CHAPTER 04
“Oh my.”
She was in the middle of organizing her dressing room.
A startled maid, worried that she might have done something wrong, rushed in.
“Is something the matter?”
“I can’t seem to find a few of my favorite accessories.”
“Pardon?!”
Lately, with many of Seraphine’s clothes and accessories being discarded, the maids had been handling her belongings frequently.
It was only natural to suspect that a maid with ill intent might have stolen something.
“They were gifts from my father. If I lose them, it’ll be quite troublesome… Could you help me find them?”
“Of course, miss. If you tell me what they look like, I’ll keep an eye out while tidying the room.”
“Good, please do. I don’t want to cause a fuss, so let’s keep it quiet. Oh, and didn’t you say you liked that dress?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, the maid’s eyes widened.
“With a few adjustments, I think it would suit you.”
“Oh no, miss! I wouldn’t dare desire your dress. Besides, I’d have no occasion to wear something like that.”
“You’ll find a reason to wear it somewhere.”
It was an elegant dress adorned with jewels. Even if not worn, selling it would fetch a great price.
“If you find the accessories, I’ll give it to you as a reward. I was going to dispose of it anyway, so better it goes to someone it suits.”
Seraphine smiled gently as she spoke.
Realizing she wasn’t joking, the maid quickly nodded.
“Leave it to me. I’ll start looking right away. Also, it’s almost time for Count Danclio’s visit. I’ll help you prepare.”
“Count Danclio?”
“He’s your philosophy tutor.”
As the crown prince’s fiancée, she had tutors sent by the imperial court.
But the original owner of the body had shown little interest in the lessons.
She was near death—philosophy, etiquette, literature, none of it mattered.
She would pretend to listen, then throw everything aside out of boredom, so tutors changed frequently.
Knowing this, Seraphine had prepared thoroughly over the past few days.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Her platinum blonde hair glistened in the sunlight, and her red eyes made her strikingly beautiful.
Such a beauty would look good in anything, but the original owner had often worn outfits that were overly extravagant.
Seraphine chose not to wear makeup and changed into simpler clothes.
* * *
“It’s been a while, my lady.”
“Indeed, it has.”
Seraphine greeted him properly. Count Danclio looked surprised.
“You look very neat today.”
Having known her for a month, the count noted this visible change as a remarkable improvement.
In the Empire, it was considered proper etiquette to greet guests in everyday clothes. Wearing overly lavish attire when not at a party was seen as tacky and vulgar.
But Seraphine, who should have learned this etiquette, had never been seen in modest clothing.
Without heavy makeup or flashy dresses, she looked truly beautiful.
Count Danclio stared at her for a moment before regaining composure.
Apparently, the incident at the fountain had been the turning point.
“I realized I needed to change.”
“A commendable mindset. Then for today’s lesson—”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have something to say.”
“Yes?”
Count Danclio had a look of ‘here we go again.’
Changing clothes didn’t mean a changed attitude.
What excuse would she use today to skip the lesson?
While sighing inwardly, Seraphine dropped a stone into his calm pond of expectations.
“Starting today, I will no longer attend lessons. You don’t need to come to the Luvia estate anymore.”
Count Danclio looked stunned by the unexpected announcement.
“To prevent misunderstandings, I’ll tell the same to all my tutors, not just you.”
As someone who had decided to quit the role of a fake fiancée, tutors sent by the palace were now a waste of time.
“Lady Luvia, if I may, are you aware your academic progress is quite slow?”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
If she were a brilliant student, it might be acceptable, but she still had much to learn.
Count Danclio couldn’t understand her decision.
Being strict by nature, he felt obligated to speak honestly, even if she screamed or threw things.
“Avoiding your studies knowingly isn’t good. Moreover, I’m under direct orders from His Majesty. That means you can’t simply dismiss me because you don’t like the lessons.”
He explained this as kindly as possible so Seraphine could understand.
He thought she was simply trying another way to rebel.
Looking at him like he was addressing a child, Seraphine handed him a blank sheet of paper.
“If you can’t stop teaching me due to my lack of knowledge, then let me take an exam. That way, even His Majesty will understand.”
“An exam?”
Seraphine nodded.
“If I fail, you may punish me for overestimating myself. It is a teacher’s duty to reward and discipline accordingly.”
Her voice held confidence, implying she wouldn’t fail.
It was a tone Count Danclio had never heard from her in all the weeks of tutoring.
In the past, Seraphine had worn mismatched accessories even at social gatherings, making her a laughingstock.
The count himself had often shaken his head at her frivolity and lack of wisdom.
But today, he wasn’t sure if this was the same girl.
Unable to object after she invoked the duty of a teacher, Count Danclio began writing questions.
Most of them were topics Seraphine hadn’t been formally taught yet.
Even as he prepared the test, he thought she’d be lucky to get half right.
But a short while later, he left the estate in a daze—
In his hand was a flawless exam paper.
