Chapter 1

From the moment I was born, I never had a place to call my own.

Born into the Viscount Renks family, I received a proper education as the eldest daughter, Hadley, and met my family on a regular basis.

But it was all just superficial.

My father, the Viscount Renks, lived in the capital and rarely returned to the viscount’s estate, always claiming he was "busy with work." Every time he came back, my mother would plead with him to live together in the capital, but he would dodge her with a single word: "busy."

Then... around the time I began to understand adult conversations, my mother gave up. She gave up on going to the capital, on expecting anything from my father, and on working as a viscountess.

Now, she lives doing what she likes.

I greet my father when he comes home, and I have meals with my mother a few times a week.

My mother, who was the daughter of a merchant, still receives an allowance from her parents, and she has stopped trying to maintain appearances.

My father is probably doing what he likes in the capital.

If I had been a boy, my treatment might have been different.

I have no siblings, and I have been educated to eventually take a husband and continue the viscount’s lineage.

The noble education was too much for my mother, who was a commoner, so a very strict governess was assigned to me.

Don't laugh vulgarly, don't show your teeth, cover your mouth with a fan, don't keep your mouth covered with a fan, smile, don't smile, don't look down, smile, can't you even manage a beautiful smile, that's why the daughter of a lowborn woman is.

The governess was a woman who had married into the Taussig baron’s family and was my father’s childhood friend.

Unlike my mother, who had a bright appearance, she had dark hair and brown eyes. She wasn’t unattractive, but it was clear even to me as a child that she wasn’t the type of woman men would be attracted to.

Perhaps because of this, even my platinum blonde hair and blue eyes were called "vulgar."

A suffocating daily life.

Between the intense lessons, I started helping manage the viscount’s estate in place of my mother. I didn’t want to, but someone had to do it, and I seemed to be the only one capable.

From the moment I was born, I had no freedom, living only to inherit the viscount’s estate, and I would likely be bound to this land for the rest of my life.

I started checking the estate’s finances at the age of eight and began handling simple transactions at ten.

At twelve, my fiancé was decided, the fourth son of some marquis’s family. I had never met him, and no letters had arrived, so I hadn’t contacted him either.

At fourteen, my father’s mistress and illegitimate child were discovered, leading to a three-year mudslinging divorce battle.

My mother said, "I’m fine with a divorce, but give me the assets," and my father countered, "I have no money to give."

During this time, to avoid causing trouble for the people of the estate, I worked in place of my parents.

The Baroness Taussig, who was suspected of having a crush on my father, went even more berserk after the mistress was discovered.

She was deceived by a vulgar woman from the capital. If you wanted a boy so much, I could have given you one. She muttered these complaints.

Isn’t that adultery?

I thought, but getting involved with her would be a waste of time, so I waited for the storm to pass.

By this time, I was working out of habit, and the three hours of sleep I got each night were the only moments of bliss.

Cutting into my sleep, barely eating, and working mechanically, my days unexpectedly came to an end.

My mother became pregnant.

"I’ve met my soulmate. I want to take Hadley with me, but... you’re a noble’s child."

If I were a commoner, I could leave home freely.

Nobles are bound to their families.

"Don’t worry, Mother. I’m fine."

"Hehe, don’t say that yourself. You’re still a child. If you really can’t handle it, leave home. I can’t give you a noble’s life, but you can come to my family’s home, and there are many people who can help you. Hadley is smart, beautiful, and well-mannered."

Surprisingly, I felt no negative emotions when my mother said she was leaving me behind.

My mother is a beautiful woman from a wealthy family. A noble marriage isn’t impossible.

My father married her against everyone’s objections, but of course, my mother had no idea how to behave as a noble. Ideally, my father should have educated her to fit in.

But he found it too troublesome to teach a grown woman manners from scratch, so he decided not to show it.

Left behind in the viscount’s household, my mother found little joy beyond shopping, dining out, and attending parties.

She probably didn’t spend much time with me because she didn’t want me to grow up like a commoner.

I have memories of enjoying tea and playing with my mother when I was young, but we kept our distance because the Baroness Taussig’s insults and criticisms would triple if she found out.

I felt that my mother was being scolded because of me, and she probably thought it was her fault and kept her distance.

No one could defy the governess my father chose.

That said, it wasn’t as if the Baroness Taussig’s lessons made me a proper noble lady. Half of her lessons were filled with derogatory remarks about commoners, so I learned to listen politely and let them pass.

The people who truly helped me were a few servants and the townspeople.

After I started helping manage the estate, I went to town more often and learned basic manners from the ladies I met there.

Among the commoners, there were those who had worked in the capital or taught at a noble girls’ school.

Reading, writing, and arithmetic were taught by the veteran tax officer, Tilson, and I learned that the estate’s finances were in a very difficult state.

It wasn’t just a matter of not being in the red. Savings were needed to prepare for famines and natural disasters, and roads and bridges needed repair.

Without proper supervision, embezzlement was commonplace.

Thanks to Tax Officer Tilson’s vigilance, large-scale embezzlement was rare, but small-scale embezzlement was common.

Meals and supplies were often purchased with public funds.

I complained to my father several times, but he never replied to my letters, and when I tried to meet him, he would dodge me, saying he was "busy."

A love-struck, irresponsible man who married my mother on a whim despite everyone’s objections.

After the marriage, he found it troublesome and neglected not only his wife but also his daughter.

Now, it would be easier to start a new family than to rebuild a relationship with his wife and daughter, so he fled from his responsibilities.

And... the scoundrel who brought his new wife and stepson to the viscount’s estate calmly informed me that my fiancé had changed.

