Chapter 01

“Irene!”

I ignored the voice calling from behind and stood at the altar, looking straight ahead.

It was the voice of someone who had nothing to do with me anymore.

“Can’t you hear your father’s voice?!”

The voice boomed so loudly it seemed to shake the temple, and in the end, I turned around.

There stood a middle-aged man, his face red as if he’d rushed over, breathing heavily. Next to him was a tall, blond young man with clenched teeth and a desperate look in his eyes.

One used to be my father.
The other used to be my fiancé.

“Irene, stop this nonsense right now and come back.”

The current Duke of Venomaine, my biological father, spoke, his face turning red and blue.

“To think you’d join hands with the Wolfgang family of all people… Why would you do something like this?”

The blond young man next to him—Tession—also stepped forward and spoke.

“That’s right, Irene. Please stop this and come back.”

I was staring at him silently when the priest called my name, and I turned my head.

“Lady Irene of the Wolfgang family, what will you do?”

At his question, I clenched my fist tightly.

“Irene—!”

Yes. I will never go back.

“…It’s already too late.”

“Irene!!!”

I felt the warm light gathering beneath my hands and spoke in a calm, steady voice.

“I, Irene, daughter of Aika Nayander, declare that this power belongs solely to me, and that I—”

I will make the ones who abandoned me regret it for the rest of their lives.

“—have never once been a Venomaine.”

The moment I finished speaking, the light reacted to my power and spread in a purple glow.

And that day, the Venomaine family lost their most powerful heir,
And Tession lost the fiancée who had only ever looked at him.

It all began a few weeks ago, on a night when the full moon hung brightly in the sky.

It was probably the night of the ball hosted by Marquis Eilen.

I’m sure of it. I saw the big, plate-shaped moon through the window when I slipped away.

‘I’m busy enough preparing for the Ceremony of Proof…’

Honestly, I didn’t want to attend the ball.

I would have rather used that time to prepare more thoroughly for the ceremony.

As the daughter of the Duke of Venomaine and a commoner mother, I was a “half-blooded Venomaine.”
To officially be recognized as a noble, I had to pass the Ceremony of Proof.

But my father cared deeply about reputation and didn’t want his children to skip social events.

It was nearly impossible to go against his orders, so in the end, I had to attend the ball.

Though… that wasn’t the only reason I went.

“Tession.”

Tession Lihallar. My fiancé.

I hadn’t seen him in a while, and hearing he would be at the ball was another reason.

Seeing him again after a month, he looked even more handsome than before.

His neatly slicked-back golden hair, those charming red eyes, his sharp nose and tall figure…

Maybe because of his stunning looks, he was once again surrounded by lovely young ladies.

That must be why he didn’t hear me when I called his name.

“Tession.”

When I called again, all the girls around him turned to look at me.

The kind of look wild animals give when someone steps into their territory.

“Irene, it’s been a while.”

He looked away from the girls and smiled kindly at me.

“You look beautiful today.”

His gentle smile was captivating.

In the past, just that one smile would make my heart flutter.
Now I knew it was an empty gesture that meant nothing.

“Tession—”

“Lord Lihallar!”

But Tession didn’t hear me.

“Ah, Lady Brinhertha.”

Tession walked over to Lady Brinhertha, who had called him, and gently held my shoulder as he said in a sweet voice,

“Sorry, Irene. Could you wait just a bit? I’ll be right back.”

Watching him say that, I felt like a heavy rock had dropped on my chest.

‘So it’s happening again…’

Still, I kept smiling.

Because I had to be the perfect Venomaine who never lost her calm.

Besides, it wasn’t the first time.

“I really won’t be long. Don’t worry, okay?”

He looked truly sorry, giving me a troubled expression.

I already knew.

That when he looked like that, I couldn’t bring myself to say no.

So I just quietly nodded.

Seeing that, Tession patted my head and said,

“Good girl. I’ll be right back. I’m really sorry.”

And then he left.

Chatting happily with Lady Brinhertha.

When I came back to my senses, there was no one around me.

The other young ladies who had been around Tession had followed him.

My heart, which had already hit rock bottom, sank even further.

‘No… He said he’d come back.’

He said that, so I should believe him.
But why did it feel like my chest was so empty?

