OAP 01

Chapter 1

Legbel, in the northern part of the Caspian Empire, was a place where cold winds blew all year round. The land was barren in every direction, and the roads were overgrown with coarse, stubborn weeds.

The only large building in Legbel, the Evgenia Mansion, stood on a low hill.

Smoke rose in wisps from the chimney above the red roof of the old mansion, which fluttered like a faded flag, and large windows looked out from walls covered in half-dead vines.

“Father is coming back today, right?”

Sioana, her brown hair braided in two pigtails, stared out the window and spoke anxiously. Masa, who had been busily knitting, shook her head firmly and replied.

“You’ve said that more than ten times now, you know. Did you leave your patience behind on the Legbel Mountains?”

At her nursemaid’s teasing words, Sioana’s blue eyes grew fierce.

“Masa! You do know I’m your mistress, don’t you?”

“Oh my, how frightening.”

When Masa pretended to be scared on purpose, Sioana gave a faint smile.

“The window is too foggy; I can’t see outside properly.”

Climbing onto a footstool, Sioana wiped the window repeatedly with her sleeve. But the temperature difference between inside and outside soon made the window fog up again.

“Young lady, tell me honestly. Are you waiting for the master, or for a gift?”

Masa chuckled as she knitted. Sioana coughed once or twice, then answered coolly.

“Do you think I’d wait for some silly gift?”

“Young lady, there’s nothing wrong with being honest. You can wait for both the master and a gift.”

At her nursemaid’s words, a faint blush rose on Sioana’s pale face. Then, gathering herself, she calmly spoke.

“Do you still think I’m a child, nursemaid?”

In Legbel, there wasn’t even a simple market; to buy anything, one had to take a carriage out of town. So a gift brought by someone returning from a distant place was exceptionally precious and valuable.

But seeing her young lady pretending to be indifferent, Masa smiled softly.

‘Our young lady, when did she grow up so much?’

She had lost her mother right after birth, so Masa had raised her on borrowed milk. Just as Masa’s eyes began to sting, someone’s appearance broke the quiet atmosphere of the drawing room.

“What are you doing standing there?”

A handsome blonde man entered the drawing room, brushing sleet off his coat shoulders.

Eli Evgenia was Sioana’s older brother and the heir to the family. He was tall, but gave off a sickly impression, with cool blue eyes.

“Oh, you’re back, brother.”

Sioana greeted him in a timid voice, then quickly went to an armchair and pretended to pick up a book.

“Masa, go bring some warm tea.”

“Yes, young master.”

When only the two of them were left in the drawing room, Sioana’s heart felt like it would burst. It wasn’t just the difference in age and build; she worried about provoking her brother, who often seemed displeased with her.

Eli scraped the mud from his shoes onto the carpet and muttered roughly.

“Damn it! Once I inherit the title, I’m definitely tearing this house down!”

Sioana gripped the edge of her shawl tightly.

Eli often talked about building a nice new house in the nearby town of Hibel.

‘But this place…’

It was the ancestral home of the Evgenia family. The Evgenias were once famous for producing brave generals and had guarded the northern border for hundreds of years. The emperor had recognized their service and granted them Legbel.

Moreover, this was the only place where she could remember her mother, who had died giving birth to her.

‘So he mustn’t tear it down…’

As she thought these words she couldn’t say to her brother, the sound of a carriage came from outside.

“……Father!”

She rose hastily from her seat to greet her father, whom she hadn’t seen in a month.

The book she had been reading tumbled to the floor, and as she bent to pick it up, her father appeared with heavy footsteps.

Twain Evgenia was a handsome middle-aged man with the same blonde hair and blue eyes as Eli.

“Welcome back, Father.”

Eli bowed with impeccable posture, while Sioana, standing awkwardly behind him, lowered her head deeply.

“Did you finish your business in the capital?”

Eli sat down on the sofa opposite Count Evgenia and asked politely. The count, holding the tea Masa had brought, let out a short sigh.

“Let me catch my breath first, son. I’ve been traveling by carriage all the way; I’m tired.”

