Chapter 1 …

There’s a saying in this world:

If you hold a wedding on a rainy day, the couple will live happily ever after.

Some may have believed that and had a joyful wedding, but unfortunately, it seemed that this did not apply to me.

“Huff… huff…”

I, the bride, was running frantically in my dress. The gown, tailored for this very day, was already stained, torn, and in complete disarray.

“Get inside over there!”

“Move out of the way now!”

The guests had already scrambled to dodge the chaos.

“The rebels are about to invade!”

“Escort His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress to safety!”

“Summon the mages and priests! Prepare defenses!”

They were busy organizing defenses, but not a single person paid attention to me, the bride.

It was only natural.

After all, this wedding was nothing more than a performance.

I was the daughter of a saint.

I speak in the past tense because I am no longer the saint’s daughter.

My family, Agnito, was a ducal house of the empire, blessed by the gods.

The Agnito family had produced saints for generations, but given the immense sacred power required, only one per generation could become a saint.

Naturally, many coveted the bloodline, and as a measure to protect the saint, she had to marry a person designated by the temple.

Agnito took great pride in producing saints. Everyone was eager to marry a saint.

But it all fell apart in an instant.

The saint—my mother—suddenly became pregnant with someone else’s child.

My father was unknown. My mother’s sacred power vanished.

Even worse, the child born had no powers at all.

After that, everything became predictable.

My mother was officially recorded as having died in childbirth, and I—the child—was not allowed a single step outside the family estate.

Just another typical story.

From Agnito’s perspective, our family’s reputation had been tarnished. It was no wonder they despised me.

In any case, the fact remained: I was born illegitimately.

Without any powers, I had to stay locked in my room, alone.

If it weren’t for the chance meeting with that person, I would have remained like that forever.

Thanks to that person’s help, I gradually managed to escape my confinement.

But that was not the end. I wanted a family.

So I tried, by any means, to become a true Agnito.

Then one day…

“Marry, Hanisha.”

My maternal uncle, the Duke of Agnito, said to me.

“They are the ones who rebuilt the Forbidden Lands. Their power is formidable, but we lack the justification to suppress them outright. His Majesty the Emperor commanded that we propose an alliance through marriage. You are to marry their leader.”

“But, Duke…”

I was taken aback by the sudden proposal.

If marriage was truly necessary, it would make more sense for my cousin, Esther, to marry him. Unlike me, Esther was the empire’s only saint.

But…

“If this marriage succeeds, you will become a true Agnito. Both the Emperor and the temple will recognize you.”

“…”

“All of this is for the sake of family.”

I had never been acknowledged publicly. I was the stain on the family’s honor. So much so that more people remembered me as ‘the stain’ than by my name.

For someone like me, gaining recognition from the Agnito family was the greatest desire.

So I accepted the marriage.

I was afraid, but also a little excited.

Having a husband meant having a family.

And then, on the long-awaited wedding day…

“The rebels! Move that way!”

The man who was to be my husband led an army into the imperial palace.

“There! Over there!”

“Lady, this way, please!”

I heard someone calling from behind.

The Agnito knights, who were supposed to protect me, were ignored as I ran.

Just before the ceremony, the duke had told me:

“If anything happens to you, go to the west corridor inside the palace. I’ve prepared other measures there.”

At that time, I believed he was genuinely concerned for me.

But when I arrived at the rendezvous, there was no one.

No one at all.

“Congratulations, sister.”

I remembered the words my cousin, Esther—the saint—had spoken to me just before the wedding:

“You’ll be free from now on. You’ve endured so much.”

Suddenly, all the pieces fit together.

The entrance leading directly to the palace forest. The passage with no one evacuating. The scene seemed deliberately left empty…

‘It was all planned.’

This wedding was nothing more than bait to lure the rebels into the palace.

‘And I was to be a disposable pawn.’

As soon as I realized this, I ran. The Agnito knights immediately pursued me.

It became even clearer.

The duke wanted me dead.

So there would be justification to suppress the rebels, and the palace could demand the appropriate compensation.

“…Huff… huff.”

Why?

