Chapter 01
“Miss Fiana, the sky is so blue today.”
“Blue? What color is blue?”
Right before my eyes, there was only endless darkness. I couldn’t understand what was being said.
I have been blind since birth. I had never known what it meant when people said the sky is blue, apples are red, or that light is white.
Then one day, something changed—I began to recall memories from my past life.
At the same time, I finally understood the idea of color.
I first remembered my past life when my older sister tripped me over her bare foot.
“Ahhh!”
“Now you can’t even see where you’re going—you can’t even walk properly!”
My sister laughed as she walked away down the corridor.
When my beautiful sister, Lena, tripped me and I bumped my head on the floor, a flood of unfamiliar memories rushed in.
In that torrent of memories, I barely managed to hold on to my sanity.
I felt as though my very identity was being shaken apart. I almost gagged as I whispered weakly:
“What is… all this?”
I reached up and touched my face. I had smooth skin with no scars or wounds, and my hair smelled of lilacs because there was always a servant who washed it every day.
I was completely different from the person I had been in my past life.
“I’m so sorry! Please, spare me!”
“I thought you were worth saving, but now you can’t repay your debt? Then you must be punished!”
“Ahhh! Save me!”
In my past life, I was a beggar living in the gutter. I never washed, so my face was covered in soot and my skin was dirty with open sores. My hair was rough, tangled, and my clothes were nothing more than rags soaked in muddy water.
Because of my debts, thugs took advantage of me all the time. Even when I begged and relied on the kindness of others, I only managed to get a single piece of bread each week.
Then one day…
The thugs took all my food. After a week of starving, I no longer had the strength to beg, and as time passed, the thugs came and beat me brutally.
I cried out and begged the people in the gutter even as I lay dying, but those who struggled to survive turned away in fear.
I met a cold death. And now, I have been reborn as the young noble lady of the Lucianos Duke’s family, one of the great houses that supports the Empire.
“But the real problem is…”
Unlike my past life, in this life I am still unable to see.
I can no longer see the blue sky I once imagined through the cracks of the gutter, the green season of spring, or the many different faces I once saw on my trips to the island.
Everything that once touched my eyes is now lost. This sudden despair kept me in my room for several days.
“Isn’t Miss Fiana acting strangely these days?”
“Yeah. For four days now, she barely speaks and just stays in her room like she’s dead.”
“Shh. Watch your words. Don’t you know Miss Fiana has very sharp hearing?”
I could hear the servants talking beyond the door. Even though they spoke quietly, my ears caught every word.
My world was still black and white, even though I could remember color.
I wondered if I was really meant to live like this.
After hesitating, I reached out and fumbled for the drawstring at the head of my bed.
At that moment, as if they had been waiting for me, the door opened and I heard the sound of two servants walking in.
“Did you call for us, Miss Fiana?”
“Please help me get ready to go out for a while.”
“Certainly.”
Even though their voices were soft, the servants did not ask if something had happened. They simply helped me change out of my shabby clothes into more practical attire.
“Miss, everything is ready.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I could not see my clothes, but I could feel that the fabric was soft on my skin. The way the dress’s hem reached my knees made me think that I might be heading toward the forest again.
“Your walking stick is here, Miss.”
“Thank you.”
One servant handed me a stick, which I accepted without hesitation. I was used to exploring my surroundings with a stick since I was a child.
Tap, tap.
Without waiting for another to join me, I set off toward the forest, gripping my stick.
I left the mansion and walked until I reached the forest.
“I’m here,” I called out.
My voice echoed in the quiet forest. I walked deeper into the woods, speaking into the silence.
After walking for what felt like ages, while using my stick to feel my way along, I suddenly bumped into something. It must have been a tree root.
A smile spread across my face.
Even if I spread my arms wide, I could not completely embrace this enormous tree. It was truly giant.
“I said I’m here. Didn’t you hear me?”
I put my stick down for a moment on a pile of stones and muttered.
The tree did not answer. It only welcomed me with the rustle of its leaves brushing against my body.
I gently caressed the tree’s bark and concentrated.
In the distance, I heard the sound of a bird singing. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind came clearly to me.
Everything around me seemed to slow down.
Then, a great old tree that had stood on this land for a thousand years finally answered my voice.
“Child, you have come.”
