Prologue
A vast plain stretched endlessly, with a few houses visible in the distance. The road, unpaved and narrow, suggested that few people passed through.
Neigh—
As the knight abruptly halted the horse, Rachel grabbed his collar tightly and shut her eyes.
“Get down.”
It was a place she had never seen before.
“Where are His Highness and Lady Avery?”
“I said, get down.”
When Rachel refused to move, the knight dismounted first, then grabbed her arm and yanked her down.
“Ah!”
She twisted her ankle as she fell suddenly, pain shooting through it. But faced with the threatening knight, Rachel could only limp backward.
“Tch. Don’t make this troublesome.”
The knight glanced over the frightened Rachel as if annoyed, then took out a vial from his coat.
“W-What are you doing? Why did you bring me here…?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
Rachel couldn’t understand anything—where this place was, why he brought her here, or what the vial was.
“Where is His Highness?”
But she could clearly feel that something was terribly wrong. She looked around, as if ready to run at any moment.
However, there was nowhere to hide in the vast plain. And with her injured ankle, she doubted how far she could even go.
“Don’t try anything stupid. This is the Crown Prince’s last mercy toward you.”
At the mention of Ian, Rachel frowned.
“His Highness ordered your execution. He doesn’t want to leave alive anyone who knows about his unfortunate past.”
“……”
“He’s about to become emperor. Someone like you shouldn’t hold him back.”
Step. Step.
Even as the knight approached without hesitation, Rachel stood frozen, staring at him blankly.
“His Highness… really said that?”
The knight didn’t answer. Instead, he silently opened the vial.
Whoosh—
“Wait!”
Only then did Rachel snap out of it and turn to run.
She ran desperately, but being caught by a strong man took only a moment. It was a futile struggle.
“Mmph! No!”
She shook her head violently.
Crunch.
“Ugh! You crazy woman!”
After she bit his hand, the knight cursed and slapped her hard across the face.
Her head snapped to the side, and tears instantly overflowed.
“Please… I was wrong. Please spare me. I’ll live quietly like I’m dead. Please…”
Collapsed on the ground, Rachel grabbed his boots and begged.
“What could I possibly do to His Highness? What could I do?”
“Stop wasting time.”
“No—!”
The man’s strong grip forced her mouth open.
“Tch. You shouldn’t have made yourself a nuisance.”
Clicking his tongue coldly, the knight muttered.
Rachel couldn’t resist as he poured the liquid into her mouth. She had no choice but to swallow it.
“Ah—!”
What followed was agony.
Cough, cough.
Her throat burned as if on fire, and her insides twisted painfully.
“P-Please… help me…”
Ironically, Rachel begged the very man who had forced the poison into her mouth. But his cold, indifferent gaze crushed her hope again.
“…Hic.”
Only then did Rachel realize why Ian always frowned whenever he saw her in the imperial palace.
He hated her enough to kill her.
She had never intended to be a burden to him. How could a mere maid dare to?
Rachel curled up, struggling desperately. She wanted to live, clawing at the dirt in pain.
But she knew this was the end.
For more than half her life, she had served Ian by his side. And yet, it all ended in death.
The pain felt like her entire body was burning.
This… was his final mercy.
Rachel let out a faint, bitter smile. She couldn’t even begin to guess why he hated her so much, or why he treated her with such cruelty.
She knew it was a futile wish, but—
If she were given one more chance…
This time, she wanted to choose herself, not Ian.
Chapter 1
The neatly revealed forehead, the straight nose, and the well-shaped red lips—an all-too-familiar face she could never forget.
Rachel slowly stopped walking as she saw the man standing before her. Her expression gradually stiffened.
Silver hair. Violet eyes.
The day she left him… everything should have ended then. They should never have met again like this.
Rachel bit her lip.
Ian.
She had tried so hard to forget him, yet his face was painfully familiar.
His indifferent eyes were still unreadable, and his tightly shut lips the same.
In the heavy silence, faced with his inscrutable gaze, Rachel could only tremble in fear.
Her hand, gripping the shoulder of the small child beside her, began to shake. Yet Ian simply looked down at her without a word.
No—judging by the slight crease between his brows, he even seemed a little annoyed.
Rachel quickly retraced her day, even though she knew it was pointless.
She had woken up later than usual. She had burned lunch while distracted…
But aside from that, it had been an ordinary day.
So what had gone wrong? Why was Ian standing before her now?
Step.
He took a step closer.
Rachel knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t look away from his eyes.
Yes… maybe it all began the day she ran away from him.
Step.
Rachel bit her lip, facing the bleak future looming over her.
(Later that day…)
It was a bright early autumn day, with the sun high in the sky.
The scorching summer heat was gone, replaced by a cool breeze beneath a clear blue sky.
“Mmm…”
Rachel stirred under her blanket as the autumn wind drifted in through the open window. She frowned at the sunlight and checked the time.
“Ah… I’m late.”
Getting up later than usual, she quickly made her bed and looked around her small room. Then she grabbed a basket from the table and stepped outside.
The cool breeze lifted her mood, quickening her steps across the gravel yard.
“Rachel, you’re late today!”
At the village market, a woman at a fruit stall greeted her warmly.
“Yes, I overslept today.”
“Oh dear, you haven’t even done your hair.”
Rachel laughed awkwardly and quickly smoothed her brown hair.
“Anyway… do you have a newspaper?”
“Of course, here you go.”
The woman handed it to her with a smile.
“Marilla, thank you. I’ll take some apples, pomegranates… and a bit of blueberries too.”
“Of course. I’ll pick the best ones for you.”
“Anything is fine, really. Thank you.”
They exchanged fruit and money.
“I owe you so much, Rachel. I’d do anything for you.”
“It’s nothing. I get paid to teach Thomas, after all.”
