I made up my mind to act on my plan immediately.
With the few silver coins I had left, I rented a cheap room at an inn and cleaned the bloodstains off my clothes.
While waiting for the clothes to dry, I made a list of noble families that might be willing to take me in.
I focused on houses that didn’t yet have an adult heir, or those where a healing ability like mine would be seen as a valuable asset.
It took the whole night to complete the list.
As soon as the sun rose, I stepped outside.
There was no time to waste.
‘If I contact the academy, maybe the professors can connect me with some of these families.’
No noble family would welcome a stranger showing up out of nowhere.
But with the help of a professor, at least I might get a chance to talk to them.
Even if the chances weren’t high, surely at least one house among them might be interested in someone like me.
I was busy thinking through everything as I headed out to send the letter—
When someone grabbed me.
“Lady Irene.”
I turned around and saw a familiar man.
One of the servants I often saw at Tession’s estate.
“Master Tession has requested your presence.”
And that’s when I remembered.
‘Oh… right. I was supposed to break off the engagement, wasn’t I…?’
The Lihallar estate was as lavishly overdecorated as ever, completely unaware of its own limits.
The butler and maids glanced at me with clear contempt, but I didn’t feel like saying anything.
‘Not like I’ll ever see them again anyway.’
The last time I visited this place, at least they treated me like “Lady Venomaine.”
But this time, the butler didn’t call me that even once.
‘So the rumors have already spread.’
That I had been kicked out of the Venomaine family.
That I had lost my right to use the Venomaine name.
‘Well, that explains why he called me so early in the morning.’
The reality hit me again.
I had nothing. I was thrown out with absolutely nothing.
How laughable.
‘No, actually… this might work out for the best.’
Everyone knew the Lihallar family was deeply connected to the Venomaines.
If I stayed engaged to someone from Lihallar, other noble houses might hesitate to accept me.
Better to end things cleanly now.
Just then, a sharp, sugary-sweet voice giggled nearby, grating on my ears.
“Are you pretending to be shy in front of me?”
And sure enough, Tession Lihallar entered the sitting room with a woman clinging to each arm.
They were practically glued to him, acting like one body.
“Oh my.”
The women blinked in surprise when they finally noticed me,
But Tession casually said to them,
“Ah, can you give us a moment? I need to talk about something important.”
Then he sat on the sofa across from me like nothing was wrong, crossing his legs with a smirk.
His red eyes slowly scanned me from head to toe—
Like he was looking down on me.
“I heard the basics. I know what kind of situation you’re in.”
Anyone else would want to slap that arrogant, smug face.
But strangely, I didn’t feel anything.
Even when I saw him earlier, flirting with those women—
Even when I saw him kissing Lady Brinhertha at the ball—
It felt like my heart was being torn apart.
But today… there was nothing.
Sure, I felt disgusted. But that was it.
“So, you got kicked out. Not even a noble anymore—just a commoner now.”
Tession leaned back into the couch, full of smug arrogance.
“Long story short, I don’t think we can stay engaged anymore.”
Unbelievable.
The same man who insisted he wouldn’t break off the engagement when I asked him to?
‘He must’ve stopped getting support from the Venomaines now that I’m out.’
That’s why he was suddenly so eager to end things himself.
“Begging won’t help you. I don’t—”
“That’s exactly what I wanted. Give me the papers, I’ll sign them right now.”
Tession blinked in surprise.
“Huh?”
“What are you waiting for? Give me the engagement annulment papers. I’ll sign.”
The confident sparkle in his red eyes faded.
“O-Oh… right.”
You should’ve done this earlier.
Now that there was nothing to gain, he tried to act like he’d wanted the breakup all along.
I could’ve pointed it out, but I was in a hurry to contact the academy. It wasn’t worth it.
The annulment process went quickly.
Since Tession was a noble and wanted to end it, there were no legal issues.
All I had to do was sign the papers.
“Here. All done.”
I handed him the signed document and stood up.
I had no reason to stay a second longer.
I turned to leave without looking back—
When Tession suddenly grabbed me.
