Chapter 2

2

“I must arrange for you to marry the Duke of Valentino.”

When I first heard those words, I thought my father had finally gone mad. After all, he had long ago abandoned his humanity, so it wasn’t surprising.

“The Duke of Valentino has always been a difficult opponent to manipulate. But recently, it seems he desperately needs support from other families.”

“……”

I had also heard that the northern region, which the Valentino family governs, has been facing frequent outbreaks of rifts, leading to chaos.

Rifts are a kind of wound that appears in this world, spewing out countless monsters from external dimensions.

The damage inflicted by these monsters was extremely severe, causing the lords constant headaches. In particular, the situation in the north was said to be the worst.

“It seems the Duke of Valentino has requested support from the Delacroix and Albinis families, but I have already finished my negotiations with those two families.”

Oh, my.

This meant that the Duke of Valentino had been isolated, unable to receive support from other families. The king, who was already in my father’s hands, would naturally not help the Duke of Valentino.

“The Duke of Valentino must be in a situation where even a rotten rope is precious. He will resist at first, but in the end, he will submit to me.”

“……”

“You will start your bride lessons from today, Lily. Even if you are inadequate, you should be able to do this much.”

Tsk, my father glared at me, his eyes cold. His gaze, devoid of any warmth, made me naturally shrink back.

“You must answer, Lily Everett.”

“……Yes, Father.”

“Good, now go.”

I bowed my head and fled the room as if escaping. I felt as if my father’s gaze, which scrutinized me like a defective product, followed me all the way.

* * *

The rumor that I might marry the Duke of Valentino soon spread throughout the castle. The first person to come after hearing the news was my step-brother, who had always disliked me.

“Even a snail has its own way of rolling.”

I was learning how to weave a tapestry with the family crest when my brother’s sarcastic remark made me pause. I turned around quietly, and a sneer appeared on his face, which bore no resemblance to mine.

“The Duke of Valentino is known for his fine appearance and excellent looks. Normally, you wouldn’t even dare to think about him. But it seems your luck has changed. Isn’t that right?”

There was no need to respond to his taunts. I ignored my brother and focused on weaving the tapestry again.

“Lily Everett, are you ignoring me?”

“Don’t have anything to say to you, Hessen.”

Hessen laughed as if it were absurd, then picked up a pair of scissors nearby. The Countess of Barden, who was in charge of my bride lessons, was startled, but Hessen did not stop.

“Do you dare to ignore me, someone of such low birth, not even a ‘real’ Everett?”

Rip!

The sharp silver scissors mercilessly tore the tapestry. I hesitated for a moment, then sighed and took my hands off the loom.

Hessen carelessly threw the scissors and glared at me with a fierce look. His purple eyes, tinged with blue, were filled with anger.

“Do you think you’ll change just because you’re going to be the Duchess of Valentino? You’ll still be a burden to that family. A useless and stupid Lily.”

Hessen spat out his cruel words and turned to leave. A maid, who had been standing by the wall, cautiously picked up the scissors and placed them on the console.

She must have been around seventeen. When our eyes met, she quickly lowered her gaze. I quietly said to her,

“Thank you.”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing.”

She bowed her head deeply, her ears slightly red. Her kindness suggested she had not been in the Everett castle for long.

I felt a bit disheartened, knowing her kindness wouldn’t last long.

The servants of the Everett family generally ignored me, and I had no allies.

This girl would likely end up the same way.

I smiled bitterly and turned to the Countess of Barden, asking,

“I’m sorry, Countess. Can we start the tapestry weaving again tomorrow?”

“Yes, we can.”

The Countess answered calmly, trying not to show her shock at Hessen’s actions. I gave her a faint smile and left the study.

Walking down the corridor, I could catch my breath for a moment, but the peace was short-lived. I happened to run into Owen, my step-brother.

Just as Hessen left, Owen arrived. It was one misfortune after another. Even worse, Owen was accompanied by the ruffian Lennon.

Lennon Chester, the second son of the Earl of Chester, was Owen’s long-time friend. He had a cruel and sinister nature from a young age.

When I was young, I had to run away to avoid his bullying, and as I grew older, I had to avoid him to protect my virtue. I could never let my guard down around Lennon Chester, even now.

Even with my brother Owen present, he shot me an unpleasant look. I tried not to frown and greeted Owen and Lennon.

“Brother, and Lord Lennon.”

“What’s with the ‘Lord’? Call me brother too, Lily. You’re becoming more and more beautiful.”