“Have you been well?”
“I was asleep until you arrived, so I suppose I was well.”
“Ha, what does that mean…?”
I smiled softly. Then I sat down on a tree root that emerged from the ground and began chatting with the great old tree, as I always did.
It was a secret known only to me.
I can hear the voices of trees.
“Child, I worry about you. Every human should be part of human society, but you keep talking with these decaying trees. I worry for you.”
“Don’t worry so much.”
I sat on the tree root and happily swung my legs.
“Someday, I will leave this duke’s house and find my freedom.”
Ever since I regained my memories from my past life, I had resolved to break free from this miserable noble household.
The tree spoke in a worried tone.
“Child, no matter who you were in the past, you are still you.”
“I like that you are always on my side.”
“Trees lean in the direction the wind blows, child.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
Perhaps because the tree had lived for a thousand years, it seemed to have a wisdom of its own.
“But why am I in this miserable state in my new life?”
I was fifteen when I died as a gutter beggar, and now I am twenty-three—adding up to thirty-eight years in total.
While I was sighing over my unfortunate fate, I suddenly heard the rustle of leaves underfoot nearby. I turned my head toward the sound.
“Miss Fiana, we have been looking for you.”
“What brings you here?”
Suddenly hearing the maid’s voice, I showed clear displeasure. I felt an uneasy sense of dread for some reason.
“The Madam is looking for you, Lady Fiana.”
I flinched.
The current Duchess who rules the Duke’s household is not my birth mother.
“The Duchess… is looking for me?”
My sister, Lena, is only my half-sister—we share only one parent.
The mother who gave birth to me, Fiana Lucianos, has already passed away.
As I walked down the marble hallway, the clicking sound of footsteps echoed along with the tapping of my cane.
Knock knock. The servant walking ahead stopped and knocked on the door. A voice from inside told us to enter.
As the door opened and I stepped in, a strong perfume stung my nose—it was so intense I felt like throwing up.
“Fiana, you’ve come.”
“Duchess…”
Her voice was sweet and seductive. I stepped forward, tensing my whole body.
“Madam, may I ask why you called for me?”
The Duchess gave a small scoff, as if saying nothing I do could change anything.
“Fiana, today is a day to celebrate—you too have something to be happy about, so I called you.”
“Heh.”
A mocking laugh came from my left. I could tell by the overwhelming floral scent that Lena was having her feet massaged by the maids.
“Fiana Lucianos.”
Suddenly hearing my full name, I flinched again.
“Born of a dead mother, blind, good for nothing but eating, and a disgrace to the name of Lucianos. If you’re truly a daughter of this house, shouldn’t you at least earn your keep?”
“…I’m sorry.”
In times like this, if I didn’t apologize, the Duchess would only get angrier. Acting emotionally would only put me at a greater disadvantage.
Fortunately, the Duchess seemed pleased by my bowed head and changed the topic.
“Well, never mind. It turns out raising you wasn’t a complete waste. A marriage proposal has come for you.”
“A marriage proposal? What do you mean?”
I asked again, shocked. A marriage? Without even consulting me?
“Why ask the obvious? It means someone is willing to take in a half-blind girl like you.”
Who decided this?
Even without drinking, my head ached badly. The Duchess and my sister probably saw how I was trembling helplessly.
“Good for you, Fiana! I thought you’d rot away in this mansion forever and die old and alone.”
“Sister…”
That mocking tone.
It wasn’t a congratulations—it was pure ridicule. I gripped my cane even tighter. Deep down, I wanted to use it to beat them both.
“The Grand Duke of Glacies.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I turned my head precisely toward the voice.
“The Grand Duke says he cherishes you and wants you as his bride. The ceremony will be held in the cold Glacies Castle, so you’ll need to leave tomorrow to make it in time.”
“Th-the Grand Duke of Glacies…?”
The northern tyrant, known for bringing storms of blood. Many sought his power and glory through marriage, but one such suitor was publicly executed for committing a crime.
I trembled uncontrollably. This was basically a death sentence disguised as marriage.
The Duchess seemed satisfied with my reaction. With a smirk, she whispered into my ear.
“So get out of this house. Now.”
It must have been from that moment—
That the one and only color started to appear in my world, which was once filled only with shades of gray.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
