Chapter 174: Chapter 174
It's a story from a very young age.
In the Star Palace where the Second Empress Dustia and the Third Imperial Prince Ash resided.
Today, the Countess of Silver Winter Merchant Guild and her daughter, Serenade, visited again.
While the Empress and Countess were sipping tea and chatting, Ash and Serenade were playing in the garden of the Star Palace.
"..."
Serenade seemed unusually down today. Ash tilted his head in front of her.
"What's wrong, sister? What happened?"
Sister.
No matter how much she begged him not to call her that, it was in vain. Young Ash always followed Serenade, calling her sister.
Ash asked innocently, smiling.
"Tell me, sister! I'll fix everything!"
"Uh, well... actually..."
Serenade, looking around cautiously, whispered.
"I heard the word 'lowborn' again..."
On the way here today, as they passed through the security check at the entrance to the Imperial Palace, she heard the officers on guard muttering.
- Those lowborn merchant families keep hanging around the palace.
- The Second Empress is lowborn, isn't she? Birds of a feather flock together.
They did not even try to lower their voices, even though they could be heard clearly. It seemed intentional.
Serenade let out a heavy sigh.
"Even outside, they shun me, calling me lowborn, and the children..."
Serenade had no friends.
No noble child would associate with the daughter of a merchant family that had bought its nobility with money.
Nor did she have commoner friends. Though they had bought the title, they were still a Count's family.
No common child of her age would dare to associate with the Count's young daughter.
Somewhere between nobles and commoners.
The Silver Winter family existed in a gray area.
In this situation, Ash was Serenade's first real friend of her age.
"You, Prince Ash, are the only friend who hangs out with me."
"Hehe, me too! You're my first friend too!"
Ash was in the same situation.
In this vast Imperial Palace, no one sided with Dustia, the Second Empress, who had been born a battle slave.
Her son Ash was treated the same.
Whether judged by pure lineage or the power of the family, the next Emperor would obviously be the son of the First Empress, who openly despised the Second Empress.
Since that was the case, no one tried to get close to the Second Empress and her son.
Except for the people of Silver Winter.
"Don't be hurt by what those fools say, sister."
Ash reached out with his small hand, tightly holding Serenade's hand.
"Only those who have nothing to be proud of do that, judging by family or lineage instead of their ability."
Serenade stared at Ash, astonished by his words.
The young boy's hands were warm.
"I promise, sister."
Ash smiled like an angel.
"I'll create a world where you don't have to hear such words."
"Create a world...?"
"Yes! A world where blood and nobility don't matter... a world for children like us who are shunned. A world where Mom doesn't cry, and where sister isn't bullied, a world like that."
Ash's tiny fingers squeezed Serenade's fingers tightly.
"I'll... definitely make it."
On Ash's young face was a faint sadness and a clear determination.
At that moment, Serenade sensed it.
She would fall in love with this young boy.
Whether he kept his word or not...
Just the bright sparkle he emanated at that moment was enough for her to know that she would follow this boy for the rest of her life.
She thought so, watching the boy's white smile.
***
Serenade suddenly opened her eyes.
From the crack in the curtains, the faint morning light told her it was early dawn.
She felt refreshed. Her body was light. Serenade quickly got up.
"Have you awakened, my lady?"
Elize, who had been waiting outside the door, entered as she heard movement.
On the tray Elize brought in was a basin filled with hot water.
"Good morning, Elize."
"Good morning. Here's the water for you to wash your face."
"Thank you."
Since she had bathed and fallen asleep the night before, washing her face was enough in the morning. With Elize's assistance, Serenade washed her face.
"Aren't you tired?"
Elize carefully asked Serenade, who was drying the water from her cheeks with a towel.
"You've been struggling with your duties already, and now you're suddenly giving dance lessons to the prince every day..."
"..."
"You only slept for 3 hours today. I'm worried about your health."
At those words, Serenade laughed lightly, covering her mouth with a towel. Elize blinked in confusion.
"Master?"
"Elize. Do I look tired to you?"
"No... You look pleased."
"You're right. I'm not tired at all. Quite the opposite, I feel like flying."
Serenade looked into the mirror before her, seeing her own face sparkling with energy.
Sleep? Who needed it?
'Is sleep really a big deal now?'
Ash had come to her first, asking her to teach him to dance.
She didn't know why this mischievous prince, who was more skilled at social dancing than anyone in the capital, pretended to be inept at dancing.
But the reason didn't matter.
As she lightly applied makeup and dressed, Serenade couldn't hide the smile at her lips.
She hadn't felt this joyous in years.
According to Ash, the Silver Winter Merchant Guild was now facing a crisis of extinction.
Serenade was building up defenses against it, as Ash commanded.
She knew. This was no time to recklessly enjoy herself.
But, to be utterly honest... if she could get closer to Ash for any reason or under any pretext, Serenade was willing to pay whatever price it took.
'If I can hold his hand and dance today, that alone would make me...'
BANG!
"Miss!"