* * *
The body’s original owner may have been an unmotivated student, but she wasn’t entirely ignorant, having grown up as a noble.
That foundation, along with Seraphine’s focused study over several days, was enough to pass.
‘I’m glad I read through all the books before the tutor arrived.’
Staying up all night didn’t matter—Seraphine had the kind of personality that could fixate deeply on one thing.
Using the same strategy, she successfully dismissed the other tutors as well.
‘But…’
Now accustomed to her surroundings, Seraphine began to notice traces of the weapons she had once created.
After her death and the fall of the kingdom, the weapons lost their unifying center and scattered.
In the early days, ownership of the weapons changed hands frequently—and their wielders became heroes.
Legendary weapons.
The dream of all.
Because of their great power, they naturally drew attention.
There were even rumors that collecting all eight would grant a wish.
But at some point, any mention of the eight weapons vanished from official records.
‘Could they have been destroyed?’
Even Seraphine, their creator, couldn’t be sure they could survive intact for 500 years.
‘The Cross Spear Metatron, the Greatsword Hokhmah, the Axe Binah, the Knuckles Chesed, the Mace Geburah, the Scythe Tiphereth, the Longbow Netzach, the Wand Hod…’
As she recalled them, Seraphine shook her head unconsciously.
Not one of them had been normal—they were all eccentrics.
But even if they were still alive, she wasn’t too worried.
Though called weapons, they were entities with self-awareness.
Even if stranded on a deserted island, they’d manage on their own.
‘Still, given the time that’s passed, I should assume they no longer exist.’
Even if she wanted to find them, it wouldn’t be easy—and she was no longer Princess Seraphine of the Tilmun Kingdom, but Lady Luvia.
Clearing her mind of the eight weapons, she focused on the present.
Then one day—
“My lady, the Duke of Luvia wishes to see you.”
“Father?”
The duke was a busy man who left early and returned late, so it was rare to cross paths.
After a moment of silent thought, Seraphine nodded.
“I heard you called for me.”
When she entered, the Duke of Luvia, looking over documents, glanced up.
“…Sit down.”
He blinked in surprise at his daughter—not wearing heavy makeup or a sparkling dress—then spoke calmly.
Seraphine noted how much the original owner resembled her mother, not her father.
“You’ve been quiet lately.”
“Yes, I have.”
A maid brought refreshments, briefly pausing the conversation.
Feeling his assessing gaze, Seraphine took a sip of tea.
“I hear your tutors have left, saying they’ve nothing more to teach you. His Majesty seems quite interested in the matter.”
A daughter who would usually throw a tantrum was now quietly drinking tea.
The duke stared at her, eyes full of doubt.
Seraphine sensed his suspicion.
“I’ve already taken the exams. I simply demonstrated what I know. There should be no issues.”
“And I hear you’ve been getting rid of your clothes.”
“I decided to tidy up things I no longer need.”
“Weren’t those things you used to cherish?”
“Tastes change with age.”
‘He’s not even mentioning the prison incident.’
Any ordinary parent would worry for her well-being first.
But he had called her only after the maids and tutors were dismissed.
“How’s your health lately?”
Almost as if reading her thoughts, the duke asked after her well-being.
But skipping all recent events hardly counted as true concern.
Seraphine smiled bitterly.
“I’m fine. Same as always.”
A curt answer.
Seraphine wasn’t the kind of daughter to fawn over her father.
Even before, she had been overshadowed by her sisters and ignored by her parents.
The Duke, used to her temperamental ways, didn’t take it to heart.
Today, he just thought she was less tiresome than usual.
“Well, your mood swings come and go. It’ll change again in a few days.”
“…”
“Your grandmother will be visiting soon. I haven’t told her about your recent suicide attempt, so don’t go whining about it.”
The “mother” he referred to was Seraphine’s grandmother—also known as the former Duchess of Luvia or Madame Luvia—who had retired and was now wandering.
Since it happened when the original owner was young, Seraphine only had faint negative impressions of her.
“Father, I have something to say.”
At just those words, the duke tensed, as if bracing for trouble.
But what followed was surprisingly calm.
“I’d like to go out.”
“Out?”
“Just to look around town.”
“When have you ever asked me before going out? How much do you want this time?”
“…Excuse me?”
How could he interpret it that way?
She was momentarily speechless.
“You’re asking because you need money, aren’t you? Your allowance should’ve been plenty. So that’s why you were selling dresses. Next time, just ask directly instead of throwing a tantrum.”
“Ah—no, that’s not it.”
Cough cough.
Suddenly, she began coughing.
As she covered her mouth, the duke frowned.
“Are you ill again? You just said you were fine.”
“Yes, it’s nothing serious, you don’t need to—”
…worry.
But the rest of her sentence never came out.
Her vision darkened with dizziness.
She could do nothing after that.
Seraphine collapsed.
