Chapter 1: When We Were Young

[Arsion Hastings is about to become a holy knight.]

One day in March, in the warm spring breeze, rumors came flying into the capital, turning the social world upside down.

“Arsion wants to be a holy knight? I heard that he’ll definitely be back after his apprenticeship ends.”

“Yeah, I thought he’d be back in the capital by now…”

“No, more than that, Arsion is the only heir to the Duke of Hastings. If such a person becomes a holy knight, then who will inherit the title?”

That was always their first concern. Who would inherit the dukedom?

Arsion was the only child of Duke Hastings. That’s why, everyone naturally called him, “Young Lord Hastings”, since they believed he would be the next duke. But a holy knight?

A holy knight must make a vow of abstinence, offer his body and mind to the goddess and abstain from partaking in any physical or mental relationships with earthly beings. Naturally, it meant that it would be impossible for him to leave a successor.

“If Arsion really becomes a holy knight, it will be difficult to see him anymore, right?”

The lively face of the young lady, the girl who spoke, was filled with despair. The expressions of the other young ladies next to her were no different.

We won’t be able to see Arsion anymore.

Women in high society were desperate. Not only is Arsion famous as the sole heir to the Hastings Dukedom, though that alone is attractive, he’s also popular for his handsome face and gorgeous appearance. They nicknamed him ‘Gift from the Gods’.

When he was first introduced to high society at an event, the entire ballroom froze. All eyes were on Arsion regardless of gender or age. It is well known to this day.

One of the ladies who was talking about Arsion opened her mouth with a smirk.

“By the way…… What’ll happen to Lady Ariel?”

Ariel.

As soon as the name was said, the young ladies in the circle stiffened. The more they praised Arsion, the more they hated that name.

Because Ariel was Arsion’s fiancée.

“Of course, they’ll break-up.”

“Oh goodness. It won’t be easy for her to find a new marriage partner now.”

There was not a grain of pity in the voice that spoke. Instead, it sounded smug.

Ariel has always been the envy of noble women.

Ariel Belford is the second daughter of Baron Belford, a retainer of the Hasting’s Household. She had nothing to offer besides a pretty face. But in a society filled with beautiful and elegant women, her fair appearance was nothing special.

Yet no one received more special treatment than Ariel. The Crown Princess always had Ariel next to her and the duke’s main estate, with all its grandeur, was Ariel’s home.

Moreover, her status as Arsion’s fiancée was also reason enough to invoke jealousy among noble women. Their envy only increased as the days went by.

“I heard that when she was six years old, Lady Ariel became betrothed to him because of a childhood promise Arsion made when they were young.”

“I’ve heard that story before. Actually, they claim to be engaged, but they didn’t seal the engagement in writing?”

“So Miss Ariel has been treated like his fiancée even though their engagement has no legitimacy?”

“My word, how shameless.”

“I heard that the baron’s youngest daughter has no estate and seized this opportunity to seduce the young duke – but I’m willing to turn a blind eye. Even so, I must say that she really doesn’t know her place.”

The voices of the young ladies grew more resentful. Today, they seemed insistent on dumping their unstrained hostility on Ariel.

Too caught up in the conversation, they did not see Ariel creeping out of her seat, wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

“Sigh…”

Ariel, escaped to the palace gates and away from the loud gossip, exhaled deeply upon entering the carriage. Ordering the coachman to start moving, she closed her eyes. The atmosphere weighed upon Ariel and her stomach started to churn. She was well aware that it wasn’t from the carriage ride.

The words from earlier rang in her ear.

“Shameless.”

“…. A lowly servant who doesn’t know her place.”

Ariel lowered her head. She believed that she was such a person.

She recalled her family’s past.

Her father, born to a baron, practically lived as a commoner. Because of his grandfather, the family fortune finally ran out, and it wasn’t long before he sold the measly estate for money.

Ariel and her parents managed to make ends meet thanks to her father’s good accounting skills. It was only after the Duke of Hastings, who recognized the baron’s abilities, employed him as a broker that their lives changed, no longer working for distant relatives in the countryside.

The father was granted private residence on the duke’s family estate behind the mansion. While the main household was off limits for most of the staff, anyone could use the spacious garden. Ariel played on the playground and explored the space from morning to evening.

One day, Ariel saw a small building on one side of the garden. It was obvious that the temple was a part of the duke’s estate. Inside the building, a large statue of a goddess towered over the endless doorless hall.

‘There’s no one here.’

Villagers crowded the temples by Ariel’s previous home, but the only sign of life in this one came from the flickering candles.

Ariel, who had wandered around the huge estate beforehand, soon felt sleepy in the calming atmosphere.

‘Shall I get some sleep?’

Drowsiness engulfed her. Just as Ariel looked around the temple, she noticed a large basket-like case, peeking out from under a blanket off to the side, that was big enough for a six year old child.

Ariel climbed in and laid down, unaware of what it was. She felt better when she rubbed her face against a soft cloth. The smell was comforting.

“Mm….”

Ariel closed her eyes and fell asleep in an instant.

How long has it been? Ariel blinked slowly, struggling to remember how she fell asleep in such a strange place. All she could see was the sky getting dark because the sun was already setting.

Ariel was scared out of her wits.

‘My mom said that if I walk around late at night, the devil will come and eat me.’

Of course, this is inside the dukedom and she’d be home in no time, but a six-year-old’s mind couldn’t think that far.

In addition, the freezing evening air caused shivers along Ariel’s spine. It was then that tears started to form in her frightened eyes.

“Don’t cry.”

“…Huh?”