In recent decades, the Evgenia family had focused on commerce, and the count frequently traveled to the capital on business. It was impossible to know how well the business was doing, but the count spent very little time in Legbel.

“No problems while I was away, I trust?”

“Of course not. As long as I’m here, you needn’t worry about anything, Father.”

Eli smiled confidently, while Sioana kept her head bowed.

Sioana always missed her father, but when they actually met, she didn’t know what to do with herself.

“……Hmph.”

The count frowned at his daughter, who was sticking out her thin neck like a turtle. Instead of speaking to Sioana, he called his employee, Josef.

“Bring that child here.”

A moment later, Josef returned, leading something wrapped in a cloak. At the appearance of this suspicious figure, Eli’s elegant forehead wrinkled deeply.

“Father, what is that?”

“The fog was so thick on the way that I almost ran down a slave with my carriage,” the count said casually, sipping his tea.

“What are you standing there for! Quickly, pay your respects to the master and the young master!”

Josef shouted and roughly pulled away the cloak, revealing a soot-covered boy inside.

He was so skinny that his development was clearly poor, making his age difficult to guess.

Perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old.

On his wrist, the mark of a slave of the Caspian Empire was clearly visible.

“……Father! What is this!”

Eli, pinching his nose at the stench emanating from the boy, couldn’t even finish his sentence.

Sioana was equally startled.

‘Frightening.’

It was because she couldn’t tell whether this creature was human or beast. Beneath pitch-black hair, red eyes blazed.

‘He looks like the hell-bird Masa used to read to me about.’

That ominous being said to steal your soul if your eyes met it.

Sioana couldn’t tear her gaze away from those terrifying red eyes.

She was certainly afraid, but she was also curious, as this was the first time she had seen a child her own age. In Legbel, everything—people, grass—seemed to age prematurely.

Meanwhile, the count continued calmly.

“He seemed to have no external injuries, but for some reason, he can’t speak.”

Having asked around and found no owner or parents, the count said he had left his contact information at a nearby town and brought the child to Legbel.

“I am a man of social standing. I couldn’t just abandon such a young child irresponsibly.”

Twain, having drained the rest of his tea in one gulp, smiled contentedly.

“That’s enough greeting for now. I need to rest a bit.”

Rising and leaning on his cane, he gave instructions.

“Wash this child and bring him back before dinner. Since it’s his first day here, he’ll join us for the meal.”

“Oh my, master. Look at that wretched state—there’s no way one wash will make him clean. And to seat him at the table!”

As Masa protested, the count, already leaving the drawing room, lightly struck his cane on the floor.

“Stop your fussing. That child is now a member of our household.”

“……Yes, master.”

Though she answered, Masa seemed uneasy about washing the boy. In a voice so low no one else could hear, she prayed.

“O Diana, look down upon this poor soul.”

Masa poked the boy’s back, who stood motionless.

“What are you just standing there for? Even a sewer would smell better than you!”

Whether he didn’t understand her words, the boy didn’t move. Even though he seemed too weak to stand, he stared intently at Sioana. Captivated by his red eyes, Sioana couldn’t look away either.

Once the count had completely disappeared, Eli immediately jumped to his feet.

“How dare you stare at a noble like that?”

Grabbing the poker near the fireplace, Eli struck the boy on the back. He couldn’t bear being under the same roof as such a slave. And what’s more, the insolent way the lowly slave held his head up provoked him.

“You damn beggar, getting cheeky with me!”

Only when the emaciated boy collapsed on the spot did Eli stop swinging. The pristine carpet was immediately wrinkled and soiled. Still breathing heavily, Eli threw down the poker and his gloves, then walked out of the drawing room.

“Masa, clean that thing up properly.”

After the commotion, silence filled the drawing room.

The boy’s ragged outer clothing was stained with blood, and faint groans escaped his lips.

Soon, the boy was led out by Josef and Masa, leaving Sioana alone there.

Her face, as she released the breath she had been holding, was pale with shock.