The fourth son of the marquis’s family found true love, huh? Oh, that’s great. My mother mentioned something similar, that she had found true love. My father also chose true love, so true love must be on sale. It might be cheaper than the estate’s specialty, onions.

In the spring of my eighteenth year, I left home.

The estate manager, officials, and household servants looked like they were about to cry, but as a daughter, there was nothing I could do. Without a husband, I couldn’t inherit the estate, and if my father told me to marry, I had no choice.

To be honest, I had run out of patience.

My destination, the Armulks Margrave’s estate, was a month’s journey away, even though it was in the same country.

The viscount’s estate was in the southern part of the country, while the Armulks Margrave’s estate was on the northern border.

The margrave, who was about to turn twenty-two, was known for not wanting to marry or choose a fiancé, and some speculated he might prefer men.

It’s apparently common among nobles, but the information came from a crazy governess, so I’m not entirely sure.

"The Armulks Margrave is said to be a very frightening person. Several young ladies have fled from their engagements. They have homes to return to, but a noble lady... no matter how badly she is treated, she cannot run away. How pitiful."

A white marriage, a sham marriage... perhaps he has a male lover, or maybe he’s a womanizer with a different lover every night.

In any case, the previous margrave and the royal family had been seriously looking for a bride, but many young ladies had fled, and I was chosen as the next candidate.

A barely suitable viscount’s daughter, recently released from her engagement, and just barely of marriageable age.

If I go to the Armulks Margrave’s estate, I won’t be able to return to the viscount’s estate, no matter how I’m treated. I don’t want to return, but saying goodbye to the people I’ve grown close to in the viscount’s estate is painful.

I briefly considered running to my mother, but if I made the nobles my enemies, it could affect her family’s business.

Everything is so troublesome, and I just want to sleep forever.

I was sleeping in a warm, soft futon for the first time in a long while.

As a noble lady, I was told not to leave the carriage carelessly, so I often slept wrapped in a thin blanket inside the carriage.

I love sleeping.

The thin blanket felt surprisingly comfortable. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.

While curled up in the warm futon.

"What is the viscount’s family thinking, sending their daughter on a journey with such poor protection?"

"She could have been killed if we hadn’t found her in time."

The firm voices of men.

"That’s true... but it seems Lady Hadley hasn’t changed clothes or eaten much..."

"Poor thing, she’s so thin. I doubt she can eat properly."

"We’ve asked for a doctor to examine her."

The tearful voices of young women.

That might be true. I don’t remember eating much toward the end.

But it’s okay. Don’t worry, I’m happy as long as I have a warm futon.

The door slammed open.

"The viscount’s daughter has arrived, I hear."

"Margrave, please wait. Lady Hadley is currently resting..."

"Hah, what a lazy girl. If she can’t even greet me, let her sleep as she pleases. There’s no need for her to meet me. Don’t show your face to me!"

What...?

The door was slammed shut, and the room fell silent. I tried to sit up slowly, but I had no strength and couldn’t get up.

"Lady Hadley, you mustn’t."

Two young maids hurried to my side and took care of me. They helped me sit up, wiped my face and neck with a warm cloth, and gave me some warm water to drink.

From hell to heaven. And if the person who just came in was the margrave...

"I am Kati, and this is Merrill. We will be taking care of Lady Hadley."

"We are preparing something gentle for your stomach. Please try to eat a little."

I nodded.

"Was the person who just came in the margrave?"

"...Yes. I apologize. When Lady Hadley feels better, we can arrange a proper greeting..."

"No, that’s not necessary."

I shook my head firmly.

"I will follow the margrave’s wishes. I will stay in my room as much as possible and eat in my room."

Since he said I can sleep as much as I want, I will definitely follow that.

Thank you, Margrave. I’m a very lazy girl, so I want to be friends with my futon more than with the margrave.

But, spending all my time here, lazing around, is probably impossible. Unfortunately.

I need to think about my future.

I have a beautiful face, like my mother, which is not a happy thing. If I’m kicked out, the only future I can see is being sold.

First, I need to recover my strength from the month-long carriage journey, and then secure an income.

The Armulks Margrave’s estate is one of the coldest places in the country, often listed as one of the "Top 10 Places to Avoid Living," but the security is surprisingly good despite being on the border. The high mountains and rivers make it difficult to attack. However, the border region has many other problems, and managing such a vast land seems challenging.

Becoming a commoner and using my beauty to catch a high-income man might be the easiest way, but stories of husbands turning abusive after marriage are common. My father was one of them.

According to the commoner ladies, many husbands are controlled by their tyrannical mothers-in-law and resort to verbal and physical abuse when they feel threatened. They are despicable men, but I can’t match their physical strength.

Although I’m a woman, the Baroness Taussig was exactly that type.

She thought people would obey if she raised her voice.

As a child, she was indeed scary, but as I grew up and learned more about the world, I realized she was a sad person. The reason no one defied her was that it was too much trouble to deal with her.

I’ve learned how to handle difficult people as I’ve grown up, so I think I can manage even among commoners.

However, being a former noble is a disadvantage, and I might be looked down upon for that reason.

I need to secure enough income to be independent, but the options are limited.

Noble ladies are not supposed to work. I can’t suddenly ask to be involved in the administration of this land.

I don’t want to work, but the way the margrave acted, I’ll likely be kicked out in three months, at most a year.

Thinking about it makes me tired, and I feel sleepy.

I’ll think about the difficult things when I wake up.

For now, I want to enjoy a blissful sleep.

The story will be updated twice a day, at 12 PM and 5 PM.