Even though I knew his “just a bit” would be a long time, why couldn’t I stop looking at his golden hair?

“…I thought I was used to this.”

I whispered as I tightly clutched my dress.

I knew he didn’t look at me anymore.

But I still liked his kind voice.
And the warmth of his hand when he touched me.

Truthfully, part of me had been waiting for that touch.

Because he was the only one who accepted me, the child of a commoner, the “half-blood.”

That’s why I kept waiting for him.

‘Once the Ceremony of Proof is over…’

If I was officially recognized as a true Venomaine,
Would he finally look my way again?

Repeating that meaningless question to myself, I walked toward the corner of the ballroom.

Everything went just as I expected.

So perfectly as expected that it was tiring.

Two hours passed, and even during the dance time with partners, Tession never came looking for me.

Instead, he danced with Lady Brinhertha and went back to talking and laughing with her.

I already knew this would happen, but I still felt down.

‘I guess I’m still not used to it.’

It felt like my chest was being squeezed tight.

“Venomaine?”

I looked up when I heard someone call me, and saw a man in a blue suit with black hair.

For a moment, my eyes met his bright blue ones.

Eyes like sparkling sapphires—beautiful yet sharp like a wolf.

It had been a long time since I saw those eyes without irritation or sarcasm.

‘Why did I have to run into him today…’

I lowered my head, thinking that.

“Are you Venomaine?”

But that annoyingly familiar voice kept saying my name.

He was doing it on purpose—no doubt.

“Whoa, who is that?”

“You don’t know? That’s… from the Wolfgang family…”

As expected, Edmond’s striking appearance caught people’s attention.

Because of that, people also started looking at me, so I tried to leave quickly.

But Edmond smoothly blocked my way.

“Venomaine?”

He looked like he really didn’t know.

As if he truly thought I avoided him not because I hated him, but because I didn’t recognize him.

‘Why is he calling me like this when he used to hate me so much?’

I thought as I gripped my dress tightly.

Edmond Wolfgang. The eldest son of the rival Wolfgang family.

He would soon inherit the title of Duke and had great abilities, so many young ladies treated him like a prince from a fairy tale.

Unlike me, who didn’t even have stable noble status.

Even back at the academy, he always seemed eager to pick a fight with me.

Even after graduation, he’d find ways to challenge or mock me.

I never thought I’d run into him here too.

‘I didn’t want to see him today…’

I didn’t hate him personally.
It was natural for the Venomaines to hate the Wolfgangs and vice versa, but I never felt like I needed to.

“Why are you standing here alone?”

But today, I really hated him.

Because that question clearly came from a place of mockery—pointing out that I, abandoned by my fiancé, was standing alone in a corner.

‘It’s not like I wanted to be here…’

“I saw earlier—your fiancé—”

I didn’t want to hear anymore.

So I walked past him toward the exit without looking back.

“W-Wait, Venomaine!”

I heard Edmond calling me from behind, but I didn’t care.

No—I didn’t want to care.

I didn’t want to hear from him that my fiancé had left me for someone else.

I fled the ballroom into a dark hallway.

The ballroom had been filled with laughter, shouting, and clinking glasses.

But here, it was quiet and peaceful.

‘Just for a bit. I’ll rest a bit before going back.’

I thought I’d rest and go back once I felt better.

But then, I heard a strange sound from around the corner.

“Ah… w-wait—”

“You want me to wait? I can’t hold back anymore.”

That voice, so clear in my ear, was terrifyingly familiar.

“Now, let’s continue.”

No.
No way.

I kept repeating that in my head as I looked past the corner.

There they were—kissing passionately.

Definitely Tession and Lady Brinhertha.

“L-Lord Lihallar—”

I couldn’t take hearing them anymore.

I turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

‘Why… why me…’

Tession had always been kind.

He spoke gently to me when even my own family ignored me, and sometimes, he held me warmly.

So I believed he would come back.

I never imagined I’d catch him in a moment I couldn’t deny.

‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’

I thought as I looked at the moon reflected in the window.

“I-Irene. Where were you? I was looking for you.”

Even seeing Tession smile casually, I didn’t smile back.

I was tired of waiting.
I decided to end this.
And look for a new path.

“It’s almost over—”

“Tession.”

I cut him off with a dry voice.

“Let’s break off our engagement.”