Chapter 1
“I, Leah Hamilton, love Allen. Despite what people may say, we will proudly get married and live happily together.”
The Hamilton family, part of the Galensian Empire, had been a prominent merchant household for generations.
Starting with wool trading in the countryside, they had grown to become a massive trading entity, dealing with goods from distant continents.
And today was the wedding day of Leah Hamilton, the sole heir of the Hamilton family.
“Miss, should I apply more makeup for you?”
Sarah hurriedly brought cosmetics.
“No, this much makeup and this dress are fine.”
Leah decided to finish her preparations. Then, she stood in front of the full-length mirror to check her appearance one last time.
“I want to be a bride worthy of Allen’s stature. Elegant yet dignified, this is appropriate.”
She didn’t want to be embroiled in unnecessary gossip marrying into nobility like Allen.
The rumors surrounding her marriage to a nobleman, the wealthy merchant marrying into nobility…
In fact, there had been so much talk about her marriage to Allen.
All the capital’s newspapers treated Allen’s choice of wealth over noble pride as bourgeois.
“Miss Leah it’s time to head to the venue.”
Only then did Leah realize that she was truly marrying Allen. Her bouquet trembled in her hand.
Just then, the door opened, and a man appeared.
“Allen!
“Leah.”
“Golden blonde hair, blue eyes, well-proportioned features, and a sturdy physique. Dressed in splendid attire, he exuded nobility.’’
Indeed, he seemed every bit the heir of an esteemed noble family.
There was no hint of the hardships of a humble lineage about him.
“My princess, I am here to escort you.”
“My apologies, Your Highness.”
As the realization of the impending wedding dawned on her, Leah attempted to dispel the tension with exaggerated jests.
“But really, can one be allowed to be this beautiful?”
“Yes…? Oh, Allen.”
As Allen gazed at her tenderly, Leah felt as if her heart might burst.
Could there be another woman in the world as blissfully happy as she?
Finally, Allen reached out his hand to Leah.
“Shall we, my goddess?”
“Please refrain from such words. Others might laugh.”
“What does it matter if they laugh? What can’t I say to my beloved?”
It was a perfect wedding in every aspect.
Grand and resplendent, most of the invited guests were nobles renowned within the Galensian Empire.
Until the solemnity of the occasion was ruthlessly trampled upon by the clunky military boots of the Chief of Military Police.
“Large quantities of dried poppy flowers were discovered aboard the Hamilton Summit cargo ship that docked yesterday. Evidence, suspects, documents—all have been secured. We must proceed to the Military Police Headquarters together.”
The Chief’s announcement stirred commotion among the audience.
Smuggling, and of narcotics-producing dried poppy flowers at that, was a matter that even the highest echelons of society could not ignore.
As the foremost crime in the Galensian Empire, there was no escaping the possibility of severe punishment, possibly even the death penalty.
“Let’s go, Mr. Richard Hamilton.”
As the guards tried to bind Richard, Allen took Leia and slowly moved towards the back door of the chapel.
“Allen! My father…!”
“Leah , we need to get away for now.”
“But!”
“The chief magistrate has intervened, meaning there was a royal decree. Do you understand that refusing could make us traitors?”
Allen hurriedly led Leah out of the wedding venue.
When Leah, guided by Allen, reached the churchyard and then a secluded alley, shouts rang out.
Bang Bang!
The sounds of multiple gunshots and screams from the chapel, along with the bustling noise of people trying to flee, halted Leia’s steps.
“I can’t do this. I have to go to my father…”
“Look at me, Leah Hamilton!”
Allen grabbed Leah’s shoulders and snapped, his voice breaking. Then, he spoke in a calm tone.
“Mr. Richard Hamilton asked. If anything unfortunate were to happen, I must ensure your safety.”
“What do you mean?”
At that moment, as if prepared in advance, a carriage stood before them.
“For now, we’ll go to the countryside. The coachman will take us there.”
“And you, Allen?”
“I need to save your father. Once everything here is resolved, I’ll come find you.”
Only then did Leah burst into tears, overwhelmed by the overwhelming fear surging through her, chilling her spine.
Allen embraced Leah, hurriedly kissed her, and then helped her into the carriage.
“Wait for me. I’ll definitely come for you.”
“Allen…!”
Leah called out as she leaned out the window, watching him gradually disappear into the distance.
The carriage continued to race on, and darkness loomed outside.
Where on earth were they heading without a moment’s rest?
Leah wiped away tears with the back of her hand and opened the carriage window. The chilly night air rushed in immediately.
But she had no idea where they were.
It was strange that the carriage only traversed rough roads with no gas lamps in sight.
Were they deliberately avoiding inspection by local guards and taking remote paths?
Then it happened. A thud from outside and the carriage lurched violently.
It felt as though the horses and carriage had been separated.
Leah quickly leaned her head out of the window.
“Good heavens!”
Leah was horrified by what she saw.
The horses and the coachman had vanished into thin air, leaving only the carriage careening down the steep path.
No, it was hurtling towards the edge of a cliff.
“No, no!”
Leah screamed as she pushed against the door, trying to escape the carriage.