Just then, Serenade's door was roughly opened, and another maid rushed in. Serenade, startled, looked at her.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"The Count has had another seizure! Hurry...!"
"Father?!"
Serenade stopped what she was doing and ran out of the room. Elize followed her with a stern face.
The Count of Silver Winter had a seizure in his bedroom.
Fortunately, by the time Serenade arrived, the resident priest had stabilized the Count with magic.
"Father!"
As Serenade entered the room, the trembling Count looked up at his daughter.
"Se, Serenade."
His face bore the traces of his illness.
His yellowed face was fatigued, and dark spots were visible.
The Count extended his bony hand, and Serenade took it as she approached.
"I'm here, Father. Are you okay?"
"Serenade, my daughter... My beloved daughter..."
His words trailed off, and Serenade's face stiffened.
"The seed? The Imperial seed?"
"..."
"Did you receive it? Did you get the gift from Prince Ash?"
Serenade bit her lip. The Count became agitated.
"Why aren't you answering? Do you know how much money we've spent on the Imperial Family to get that one seed..."
"...Father."
"Don't forget, Serenade, the humiliation and scorn our family has endured..."
The Count stared at the ceiling, muttering to himself.
"They scorned us for buying our title with money, even when we became Viscounts, and even as Counts, they looked down on us for being of low birth. No matter how much money we made, we couldn't erase this stain."
"..."
"The only way to erase this stain is to mix our bloodline with the noblest blood in the world."
Serenade closed her eyes tightly.
Her grandfather, and now her father.
Their complex about status and lineage was enormous. They were desperate to rise, by any means.
So they chose money. They prospered in the Merchant Guild and acquired the titles they wanted.
But the disdain did not disappear.
Even after arranging a betrothal with the Imperial Family, the actual marriage did not occur even after Prince Ash reached adulthood.
Serenade had already sensed a breakup.
Then, her father had said:
- Even if the betrothal breaks, we must still mix our blood with the Imperial Family! With blood!
- Beg Prince Ash if you must! Even a seed! Bring back a seed!
What did it all mean?
What was the significance of the seed from the wayward 3rd Prince, who could never be Emperor, especially when a breakup was so apparent? What was the point?
But the generations-long obsession with status and lineage had already moved beyond rational thought.
The bloodline of the Imperial Family, the bloodline of the Imperial Family...
Every day, her father screamed those words, and finally, Serenade had to seek Ash and speak her mind.
'We demand recompense for the devotion our family has shown to you.'
'Give me... your seed.'
The humiliation of begging like this from a man who no longer paid her any attention was more than she could bear.
Serenade wished simply to die, her last shred of pride torn to ribbons.
And all she received from Ash in return was a cold, disdainful glance.
- In the end, you're just like everyone else.
But she had obtained a promise.
When Serenade returned home, tears held back, her mother, the Countess of Silver Winter Merchant Guild, was preparing to leave the mansion, ignoring her husband's objections.
- Making your daughter go through this, you've gone mad!
- What's truly wretched isn't your family but your mind.
Leaving only a word of apology to Serenade, her mother left.
As soon as her mother departed, her father fell ill and took to his bed, and Serenade was left to manage the Silver Winter Merchant Guild.
Prince Ash did not keep his promise.
Thus, time flowed, leading to the present moment.
"Your mother, she doesn't understand."
The Earl wheezed out these words.
"Because she's a noblewoman, with pure blood, unlike our outsider bloodline... she doesn't understand our pain."
"..."
"Serenade, you understand, don't you? You, with the same wretched blood as this father, surely you can understand."
Serenade, who had remained silent, tightly gripped her father's hand once more, then rose.
"I'll step out, Father. Rest well."
The Earl's strained murmuring continued to reach her even after she left the room.
"We must mix the blood of the Imperial Family into our lineage. Only then... can we escape this curse..."
Serenade clenched her jaw and walked down the hallway.
She felt unable to breathe.
It felt as if dark tar flowed through her veins instead of red blood.
She simply couldn't breathe.
***
Silver Winter Merchant Guild building. 4th floor.
When Serenade, panting for breath, burst through the door,
"Huh?"
Ash was sitting there.
"What's this? Why are you here so early?"
In the bright morning sunlight, the third prince of the empire was dazzling.
His lush and alluring black hair. Those clear, direct eyes. His picture-perfect smile.
It reminded her suddenly of their youthful days in the Star Palace.
Serenade's heart ached.
- I promise, big sister.
Yes.
The reason I loved you... was not because you were a prince, not because your blood was noble.
It was simply because you shared my pain.
And because you embraced and comforted my wounds.
'Ah.'
Serenade slowly bowed her head.
Why didn't she say it back then?
What she needed was not your bloodline, not your seed, but simply,
Just a piece of your heart...
"Serenade?"
Ash asked, puzzled, and Serenade quickly composed herself.
"No, it's nothing."
Her eyes reddened quickly, being prone to tears, but trusting the morning sunlight to shield them,
With a smile, Serenade said,
"Shall we dance, My Lord?"
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