WHM | Chapter 01

~Chapter 01~

Some might assume that knowing the future means being able to control everything.

 But unfortunately, Eileen’s life was nothing like that.

She was born a noble and raised in a loving home, never lacking anything.

However, knowing how the character “Eileen Cassier” in the story she was born into would end up in misery, her childhood couldn’t be truly happy.

She once desperately tried to change her fate.

 But even with all her effort, she couldn’t stop her parents’ deaths.

Now, as her grandmother—the one who loved her more than anyone—is nearing the end of her life, Eileen feels more helpless than ever.

“Eileen, remember this. You carry the blood of the imperial family and the noble Cassier house. You are my one and only true granddaughter.”

Her grandmother couldn’t close her eyes, her heart aching for the poor girl she would leave behind.

Eileen held her grandmother’s hand tightly—the woman who had stayed by her side all her life.

“Grandmother… Just a little more. Please stay with me a little longer. We promised to see the spring flowers together, remember?”

Her tears fell silently—tears she rarely showed to anyone.

 Seeing her granddaughter cry made the old woman’s heart ache deeply.

“That shameless man and his wife will do whatever it takes to take your inheritance.”

The “shameless man” was the illegitimate child born from her grandfather’s affair.

As soon as the previous Earl Cassier and his wife died in a tragic accident, he rushed in and took the title.

There was no way to stop him from acting like the head of the family and bringing in his own family.

 There was no way to stop them.

“They’re never satisfied with what they have.”

That whole family was greedy and extravagant to the extreme.

 And now that Eileen would be left alone among them, her grandmother had every reason to worry.

“I know, Grandma. I know I have to protect what’s mine. No matter how they try to flatter me or threaten me, I won’t let them control me.”

“Good. Don’t ever forget that. You must endure until you come of age and inherit your share. You have to withstand that man trying to take control of your life under the pretense of being your guardian.”

Her grandmother was reassured by Eileen’s intelligent and firm response.

“Most importantly, you must find happiness, my dear.”

 “Yes. I’ll survive no matter what. And I’ll be happy.”

 “Yes… you’re smart. You will, I’m sure of it.”

With those final words, her grandmother’s breath slowly ceased.

Eileen sat for a long time, holding her now cold hand.

 She knew exactly what she had to do now.

 But that didn’t mean the grief would fade right away.

Still, Eileen didn’t have time to process her emotions.

The door suddenly burst open, and a middle-aged man walked in.

 “Has the old lady passed away?”

He didn’t even bother to fake sorrow. His excitement was obvious.

He didn’t even look like a relative — a man with a sly face.

 He was the current Count Cassier.

Eileen silently looked at him and stood up.

 “Yes. My grandmother has passed on.”

 “Ahem… I see.”

It was devastating.

 Now, she had no true family left.

“Father! Does that mean I can go to the party now?”

 “I saw a dress I wanted to buy…”

Eileen couldn’t stand being among her so-called “uncle” and his family any longer, their excitement unhidden.

 She naturally turned and headed to her room—needing a quiet place to be alone.

---

The world gave her no time to grieve.

Now that she had no one left to protect her, Eileen was completely isolated.

 It didn’t take long before she became the target—not just of discrimination, but of outright bullying.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there. You should’ve moved out of the way.”

Still, when Mia and Sadina “accidentally” spilled tea on her dress, Eileen let it slide.

 After all, she didn’t even want to acknowledge them as cousins.

“That dress doesn’t suit you anymore. Why don’t you give it to your younger cousins, Eileen?”

When they started taking her belongings one by one with petty excuses, it was honestly just laughable.

“You’re the older one—you should be showing an example by using less. You really need to cut your spending.”

The Countess, now in charge of the household, used ridiculous excuses to withhold even the most basic living expenses.

“Sis, I really want this room. Could you move out?”

Eventually, Eileen was kicked out to a dusty guest room in the attic—but she remained calm.

“Isn’t this a bit much? Treating you like this right after Madame passed away?”

 “I really did try to be nice at first, but… maybe to them, I was just a stuck-up noble girl who was hard to like.”

Despite her maid Mary’s complaints, Eileen remained calm.

 She let out a sigh, but there was nothing she could do. A favor doesn’t always return as a favor.

 Shrugging her shoulders, Eileen rolled up her sleeves and began sweeping the floor herself.

 “My goodness, the young lady is cleaning herself.”

 “I can assure you, this isn’t the first time.”

 Focusing on dusting and cleaning helped her avoid unnecessary thoughts.

 Eileen hid the jewelry box her mother had left her deep under the bed and waited for a message she knew would come soon.

 Now that news of her grandmother’s death had reached the Imperial Palace, someone from the Emperor would arrive soon.

 They would bring an important engagement that would keep her so-called ‘uncle’ and his family from treating her carelessly—at least on the surface.

---

Just as Eileen had expected, an attendant from the Emperor visited the Cassier Count’s estate.

 “How could someone so close to His Majesty come to such a humble place…?”

