The night Croa Allozé took up residence in the guest chamber of House Argentta.
“Did you confirm it?”
Dielo asked the figure who entered the room silently.
The woman bowed her head.
She was dressed as a head maid, but her agile movements made it clear she was someone trained.
“Yes. As you suspected, the name inscribed between her shoulder blades was a skillfully forged fake. Unlike before, the markings have already started to fade, and with time, they should disappear completely.”
—Scratch.
Dielo Argentta, in the middle of attending to House matters, quietly set down his quill.
Another of Argentta’s informants entered right after, bringing just as useful information.
“We looked into it, and as you expected, the informants in House Allozé also found the duke’s household unusually quiet, considering Croa Allozé was supposedly awakened as a Phero.”
Given the antagonistic relationship between Allozé and Argentta, if Croa truly had awakened as his destined partner, chaos would’ve erupted.
Unless Duke Allozé had orchestrated the whole thing behind closed doors.
Which meant… Croa Allozé, as she had claimed, was indeed a fake Phero.
Dielo recalled the events of the day.
‘Duke Dielo Argentta.’
The way she called his name—Croa Allozé, with her vivid violet hair.
She gave off a different air than when he’d seen her before the engagement was announced.
She had a reputation for being impulsive and moody, but now her eyes sparkled with something more.
Eyes that could see the future—and were prepared for it.
“She must’ve been hiding her true self…”
He tapped the desk rhythmically with his fingers.
Duke Allozé saw even his own blood relatives as mere cards in his hand, so it was wise for Croa to have concealed her thoughts.
He recalled how confidently she had proposed a deal before him.
All throughout their conversation, Croa had kept showing her open palms—as if to soothe a frightened herbivore.
Unaware of who the true predator was.
“A deal with the enemy…”
He looked over the letter Croa had brought from Duke Allozé.
The arrogance in the demands was laughable for someone sending a fake Phero.
[First, 20% of revenue from Argentta’s main mines and farmlands is to be allocated as a ‘dignity allowance’ to Duchess Croa and paid directly to House Allozé.]
Why should the duchess’s allowance go to House Allozé?
[Second, allow 100 of Allozé’s knights to be stationed at Tilla Pass, where monsters have been active.]
Tilla Pass was a key strategic point between the two ducal houses.
In the event of war, the house holding that pass would hold overwhelming advantage.
And that pass currently belonged to Argentta.
He was essentially asking for it to be handed over.
[Lastly, allow Croa to visit House Allozé at least once a month.]
The reason?
[Because relations between our two houses have not been the best, and it pains me to send such a pretty daughter so suddenly.]
“Such a pretty daughter, he says…”
Sending that same daughter as a sacrificial pawn?
Reading this borderline-threat disguised as a letter, Dielo muttered and let out a dry chuckle.
So different from the warm smile he had shown earlier when facing Croa.
—Click.
He pulled a bell cord, and the maid who had silently stepped away earlier returned.
Her footsteps were feather-light—clearly not those of an ordinary person.
“Fielle.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
He gestured to the bowing maid.
“You will personally escort the future duchess. And…”
He sealed a letter with the Argentta family crest—his reply to Duke Allozé.
“Give Allozé everything they asked for.”
They had sent him an unusually entertaining bride, after all.
A quiet smile tugged at his lips.
Soon, an extravagant wedding began to take shape.
Now that a Phero had been found in Argentta, there was no reason to delay.
The wedding costs were split 50-50 between the houses—on the surface, an equal agreement.
But in truth?
The political concessions Allozé extracted under the guise of this marriage were immense.
Still, it was seen as a temporary loss.
“Our Lord will awaken soon anyway, and we’ll get it all back.”
Such was the importance of the Phero. So the people of Argentta saw it as lending, not losing.
Even so, it was no surprise the Argentta staff weren’t happy with Allozé—especially with the house’s usual hostility to outsiders.
Their discontent was already showing.
“We’d like to begin ordering your dresses for the wedding. Please select four from these designs.”
Probably because rumors of the concessions had spread, the staff didn’t look kindly on her.
But Croa wasn’t one to back down.
She was still the lady of the house, even if only temporarily. She was going to live in comfort.
“All of them.”
She didn’t even glance at the rainbow-colored sketches.
The maid looked flustered.
“Pardon?”
“People change at least five times during weddings.”
Croa stared directly at her.
“And you’re offering just four? Am I supposed to wear the same dress twice? In a grand wedding attended by every major house that knows of Allozé and Argentta? Besides…”
She gestured out the window.
“How do you know what the weather will be like that day? Shouldn’t we have backups?”
Argentta weather was notoriously fickle.
Sunny in the morning, only to pour without warning in the afternoon.
In the original, Croa had only four dresses and ended up in a dilemma.
But not this time.
