Episode 1
Prologue
“My fiancée, you must have been born to save this world.”
At Acares’s words, Bella’s cheeks turned bright red.
People passing by on the street began staring at her.
A newlywed couple who had recently become engaged under much public attention —
Bella Isis, an orphan with no family, and her loyal, straightforward husband, Acares.
The gazes focused on Bella naturally shifted to the man beside her.
Not only was he tall and handsome, but he was also said to be sweeter than any royal dessert!
His reputation as a wife-loving husband was clearly well-earned — Acares never left his wife’s side.
Of course, Bella had a slightly different opinion.
Swoosh—
Bella lowered her head and took a small step away from him.
But Acares, oblivious as ever, stuck even closer to her — like a cicada clinging to a tree trunk.
Bella let out a small groan and whispered,
“…Res, we’re outside. Please have some restraint.”
Freeze—
Acares stopped dead in his tracks.
Was he… shocked?
Bella glanced back.
Sure enough, his beautiful green eyes were trembling.
But only for a moment.
Then, Acares smiled and said,
“Restraint? Is that short for ‘loving you’?”
Bella covered her face with both hands.
‘Ugh… I was worried I might hurt his feelings—what an idiot I am!’
Completely unaware of her thoughts, Acares hurriedly blocked the mirror in front of a boutique.
“Damn it, you looked in the mirror, didn’t you? You must’ve gone blind—how could you look so stunning?”
A few women nearby gasped softly in admiration.
Some even nudged their husbands, whispering, “See? Learn from him.”
‘I should never have brought him outside…’
Bella regretted everything.
That day—if only she had made her wish properly, or maybe drunk a little less—
she wouldn’t have ended up in such an embarrassing situation.
Bella looked up at Acares, the man who had become her husband overnight.
The most handsome man in all of the Pione Kingdom—no, perhaps the entire continent— Acares, with his emerald eyes that looked straight out of a fairy tale, gazed lovingly at her.
He wrapped his strong arms around Bella and whispered,
“Bella, I love you—again, today.”
Bella sighed and simply accepted his overflowing affection.
And so—this is how it all began…
***
The winter in the Pione Kingdom was mild.
Snow rarely piled up, and the winds were gentle enough that you could still find flower gardens even in winter.
That morning, Bella was softly brushing dust off a flower leaf in the orphanage garden, humming a tune.
Her gray hair, like clouds carrying moonlight, swayed gently down her small back.
Peace filled her warm beige eyes—until—
“Miss Bella, have you ever thought about getting married?”
“Huh?”
Bella stiffened and turned around.
The head of the orphanage, Ida, smiled with her deeply wrinkled face.
For some reason, Bella felt a chill run down her spine—as if spring itself had taken two steps back.
‘Oh no… not again.’
And as expected—
“My little brother just got divorced. Again.”
“Ah…”
Bella frowned in sympathy.
‘And what does your brother’s divorce have to do with my marriage, Director?’
She wanted to ask but held her tongue.
The last time she had spoken her mind, she’d ended up doing everyone’s laundry for months.
“Strange, isn’t it? He’s such a good man. Why does everyone leave him?”
“Haha… who knows.”
‘Because he’s bald, round-bellied, and gambles like there’s no tomorrow?’
Bella swallowed her words again.
The last time she pointed that out, her salary had been cut.
Sometimes, keeping your mouth shut was a survival skill.
“Director, I’m sorry, but…”
“I know, I know. No one wants to marry a man who’s been divorced three times.”
“That’s not it!” Bella waved her hands frantically.
“It’s just… I don’t plan on getting married, Director.”
At her firm words, Ida’s expression turned cold.
“Miss Bella. At your age, you should already have three children. How long are you going to keep using the same excuse? You need to have kids and do something good for this harsh world.”
“Hehe, forever, probably.”
Bella smiled brightly.
“And besides, at twenty-four, raising even one kid would be impossible for me. Maybe you could do that back in the old, peaceful days—but not me. I’m too busy just feeding myself.”
“…Miss Bella.”
“Yes?”
“Are you getting too comfortable at work? Or do you just think I’m easy to deal with?”
Seeing the vein pop on Ida’s forehead, Bella realized—
Ah… I said the wrong thing again.
***
“Haah…”
Bella escaped the director’s office with a deep sigh, crossing the courtyard.
“Mom, why is the director always like this to me?”
She looked up at the sky.
This wasn’t the first time Ida had tried to arrange a blind date for her.
At least once a month—sometimes once a week.
And every time, the men Ida introduced were terrible.
Not only were they unattractive, but they were all close friends or relatives of Ida herself.
Bella hated that.
As she slowly walked toward the backyard of the orphanage, she fiddled with the morning newspaper she had hidden in her pocket.
“The Kingdom of Loire Surrenders to the Atlante Empire After the King’s Death.”
The Kingdom of Loire had been a long-time ally of the Pione Kingdom.
Even though both were under the Empire’s control, their kings had secretly joined forces to rebel.
That had been three days ago.
But the Atlante Empire crushed the uprising in just three days—and made Loire another vassal state.
So, the hope for Pione’s freedom vanished once again.
The Emperor of Atlante had promised safety for both kingdoms’ citizens,
but who knew how long that would last?
‘And the director thinks now’s a good time to get married? Ridiculous.’
Losing her pay for talking back was sad,
but marriage was still a far-off thought for her.
At least until she met someone she truly wanted to share her future with.
“Hey, did you hear the news?”
A voice came from nearby.
Bella quickly hid behind a pillar.
It was the sound of a few teachers chatting as they headed out for errands.
She listened closely.
“About Mr. Michael and Miss Aurora’s wedding?”
“Yes! I couldn’t believe it.”
“Lucky Miss Aurora—she’s marrying the best man in town!”
Bella’s fingers twitched slightly.
The news she’d tried to forget—was back to haunt her.
Then, the teachers’ excited chatter softened into whispers.
“So… that means the only unmarried teacher left in the orphanage is Miss Bella, right?”
“Gasp!”
Bella slapped a hand over her mouth.
Completely unaware of her presence, the teachers continued talking.
“Probably! I heard she’s rejected every blind date the director’s set up. Maybe she’s secretly dating someone?”
“Secret boyfriend? No way!”
One teacher burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
The others fell silent—and just as Bella tried to sneak away, one of them said quietly—
“Didn’t you know? Miss Bella used to like Mr. Michael.”
