written in a marriage vow cannot be withdrawn upon divorce. But he wouldn’t listen. Said he had more than ten lands and titles anyway. Half of them, I gave him myself—maybe I should snatch a few back. Well, then. Marquess, where should I send the wedding gift?”

“I am honored, Your Majesty. I will summon my daughter to the capital.”

“Send my congratulatory gifts to the Marquess’s estate in the capital. I look forward to seeing the new Countess of Echeveria soon. The sooner we see the Grand Duchess of Tessen, the better.”

The doors of the Grand Hall of Audience opened and closed once more.

That day, many from the Rain family departed their lands and headed for the capital.

On her way to the capital per her father’s command, Alicia read a letter from the imperial family inside her carriage.

The first line of the letter welcomed her as a new member of the imperial household.

She wasn’t shocked—it was expected.

But the deeper she read, the paler her face became.

By the time she reached the final line—again welcoming her into the imperial family and expressing anticipation to see the Countess of Echeveria—her half-eaten steamed potato felt stuck in her throat, and she quietly set it down.

Echeveria was a strategic location between the capital and the south.

Tessen’s villa, Lilizet, was said to house a golden chamber.

Luderne Castle in the capital was known as architect Bernardo Wells’ final masterpiece.

Though not large in size, Luderne was dazzling and elegant—a place anyone would long to be invited to.

Receiving even one of the three would have been shocking.

But Alicia had been granted all three in one stroke.

It was the beginning of a new storm.

The imperial capital, Baden, had been in an uproar for days.

The first rumor was about Gregory Barker of the Barker family becoming engaged to Josephina Lirin, the Emperor’s first niece.

The Lirin Duchy ruled over the empire’s largest southeastern island, Lirin-Sellen.

As a show of favor to this loyal family, the imperial court turned a blind eye as the Lirins managed the entirety of the surrounding Ispi Sea.

The current Duchess of Lirin was Princess Louise, the first imperial princess.

Before her marriage, she had been addressed as Her Highness Princess Louise, and she was the Emperor’s only full sibling.

Josephina Lirin was born of a Duke for a father and an imperial princess for a mother—a truly extraordinary lineage.

Although the imperial family had never passed the throne to a princess, the law of succession still favored the firstborn.

Because of that, officials of the late Emperor watched carefully to see whom the new Emperor would name as heir.

When Princess Louise turned eighteen, the late Emperor married her to the eldest son of the Duke of Lirin.

Once more imperial offspring began to come of age and Princess Louise was married off, talk of succession died down.

But Josephina would still occasionally shout tearfully at her uncle the Emperor, “That throne should’ve been mine!”—causing everyone to laugh.

Until just a few years ago, Josephina would shout “My seat!” every time she saw the Emperor, but now that he was in his mid-thirties and had yet to produce an heir, she no longer said it aloud.

As his only niece and the child of his only full sibling, the Emperor doted on Josephina as if she were his daughter.

Some overambitious retainers of the Lirin family even speculated she might become one of the Emperor’s consorts.

A few high nobles seriously supported the idea, citing that marriages between cousins did occur in noble circles.

The innocent girl had once asked her beloved uncle, “Your Majesty, won’t you propose to me?”—leaving him utterly frozen.

No matter how desperate a noble family might be for heirs, marriage between an uncle and niece was unthinkable.

The Emperor had flown into a rage and, for a while, banned the Lirin family from visiting the mainland.

Josephina, star of many such infamous stories, was now sweeping through the capital with her engagement.

The prevailing theory for why the Lirin family accepted a match with the Barkers was their interest in gaining a mainland stronghold.

The Barker family held significant power in the capital and weren’t a bad choice for political marriage.

As speculation about the first rumor swirled, a second rumor surfaced.

A new guild had discovered a salt mountain during a mining expedition and was now seeking investors.

It was said the Emperor had sent tax officials to verify the mountain’s size.

With stories circulating that early investors had struck gold, nobles in the capital scrambled to figure out the right timing to get in.

But the second rumor, which had quickly overshadowed the first, was soon forgotten.

Because the third rumor blew the first two away entirely.

Once it spread, it was the only thing people talked about.