I thought I’d cry, but no emotions came.

Perhaps it was because I had expected this all along.

No matter how hard I struggled, I would never become part of a real family. I would never be acknowledged.

I had been alone from the start…

“Ugh!”

At that moment, I was grabbed. The Agnito knights.

“You really thought being called ‘Lady’ made you an actual lady…”

“Let go!”

“Come with us!”

Their force was merciless. I was dragged along, struggling…

“Kuuh…”

Suddenly, with ragged breaths, one by one, the knights fell to the ground.

Someone had appeared, unseen until now.

Jet-black hair, like the night sky. Golden eyes.

A man whose mask covered everything from under his eyes to his feet.

I knew immediately who he was.

Rene.

Master of the Forbidden Lands and illegitimate child of the Emperor.

Abandoned at birth, he survived and became the leader of the rebellion, uniting demons, beastmen, elves, and more.

And… he was to be my husband.

The man who cut down the knights without a sound slowly stood.

He seemed to notice the blood dripping from his blade and casually wiped it off as if it were a nuisance.

Then, our eyes met.

“…”

He gazed at me calmly.

I hesitated, unsure of what to say or do.

Then he slowly approached.

I stepped back, my eyes fixed on the blood still dripping from his sword.

Perhaps that’s why…

“…Hhh.”

Tears I hadn’t shed when I realized I was abandoned now flowed. That sword seemed like it could pierce me at any moment.

Rene frowned at my reaction but then looked back at his sword.

“….”

And then he raised his gaze to me again.

I swallowed hard. What if he charged at me with the sword?

Clang!

The sharp sound echoed as his sword fell to the ground.

Rene had thrown it aside.

As if he had noticed I was afraid of it.

Before I could even comprehend the situation fully…

“I believe the wedding is that way.”

A strange voice interrupted.

Black hair fluttering with dust, red eyes, black energy emanating around him.

Duke Pater Stuckia of the North.

The Stuckia family was one of the empire’s four great ducal houses, once fallen from grace due to certain events.

But that was in the past.

Since Pater Stuckia inherited the title, the family flourished again, even gaining the empire’s top prominence.

Though their ‘notorious’ reputation remained part of their prosperity.

The duke blocked my way diagonally and spoke:

“The bride and groom are here, so I couldn’t have come to the wrong place.”

“…”

“Then am I to officiate?”

He shrugged lightly, but I couldn’t answer.

Why was the Stuckia duke here? We had just met, and he had no obligation to protect me.

And his face…

“Lady.”

I visibly flinched, but the duke remained steady.

“What is your name?”

No one had asked my name in a long time, so I stammered:

“H-Hanisha.”

“Yes, Hanisha. I know my face might distract a bride, but pull yourself together.”

His slow, playful tone made me regain some composure.

“You seem frightened, bride. Perhaps today isn’t your day. Let the modest groom come another time.”

Rene, who had been expressionless, frowned.

“…Step aside.”

A low voice came from behind the black veil of energy:

“Obnoxious men have no charm. The bride will run. Advice from experience.”

“I do not harm innocents. But if you do not move, you will die.”

“Violent, too. Lady, perhaps reconsider this marriage. The groom is… inadequate.”

The duke slowly drew his power, long-hidden for years.

“I can’t back down either. My own reasons are urgent.”

“So you’re on the Emperor’s side?”

“In a way, yes.”

The moment the duke confirmed, Rene’s gaze turned icy.

Their powers clashed fiercely in the air.

No one moved, yet the heavy energy pressed down.

Kuuuung—

A massive rumble shook the ground.

At the same time, the sky darkened.

An earthquake? Or some other magic?

I had never seen a spell that spread darkness over such a wide area…

‘Ah.’

A lightning-like realization struck. I looked up.

The sky wasn’t darkening.

The palace was collapsing.

Above me.

In that moment, my life flashed before my eyes.

“Lady!”

“…Nisha!”

Voices calling me echoed around.

But I couldn’t look away.

‘If…’

Watching the debris rain down, I thought:

If, by some miracle, a second chance is given…

Then my vision went completely dark.