Chapter 01
Ding—ding—
The sound of bells rang out, announcing blessings under the blue sky.
Rose petals, as if poured from the heavens, fluttered beautifully through the air, and the fountain with a baby angel engraved on it sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight.
It was a wedding scene so splendid that people could only gasp in admiration.
“I’d have no more wishes left if I could have a wedding like this. It must’ve taken a lot of effort to make this happen.”
“Well, it is the Berthenon family. Is there anything they can’t do?”
“I’ve heard the Duke loves her deeply… looks like it was true.”
Someone murmured with a hint of envy. A lady next to her gently nudged her in the side — a subtle warning to be careful with her words.
The woman who’d been warned covered her mouth with her fan. But her curiosity couldn’t be held back, and she spoke again in a hushed tone.
“Still… When did they even start dating? There weren’t any rumors.”
“The Duke isn’t the kind of person to date openly.”
“That may be, but it was too quiet, don’t you think?”
Despite the grandeur of the ceremony, there was surprisingly little known about the bride.
The Berthenon family had said it was to protect her until the wedding, just in case something happened — but that explanation didn’t fully satisfy people’s curiosity.
“Also…”
The woman lowered her voice sneakily.
“I heard the bride has a child.”
“A child?”
“No way, that can’t be true…!”
Everyone covered their mouths in shock. A single man from a good family—why would he propose to a woman who already has a child?
Of course, the Berthenon family had publicly said it was a once-in-a-lifetime love. But not many people believed that.
Because the groom was Eden Berthenon.
A young duke who didn’t believe in common emotions like love or affection. For him to speak of love? People were more convinced there had to be another reason.
Even today, the day of the wedding, there were guards posted outside the bride’s waiting room. Surely, there had to be a reason she was being kept hidden until the last minute.
Just then, the ceremony began. The guests, who had been whispering their theories, quickly turned their eyes toward the wedding aisle.
The first to appear was Eden Berthenon.
With his neat black hair slicked back and wearing a formal tuxedo, he looked breathtaking. Some young ladies who still hadn’t given up hope on him quietly clutched their handkerchiefs, full of regret.
He stood at the front of the stage. Now it was the bride’s turn to enter. All eyes sharpened. This was finally the moment to see the mysterious bride the duke had hidden so well.
“The bride, please enter.”
At the officiant’s words, the doors opened.
The first to appear was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and green eyes, full of bright charm at first glance.
The problem was—she looked a bit too young compared to the groom.
Maybe 15 years old, at best.
‘Surely the Duke didn’t… with someone that young?’
As if sensing the suspicious stares, the blonde girl’s face slowly turned red. But then, someone else appeared behind her.
A woman with purple hair, wearing a lace veil. She held a bouquet in her hands. She was the real bride.
Because of the bottom of the dress, she had been looking down—but then she slowly raised her head. At that moment, everyone fell silent without realizing it.
Even though her face was partly hidden under the veil, it was obvious—she was stunning, the kind of beauty you couldn’t take your eyes off.
Her red eyes matched well with her purple hair, giving off a cool, elegant aura.
Compared to the bright and cheerful girl before her, the bride’s deeper colors and calm energy made her seem almost mystical.
Even though everyone’s attention was on her, she only looked straight ahead.
Then, she began walking slowly. The blonde girl followed her, acting as the flower girl.
When the bride reached the front, the girl stepped back, as if her job was done. She smiled brightly like sunlight and whispered:
“Be happy, Aunt.”
As the smiling girl left her side, the bride looked ahead. Eden smiled softly and held out his hand.
“Come here, Godel.”
She slowly reached out and took his hand. Eden smiled again, his eyes gently crinkling. With his slightly teary eyes and soft smile, he looked every bit like a groom full of emotion.
“Nervous?”
“…Of course not.”
She answered with a stiff smile, but her hand trembled slightly in his. Eden, knowing everything, still smiled in satisfaction.
“Thank goodness. I was worried I might look like someone who fell in love all alone.”
He whispered softly, then gently lifted her hand. Tilting his head, as if asking for permission to kiss it, he spoke again.