Tessen, technically in the northwest, but really “north-northwest-north-north-north.”

The Grand Duke of Tessen was engaged to Alicia Rain, a young lady from a great northern house—and the wedding was not far off.

Said to be the most violent-tempered of the imperial bloodline, the 29-year-old Grand Duke of Tessen

And Alicia Rain, the first daughter born to the Rain family in nearly two centuries, was just 19.

Everyone had something to say about the age gap.

Some whispered that the Marquess of Rain had sold off his precious daughter to the royals.

Others said there was no need to be so critical, since imperial men often married late.

Rumors spread that the imperial family wouldn’t take a dowry from the future Grand Duchess.

Then came talk of the gifts the future Grand Duchess would receive after marriage:

Luderne Castle, said to be the final masterpiece of Bernardo Wells.

Lilizet Villa, with its fabled golden chamber.

And Echeveria.

Each of them was incredible on its own.

The entire capital was curious about Alicia Rain.

They said her eyes were a uniquely vivid violet.

She had porcelain skin and silky hair.

Her voice was like an angel’s.

As all kinds of rumors swirled, northern-born nobles found themselves in the spotlight.

They awkwardly fielded the flood of questions about Alicia.

When it was revealed that Alicia would be appearing in society, everyone tried to get close to her, but it wasn’t easy.

As the first noble daughter born to the Marquess in ages, Alicia was always surrounded by protectors wherever she went.

Moreover, her personality didn’t lend itself to being the center of attention.

Even those who stayed near her said they weren’t personally close.

Most admitted they’d barely ever spoken with her directly.

Those who had attended the Marchioness of Rain’s tea parties had seen her briefly, but only in passing.

The general impression of Alicia was that she was very quiet.

Though she had a mysterious air for someone her age, it could have been a misunderstanding due to her distance.

Based on the answers they gathered from northern nobles, people began to summarize: “Lady Alicia has a graceful nature.”

When asked if she really had violet eyes, the northerners—never having seen them directly—relayed that those who served her said it was true.

From that, it became “Lady Alicia has beautiful violet eyes.”

Recalling her image, they said her skin was as white as snow and her deep brown hair contrasted sharply with it—almost like black.

Those who heard that summarized it as “snow-white skin and silk-like hair.”

Thus, Alicia became known as an incarnation of an angel.

People pitied the angelic young lady, now tragically entangled with the cruel, aging Grand Duke of Tessen.

They all mourned the fact that Alicia would be dragged off to faraway Tessen.

In the garden of the Marquess’s estate in the capital, fierce hoofbeats rang out.

Alicia raised her body while riding full speed on horseback.

The horse galloped along the edge of the garden trees with Alicia holding the reins.

The sharp wind roared threateningly past her ears.

Judging the distance to the tree and her horse’s speed, Alicia launched herself just as the horse passed beneath a long branch.

Her jump was clean and light.

Using the momentum from leaping off the saddle, she grabbed the branch and swung up.

Trying to maintain that momentum, she dashed across the branch swiftly.

The old tree’s limbs were strong but not vast like a field.

As the branch narrowed toward its end, she flung herself toward the wall.

Soaring through the air, Alicia neared the estate wall.

Putting all her strength and speed into it, she stretched out her arms.

As the wall loomed, her outstretched fingers barely grazed its hard top.

Her fingertips slipped and scraped along the wall instead of grabbing hold.

“No, no!”

Alicia groaned in frustration and flailed as she slid down the wall—but it was no use.

Her fall slowed slightly, but that was all.

Thud.

With a heavy blow and loud impact, her body hit the ground.

“…Haa, haa…”

Leaning back against the rough, moss-covered wall, she gasped for air.

Then her body collapsed backward into the grass.

Alicia lay there on the ground, panting for a while.

“Didn’t work.”

Winter sunlight poured onto her face, slumped next to the tree.

The leaves, which would have all fallen in the north, still shimmered green here.

Soft rays of sun streamed through the foliage.

Staring at the light filtering through the leaves made her vision blur.

It felt like the backlash from pushing her powers beyond their limit.

“This is strange…”

Alicia sighed.