With a creak, the door swung open, and the rear wheels fell off.
Truly, they were on the verge of plummeting off the cliff, into the abyss.
For a moment, she considered jumping out, but the carriage was moving too fast for her to muster the courage.
“Still, you have to jump.”
Because if you stay like this, trapped in the carriage, you’ll end up falling off the cliff with no chance to move.
Leah took a deep breath and tried to jump out of the carriage.
With a tearing sound, her voluminous dress ripped as she got stuck in the carriage door, leaving her unable to move.
Now, in a moment of imminent danger, unable to move, she was about to fall off the cliff, and the shadow of death loomed before her.
“Aaaah!”
Thud! The carriage rushed to the edge of the cliff and fell off into the abyss.
Leah’s desperate scream cut through the night air.
The carriage hit the steep cliff and shattered into pieces.
Barking dogs and unfamiliar voices. More precisely, the voices of men. Leah struggled to open her eyes.
“People….”
Leah tried to move her eyes sideways. But she couldn’t feel anything below her neck.
“One dog, two dogs, three dogs, four dogs. No, one person.”
Three hunting dogs and a man standing in the moonlight.
Following the fine hunting boots, Leah’s gaze rose to see a shotgun held in the man’s large hand.
The man’s black hunting attire was adorned with a golden eagle emblem.
Just then, as the wind blew, his cloak fluttered like wings.
Leah tried to open her eyes wider to see the man’s face out of curiosity, but even that was not easy.
He seemed to have sharp features under his untamed hair.
As Leah’s consciousness began to fade again, she heard the man’s voice.
“Dying gracefully is also fortunate for a person. May you go to a better place.”
The man’s sorrowful words marked the end of consciousness.
For Leah , emerging from the water felt like encountering air for the first time.
She breathed slowly and calmly.
It felt as if her soul was dissipating like smoke, only to reappear again.
Leah had been plagued by terrible nightmares.
But even in pain, there seemed to be an end, as her body gradually felt lighter and floated through the air like a feather.
“I must be dead,” she thought.
For otherwise, her body couldn’t feel so free without the agony.
Leah drifted like a dandelion seed in the wind.
”
Have I become the wind after death?”
As the world changed into a kaleidoscope of colors, the wind carried her to unfamiliar places.
Eventually, she landed in front of a majestic castle.
On a stormy night, a woman and a man argued in the rain.
“Taran , why do you keep postponing the marriage? Why did you get engaged to Grace if you were going to do that?”
“Grace, stop being so stubborn.”
Leha felt perplexed.
“What am I witnessing? Is this a dream?”
She couldn’t understand why she had to witness the lovers’ quarrel of strangers.
Then, the man’s sharp gaze fell upon Leah.
“I saw the man on the cliff.”
Leah instinctively tried to run away.
But like being swept into a huge whirlpool, her body was sucked towards Grace.
No matter how much she struggled to escape, it felt like she was sinking into a swirling swamp.
Finally, after her body was completely sucked in, consciousness faded away.
“Death is not the beginning of fear, but rest.”
It was only then that Leah felt tranquility.
Sometimes her head would ache and she would cough violently, but each time someone would come and place a towel on her forehead.
That wasn’t all. When the time came, bitter medicine would be swallowed down her throat.
So she endured fever and pain, until sweat poured from her body and her fever subsided.
“Uh… hmm!”
As Leah groaned and blinked her eyelids, the sound of footsteps was heard.
“Miss, are you awake?”
Through her blurred vision, she saw a woman with black hair neatly tied up and freckles dotting her nose.
“It’s not Sarah, is it? Then who is it?”
In the moment of questioning, the unfamiliar woman babbled like a brook bursting forth.
“The Duke’s temperament, you know? But why on a rainy day, insist on getting married out of the blue.”
“What nonsense is this? It didn’t rain on the day I got married. And Allen isn’t a duke.”
“Men get easily bored when women actively pursue them, as I’ve told you repeatedly, haven’t I?”
“Wh…who?”
Leah managed to speak with her parched lips.
Though she seemed like a maid, Leah was curious about her name.
“Goodness! You were in pain and now you’ve forgotten my name too? I’m Pauline.”
“Ah! Pau…line, I want to get up.”
Pauline supported Leah and placed several pillows behind her back.
Leah looked around the space she was in. It was unfamiliar, yet not entirely so.
Her room was more luxurious than this and the furniture, lighting, curtains, and even sculptures were of the highest quality. Moreover, there was a scent here that she hadn’t experienced before.
“A scent of loneliness and deprivation.”
Just then, the door opened and a cool breeze entered. The familiar sound of military boots was heard, and soon a man with a strong presence filled the room.
“Who is this man?”
Leah remembered this man clearly.
He appeared before her at the moment of her consciousness fading, when she became a wandering soul.
With jet-black hair contrasting with his fair skin, and fierce yet compassionate black eyes, he exuded a brilliant blackness.
From his stubbornly aristocratic nose to his firmly shut lips, everything seemed perfectly chiseled.
He was undoubtedly handsome, but what overwhelmed people was his intense presence.
“I’m glad you’re awake, Grace.”
“Grace, me?”