“Wait—!”
I looked over my shoulder.
Tession stared at me, as if he couldn’t understand what just happened.
“That’s it? Don’t you have anything else to say?”
Looking at his face—so confused, like he expected me to beg him—
The anger I hadn’t felt earlier finally surged up inside me.
“Why would I have anything to say?”
His arrogant attitude, always assuming I’d cling to him, filled me with fury.
“We’re nothing to each other now.”
I pulled my wrist from his hand and walked straight out of the estate.
Two days had passed since I broke off the engagement and returned to the inn.
A problem had come up.
The professors at the academy had contacted the families I mentioned,
But most of them had rejected me.
‘So they really do care that I was kicked out of the Venomaine family.’
Being expelled meant I had no ability—or it was too weak.
And since I wasn’t blood-related either, it was natural for them to hesitate.
Even though I tried to explain my other ability,
Most didn’t believe me.
‘All that’s left now are the Lancaster, Tirien, and Puyre families.’
With a sigh, I took a dagger and made a cut on my arm.
Blood dripped into a small dish.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t send letters anymore. Maybe I should take my blood and go to them in person.’
Healing powers were rare—and valuable.
But mine had a big limitation.
I could only heal myself.
However, my blood could be fed to others to purify poison.
I couldn’t heal physical injuries in other people—
But I could cure those who were poisoned.
I learned this long ago, when I was a child.
I was crying over a puppy that had eaten a poisonous mushroom.
A white-haired woman appeared and told me to feed it my blood.
When I did… the puppy recovered almost instantly.
I never found out who that woman was—
Or why she told me such a thing.
All I remembered was that she was very tall and incredibly pale.
‘It might’ve just been a dream or something I made up as a kid.’
But the purification ability she told me about was real.
It had its limits—but it worked.
I stared down at the dish full of my blood.
Bright red. No black marks at all.
And then, I thought—
‘Maybe… this still isn’t enough.’
If I could heal others physically too, I’d have more options.
Staring at the blood, regret and anger boiled up inside me.
‘Why isn’t my blood black?’
Faces floated up in my mind:
The Duke of Venomaine.
Pierson.
The duchess.
Janie.
I hated them. I hated them so much I could barely breathe.
If not for them, I wouldn’t have to live my whole life as a lowly commoner.
I wouldn’t be hiding in a damp, smelly inn, terrified of running out of money.
‘I hope they’re miserable forever.’
I had tried so hard just to be acknowledged by them.
I ate poison. I endured brutal training.
I survived their scorn and humiliation.
All while secretly wishing someone—anyone—would look at me.
“I hope they suffer the same pain… no, worse.”
I murmured with half-closed eyes.
I knew.
I should be out looking for work right now.
I knew how pathetic I looked.
But the fire burning in my chest—the heat of hatred—
Wouldn’t go away.
That fire would become my fuel.
It would keep me moving.
I had to remember this feeling.
Never forget it.
‘I don’t have time to waste. I’ll turn this rage into fuel and improve my ability.’
Enough to impress even the most powerful noble families.
Just as I reminded myself—
Something strange happened.
“Hmm?”
I heard bubbling. Then a hissing sound—like something was burning.
“…What the…?”
In the white dish, my red blood was starting to boil.
That wasn’t all.
The blood was turning completely black.
It looked just like the venom I’d seen so many times in the Venomaine family.
‘…No way.’
As I stared, frozen, someone knocked on my door.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
“It’s the innkeeper, miss.”
It was the owner’s voice.
Panicked, I threw my drying clothes over the bowl and quickly opened the door just a crack.
“Yes? What is it?”
“There’s someone here asking for you…”
“For me?”
I frowned.
I had no family. No fiancé. No one left.
“There’s no way anyone—”
But then I saw him.
A tall man stood behind the innkeeper, silent and serious.
That unmistakable height, black hair…
And eyes as blue as a wolf on a snowy mountain.
‘Why… are you here…?’
My sworn enemy.
The heir of the Wolfgang family.
Edmond Wolfgang.