“Please don’t make me a pitiful groom. One-sided love is far too sad.”
“…”
“I believe you won’t.”
He smiled, eyes crinkling, and intertwined his fingers with hers—like he wouldn’t let go until he heard the answer he wanted.
If anyone else saw this scene, they’d probably sigh or admire it. That’s how charming and beautiful Eden looked in that moment.
But she knew the truth. She knew how fake his sweet attitude was.
And she also knew—this marriage could change her entire fate.
Still, there was only one thing she could say.
“…Of course.”
Godel forced out her reply. Eden’s smile grew a little deeper. He gently kissed the back of her hand.
“From this moment on, we are husband and wife.”
So, try to love me a little more.
As she heard his sweet whisper, Godel thought:
All I wanted was to see the hidden ending. How did I end up getting married?
To explain that, we have to go back a little.
****
[Thank you for raising me, Father.]
When I saw that line pop up on the screen, I gulped hard.
This must be the 100th time I’ve seen this dialogue. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but every time, I still got nervous. It made sense—the result changed every time I played.
But not this time.
I’d worked so hard to get everything just right. I could confidently say this was the best path possible.
That’s how determined I’d been. And today, I was finally going to see the result of all that effort.
Alright, here we go.
I took a deep breath and pressed the button.
The screen went dark, and emotional music started playing.
Please, please…
I clenched my fists. Then, the screen lit up with words:
[~ Concubine Ending ~]
“Ah!”
Frustrated, I threw my game console.
“Why! Why is that ending again?!”
The legendary game “Daughter of the Hero: How to Become the True Main Character”, or simply Hero’s Daughter, was a super famous classic where you raised the daughter of a hero.
Because it had fantasy elements, there were tons of endings. One tiny choice could completely change the ending, which drove players crazy.
The most popular ending was, of course… The Hidden Ending.
The problem was, no one had ever seen it.
Rumor had it there was only one special path you had to follow exactly to get that ending. So someone must have seen it if the rumor started… but no matter how much people searched, no one had ever proven they found it.
Players desperate to collect all the endings tried everything, and the game just became more famous because of that.
But no matter what people did, no one found the hidden ending. Long-time players—called “old water” (a Korean term for veteran players who’ve been around too long)—just kept sinking deeper into obsession.
And I was one of them.
At this point, I wasn’t just “old water.” I boiled it down to syrup.
Even so, I really thought this time would be the one…!
“If she just became a wife, that’d be fine—but out of all things, why a concubine?! I raised you with so much care!”
I shouted and stomped around in anger, but the girl on the screen was calmly saying goodbye to me. Next to her was a man with a huge beard and a belly, laughing loudly.
I didn’t even want to see the rest. I sighed and returned to the main menu.
“What am I doing wrong?”
I raised her healthy, made sure she got a good education.
From ballroom dancing to martial arts, music, cooking, etiquette—you name it, I let her learn it.
I even checked in regularly, made sure she had nice food so she wouldn’t get stressed.
(Though all that was paid for by her part-time jobs, not mine…)
But I had no choice. The country in the game gave heroes such a tiny pension that I couldn’t afford anything otherwise.
Still, I’d put my heart into raising my daughter well. I spoke to every character that had even slightly good art, joined every event, every festival. I’d done my best on the romance route too!
And this was my reward?
“At least give me the Hero Ending, if anything!”
The Hero Ending was a fan favorite where the daughter follows in her dad’s footsteps and becomes a hero too. A very wholesome, honorable story.
If I’d gotten that, I wouldn’t have been this upset. But a concubine? Seriously?
I grumbled for a while, then let out a deep sigh. I was way too emotionally invested. I should probably take a break now.
But then…
“Why does my head feel so dizzy…?”
Suddenly, I felt lightheaded for no reason.
Maybe I played too much. I guess even gaming needs good health to keep going.
Medicine…
I tried to move forward, but instead, I collapsed onto the cold floor.
Thud!
With a loud sound, my eyes started to close. But in that final moment, my last thought wasn’t about family… or survival.
It was—
Why couldn’t I just get that hidden ending?