“…Understood.”
“And make sure there are at least three sets of necklaces, shoes, and earrings that match.”
This level of budget wouldn’t even make a dent.
Croa glared at the maid.
The girl bowed and stepped away, looking slightly rattled.
She wasn’t going to let them walk all over her.
If more petty challenges came her way, she’d have to establish authority.
While an entire building was constructed just for the wedding, a grand ball was scheduled to announce their engagement to the empire’s central social circle.
The couple of the hour?
Dielo Argentta and Croa Allozé.
The only problem was…
The central nobility believed they were in a romantic love-match.
The truth behind the Phero and succession powers was a secret known only to the three ducal houses and the imperial family.
“You’ll be the most dazzling figure tonight, Lady Croa.”
The head maid adjusted her outfit as she spoke.
“Marriages between the three ducal houses are very rare.”
She had introduced herself as Fielle, and treated Croa with warmth.
But Croa wasn’t fooled. She knew it was all surface.
“Right.”
Croa glanced sideways at her.
Fielle.
Not just a head maid—she was the leader of Argentta’s “cleaners.”
And “cleaners” didn’t clean floors. They “cleaned up” people.
An assassin group tasked with removing threats to House Argentta.
Sworn to serve Argentta for life, Fielle didn’t hesitate to stain her hands with blood.
In the original, she was the one who came to behead Croa once the truth of her fake identity was revealed.
Although Duke Allozé killed Croa before she got the chance.
“But, Fielle…”
Croa wasn’t the same timid girl from the novel. Her situation was different now.
Did Fielle know she was a fake?
Her deal with Dielo was secret, but someone of Fielle’s rank might know.
There was a simple way to find out.
“Yes, Lady Allozé?”
She didn’t call her “My Lady” yet—perhaps because the marriage wasn’t official.
Croa looked straight into her eyes.
“Were you assigned to me directly by Duke Dielo?”
If Dielo himself had placed Fielle at her side, it meant she was in the loop.
He was part of House Argentta—he knew exactly what Fielle did.
If she wasn’t meant to know Croa’s secret, Dielo wouldn’t have sent her.
“Of course.”
Fielle replied without hesitation.
“His Grace instructed me to serve you faithfully, during the ball and after the wedding.”
She smiled faintly.
Croa nodded slightly.
So Dielo had assigned his most dangerous servant to her side—for protection, probably.
“Then I look forward to working with you.”
Which meant Fielle already knew the truth.
Fielle bowed deeply.
“Likewise, Lady Croa.”
Her voice was gentle, but Croa knew.
Fielle was still watching her carefully.
As a cleaner, it was her duty to remain vigilant to the very end.
“….”
Croa wasn’t planning to betray Argentta, but tension prickled at her skin anyway.
While Fielle was still bowing, Croa looked out through the large glass windows of her room.
Beyond the pristine white walls and arched windows lay a vast, shimmering sea.
The ocean view was stunning—but not as peaceful as it looked.
“That’s the Infinite Sea, isn’t it?”
She pointed to the seemingly endless waters.
That was where House Argentta had long defended against monster invasions.
They emerged from the ocean or the mudflats—unstopping and relentless—and it was the fire-wielding Argentta who kept them at bay.
“Yes, it is. This must be your first time seeing it.”
Fielle smiled gently.
“How does it compare to the Endless Forest of Allozé?”
The Endless Forest.
The barrier Allozé maintained.
Each of the three ducal houses defended a different border of the empire.
Argentta guarded the sea. Allozé, the forest. And the wind-wielding Cartiel—the crumbling desert.
It was an ancient agreement with the imperial family.
Some said it was the emperor’s clever way of restraining the three powerful houses—forcing them to spend all their energy on fending off monsters rather than political schemes.
“It’s beautiful.”
Croa said honestly.
She hadn’t seen Allozé’s forest, but she loved the ocean view.
Especially from this pristine white mansion—it felt so foreign and breathtaking.
“I heard Allozé was sick of water. That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
Fielle chuckled.
Croa shrugged.
“Why would I hate water when I have the power to control it?”
She moved her hand slightly.
At first, she hadn’t been sure, but ever since possessing Croa’s body, the water affinity had felt more attuned to her.
Especially after the first time she used her powers in front of Dielo.
From then on, it became even more natural.
Even the water in her glass responded to her will.
—Splash!
“…!”
Her ability was clearly stronger than the original Croa’s.
She only meant to form a small droplet, but the entire glass rippled.
It felt as easy as breathing.
She shaped the water into a dolphin that leapt playfully over the surface.
—Plop!
The little dolphin vanished back into the water.
So lifelike.
So effortless.
And then, the ball began.
With the shocking announcement of Dielo Argentta and Croa Allozé’s engagement, the social world caught fire.