 “Please, have a seat and enjoy some tea.”

 The Count and Countess bowed deeply and fawned over the attendant, who was accompanied by an imperial knight.

 “I’m simply here to deliver His Majesty’s order to Lady Eileen Cassier. That’s all.”

 “Were you looking for me?”

 Wearing a dark black veil, Eileen stepped out and politely knelt before the attendant.

 “I greet Lady Eileen Cassier,” he said respectfully—very different from how he’d spoken to the Count and Countess.

 Her grandmother had been the Emperor’s beloved younger sister, and Eileen had been dearly loved by that grandmother. That was why she was being treated with such honor now.

 “Then I shall deliver His Majesty’s message.”

 Ah… Once again, fate had come knocking at her door.

 Eileen lowered her gaze and accepted the command with half resignation.

 “By the will of His Majesty the Emperor, the engagement of Eileen Cassier and Cedric Lowell is hereby announced.”

Cedric Lowell.

 After the Duke had died in the war not long ago, Cedric had become the sole heir to House Lowell.

 However, he had not yet inherited the title of Duke due to the lack of official approval from the Emperor.

 And now—an engagement?

 This moment revealed the true reason the Emperor had delayed the succession of the title for so long.

“What? An engagement?”

 “This is absurd. The Lowell family? We were never told of this!”

 “Shouldn’t Eileen’s opinion be considered too? She looks surprised herself.”

 Of course, the Count and Countess protested.

 Eileen gave a faint smile at their seemingly sincere expressions of shock.

 ‘As if they hadn’t planned to marry me off to some old baron for his second marriage.’

 In the Empire, all a wife’s property automatically became her husband’s upon marriage.

 They must’ve struck a deal with some older noble who liked young women, planning to trade her away and keep her fortune.

 There was no way Eileen didn’t know their intentions.

“Are you planning to go against His Majesty’s will?”

 With that sharp remark, the room went quiet.

 The attendant glared at the Count and Countess, then calmly looked down at the paper in his hand.

“This engagement is the only condition for Cedric Lowell to inherit the title of Duke, not just head of the family. If the engagement is maintained, Cedric Lowell will receive the Lowell family’s seal on the day he becomes an adult.”

The seal of the Lowell family—its symbol and most important item—had been taken away in the name of avoiding chaos.

 Eileen thought it was rather unfair to Cedric.

 Even in a world full of arranged marriages, this was unusually one-sided.

 In the end, two people who couldn’t properly take root were being tied together to support each other.

“I accept His Majesty’s will.”

 There was no need to go this far, but including the dukedom as a condition made the Emperor’s intentions clear.

 It was his final act of care for his late sister.

 Perhaps it came from guilt over letting his beloved sister marry a notorious womanizer like Count Cassier.

 Of course, political motives weren’t entirely absent.

 Marrying Eileen, a royal relative, was the perfect way to bring the northern duchy into the capital’s circle.

No matter the reason, Eileen Cassier had now gained the strongest protection imaginable.

---

“Wow… Engaged to the Duke’s heir! Now no one in this house—or even the capital—will dare mess with you,” her maid said excitedly after the servant left.

 Even the household staff who had sided with the Count slowly began to act more cautiously around Eileen.

 Watching the scene, Eileen muttered quietly to her overly excited maid:

 “Well, I bet at least one person isn’t happy about this.”

 “To be honest, you two make a perfect pair! You’re elegant, graceful, and noble—just right for a great family like his.”

 “Exactly. That’s the problem.”

To ordinary nobles, the Emperor’s decision probably seemed quite reasonable.

 Cedric Lowell, whose position was unstable, would now have someone dependable by his side.

 It looked like the perfect example of an ideal engagement.

 But that was just how others saw it.

And, just as Aileen expected, Cedric Lowell showed up at the Count’s estate early the next morning—without warning.

That rude entrance marked the beginning of what would clearly not be a smooth relationship.

“So, in the Lowell family, is it considered polite to visit someone’s home at this hour?”

 Eileen looked at the young man standing in the pale blue light before dawn.

 He had deep blond hair and a face that looked more like a boy than a man.

 Despite her sharp tone, his expression remained stern and unfazed.

 Instead, he started off their meeting with a bold request that matched his dramatic entrance.

“Please beg His Majesty to break off this engagement.”

 Eileen crossed her arms, shivered slightly in the cold air, and repeated his words in her head.

 Just as she had expected.

 “No, I won’t.”

Cedric immediately tried to argue, but Eileen raised her hand to stop him and suppressed a yawn.

“We’re the same age, right? Let’s just drop the formal speech. I don’t feel like having a fancy, polite conversation right now.”

 “…What?”

 “Let’s speak casually. And don’t just stand there. Sit somewhere. I got dragged out of bed because of you, and I’m tired.”

Cedric Lowell stared blankly for a while at Eileen’s back as she confidently walked past him toward the well-kept garden.

 Whether she meant to or not, their first meeting was something he would never forget.