You psychopath. If I could, I would cut out your tongue. How easy must I seem to you, despised by my father and even my siblings? Lennon has always been like this, ever since I was around fourteen, with that creepy look in his eyes.

“I’ve heard the story. Father is planning to marry you to the Duke of Valentino.”

Owen spoke in a dry, sandy voice. I tried not to look at Lennon and nodded silently.

“Yes, I’m on my way back from my bride lessons.”

“Valentino, that guy has always been a thorn in my side. If you marry him and our family can control him, it would be a great advantage.”

“……”

“I hope you’ll be useful this time, Lily Everett.”

A cold gaze swept over me. I know. In this household, I am a tool and a possession, nothing more and nothing less.

If I were truly a blood relative, would the men of this household have respected me?

Would they have seen me as a human being?

Dark fog seemed to rise from my feet. Then, a hand heavily rested on my shoulder. I flinched and looked up to see Lennon staring at me with a sinister smile. It sent a chill down my spine.

“Don’t worry too much, Lily. If the marriage to the Duke of Valentino falls through, I’ll marry you.”

“……Thank you for your offer.”

My voice trembled as I replied. Lennon ran his fingertip near my lips, whispering,

“Call me Brother Lennon.”

“……”

“What? You won’t call me? I’ll be hurt.”

“……Brother Lennon.”

My hand, gripping the hem of my dress, trembled. I felt ashamed and angry, on the verge of tears, but I forced myself to hold back.

“Good, see you next time.”

Lennon chuckled, patted my shoulder a few times, and left. I quickly bowed my head and hurried to my room.

Click. Once I finally reached my room and closed the door, I felt a bit of relief. I leaned against the door and slid down to the floor.

Sitting on the floor, I stared blankly into space. When would I be able to escape this hell?

It felt as if bugs were crawling over the spot where Lennon’s hand had touched me. If I could, I would have twisted his hand off.

“……Will the Duke of Valentino really marry me?”

If I marry the Duke of Valentino and escape this castle, will I be happy?

No way.

The Everetts and the Valentinos were long-standing enemies. The Valentinos were a family that upheld justice and morality, while the Everetts were on the opposite side.

Countless people had lost their homes or their lives due to the Everetts’ machinations. The House of Everett would stop at nothing to gain wealth and power.

The Everetts and the Valentinos clashed on numerous occasions. Over the years, the two families had shed countless amounts of blood and piled up mountains of corpses.

Once, the two families were equally powerful, but the difference began to show about ten years ago. The Everetts, growing like a monster, eventually became so large that they could swallow the entire kingdom.

“……There’s no way Theodor Valentino would look favorably upon me.”

It’s not just because I am the daughter of the House of Everett.

“I have flaws.”

I was known to the public as the illegitimate child of a maid and the Duke of Everett. However, I was not the biological child of Duke Kazef Everett.

“Dirty and low-born girl.”

Hessen called me that. Owen, who pretended to be noble, didn’t use harsh words but his eyes clearly showed his disdain. And my father.

“You must produce results commensurate with my investment, Lily Everett.”

The Duchess who was supposed to bear children for the Duke of Everett had passed away long ago, and the House of Everett, with only two sons, needed a daughter to raise and sell for a high price.

However, the Duke of Everett wanted to avoid the unnecessary expenses of bringing in a new wife or mistress. So, he decided to adopt a child instead of having an illegitimate child.

That child was me, Lily Everett. I was a low-born child, the daughter of a maid, with an unknown father.

I had a fair face and silver hair similar to the Everett family’s silver feet, which pleased the Duke of Everett. That was only in terms of appearance.

“Your only redeeming qualities are your face and silver feet. You are useless.”

Not long after adopting me, the Duke of Everett realized that I was not producing the results he had invested in.

Still, perhaps because he didn’t want to waste his investment, he didn’t cast me aside. However, the members of the House of Everett, who were already cold to me, began to treat me even worse.

Owen tried to control me to his liking, and Hessen was always angry with me for some reason. The Duke of Everett did nothing to stop Hessen from mistreating me or the vassals from tormenting me.

Thus, I lived in hell for over ten years. Sometimes, I really wanted to die, but I lacked the courage to take my own life, so I just endured.

Perhaps, someday, someone would reach out to me, I held onto this faint hope.

“……”

I wanted to stand up, but my legs felt weak. I sat on the floor until my legs went numb, then finally managed to stand and staggered to my bed.

I collapsed onto the fragrant sheets and closed my eyes. The maid would soon come in to wake me up and urge me to carry out the next schedule, but for now, I just wanted to rest.

* * *

The next morning, Theodor Valentino visited the House of Everett.