Ariel turned her head to the sudden voice. She would have screamed in surprise, but blinked instead, gaping for words. Nothing came out.

“…A-Angel?”

A beautiful boy, with a kind human face gazed back at her.

‘An angel with no wings…?’

Ariel stared blankly at the boy who told her not to cry, with her mouth open. It was Arsion and Ariel’s first encounter.

The two stared at each other for an eternity.

Until Arsion leaned in, kissed her cheek lightly, and gently brushed away her tears. He then asked for Ariel’s name, where she lived, and how she got there.

“I’ll take you home. And my name is Arsion.”

“Arsion?”

Was there an angel by that name? Before she knew it, Ariel’s hand was safely wrapped in Arsion’s. She was walking on a dark road, yet she wasn’t afraid of the devil – a first for her. She glanced gratefully at the angel holding her hand.

Ariel tightened her grip and wondered what he would do after the angel took her home. Her hands were sweaty, but Arsion showed no sign of notice.

Arriving home at an quick pace, Ariel turned to Arision and said,

“That’s my house!”

Ariel’s mother, waiting anxiously by the door, ran towards Ariel like crazy and hugged her.

“Ariel, where have you been? Your father went out searching for you!”

Ariel’s mother, who hurriedly checked her daughter for injuries, hugged Ariel and gently slapped her on the shoulder after confirming that Ariel was fine.

Ariel’s father, who returned home after searching for his daughter to no avail, looked breathlessly at his daughter, still holding hands with the little duke. Ariel looked up at her parents excitedly.

“The angel brought me home!”

Only then did Ariel find out that the boy was Duke Hasting’s only son, and not an angel.

“Y-Young Master. If my daughter has been rude……”

Ariel’s father carefully addressed Arsion, already imagining being fired from a job he had just found. Contrary to her father’s concerns, the boy grinned and turned to Ariel.

“Let’s hang out tomorrow too!”

This made Ariel’s father’s face even paler. He visited the duke at the crack of the next day, telling him what happened and asking for forgiveness. However, the duke listened quietly and only said,

“Don’t worry, let the two children do what they want.”

Ariel’s father did not notice because he was bowing his head, but the duke’s eyebrows were raised in surprise and his eyes were thoughtful.

Perhaps it was due to the lack of other children their age. After that fateful encounter, Ariel and Arsion quickly spent more and more time together. Ariel even began to call Arsion by a nickname, ‘Sion’, and he began to call her ‘Riel’.

Then one day, Ariel’s birthday came. Her parents gave Ariel a big doll that she wanted and her sister gave Ariel her a fairy tale book of her favourite story.

She knew that Arsion wouldn’t come. He left with Duke Hastings for an inspection of the ducal territory. Yet, her brows still furrowed and she struggled to maintain the smile on her face.

“I wish he was here…”

Ariel was sad, but she tried to forget about Arsion as she saw her mother’s sweet cake, decorated with only her favorite fruit.

It was when her sister was urging her to cut the cake.

Knock, knock!

“Riel!”

When everyone was wondering who came, a voice was heard from outside.

“Sion? Is that Sion?”

Of course it was. No one else would call her Riel. So she put down the cake knife in her hand and ran to open the door.

There stood Arsion, disheveled and dirty, in contrast to his usual neatness. His hair was messed up, and his forehead glistened with sweat.

“I’m sorry, Riel. It’s your birthday, but I couldn’t even prepare a proper present…….”

Ariel was in tears. In fact, she never thought about a gift. She just wanted Arsion, her best friend, next to her.

Suddenly, the sadness that she had tried to forget came bubbling back. She tried to wipe away the endless stream of tears as Arsion stood speechlessly.

“Riel, I’m sorry. I’m terribly sorry. I’ll always be with you on your birthday.”

“Ugh…. Sniff!”

Ariel couldn’t stop crying. Then, Arsion picked her up. Despite his similar size, he lifted her so lightly as if she were a cotton doll and soothed her gently.

“Sorry, I’ll do whatever you want. Everything you want.”

Ariel, calmed down at the sound of Arsion’s soothing voice, soon stopped crying and said,

“Then marry me!”

Ariel didn’t know what marriage was. She just knew they could sleep in bed together at night if they were married. And when she heard that, she told her father, “Then I will marry Arsion!”

She didn’t know why, but angry tears fell when she was scolded by her father, “Don’t say such a thing in front of others, even as a joke!”

But she hesitated now, wondering if Arsion was already married.

Worried that Arsion might be angry like her father, Ariel hesitantly looked up at Arsion. But he glanced at her with bright eyes and replied with a smile,

“Okay, let’s get married.”

Thus, the marriage between Ariel and Arsion was decided. Ariel’s father immediately knelt when he saw the Duke of Hastings appearing shortly after Arsion. The duke, having seen Arsion grinning with Ariel in his arms, was frozen in his step.

The baron’s face turned pale as he racked his brain for an answer. What on earth should he say to apologize for this disrespect? He’ll likely lose his job tomorrow. If he crawled on all fours and apologized now, maybe the Duke would spare him. If he had known this would happen, he would have quit his job and moved his family off of the estate before Ariel became friends with the young master.

When Ariel’s father did not know what to say, the Duke of Hastings turned around and shouted at the vassals behind him.

“From today, you will treat Ariel as a lady of the Duke of Hastings.”

Everyone in the room opened their mouths in astonishment. Everyone knew that the duke loved his son tremendously and if his son wanted so, he would accept any woman from any family, regardless of status.

And that was how Ariel came to be Arsion’s fianceé. 14 years have already passed.

Credits goes to Anon for raw providing + translating, Wren for proofreading, and Ame for quality checking.