MHWSW | Chapter 001

Chapter 1

The tragedy occurred just a few days ago.

It was a calm, sunny day with a perfectly clear sky, not a single cloud in sight. On that day, as usual, I was preparing myself upon waking to fulfill my role as the heiress of the family. It was supposed to be an ordinary day, no different from any other.

“My lady, my lady!”

The door, which was not supposed to be opened without my permission, was flung open violently. Then Mary, the maid closest to me, rushed into the room, gasping for breath.

“How dare you open your lady’s door without permission?”

The situation wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. But instead of scolding Mary, I narrowed my eyes. Not only had she stormed into the room in a hurry, but her dog-like ears and tail were prominently visible. For an ordinary beastman, it was considered polite to conceal traits that indicated their race, such as ears and tails.

What in the name of the Creator is happening for Mary to act so out of character?

“What’s going on, Mary?”

“…Well, it’s…”

Mary had flung the door open and entered, staring at me. It wasn’t just her realization of her own rudeness.

“I won’t scold you, so tell me, Mary. I’m curious what made you burst through my door like this.”

“…We, we… My lady, what do we do?”

The response I got from Mary wasn’t what I wanted—it was sympathy.

How dare you, me?

“Speak clearly, Mary. Are you trying to anger me?”

“…I’m sorry. But, but…”

Despite my warning, Mary hesitated, and finally, she opened her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

“Priscilla… she’s given birth to an Alpha.”

Mary’s small, sobbing voice was enough to make me freeze. Even after she uttered those words, Mary kept looking at me with tear-filled eyes. If things were as usual, I would have patted her delicate back and told her everything was fine. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the spirit for that.

‘An Alpha has been born.’

An Alpha of the wolf family.

The meaning of that was clear.

The fact that the heir would be replaced.

Alpha wolves possess far superior physical qualities compared to other wolves. There’s a reason why wolves insist their leader must be an Alpha.

However, it had been a long time since an Alpha wolf was a rare occurrence.

Currently, the only Alpha wolf in the Guinevere family is my father, the head of the family, Laszlo Guinevere. There was no Alpha wolf among his heirs. No, it could be said that the seed of Alphas had dried up. My father, Laszlo, was the Alpha wolf born after two hundred years.

Naturally, not everyone was waiting for an Alpha heir. Every member of the Guinevere family regarded me, Laszlo’s eldest daughter, as his successor and followed me. At first, there were those who opposed me because I wasn’t an Alpha, but they gradually silenced their objections as I completed rigorous training and fulfilled the role of the family’s temporary head.

In this way, I proved myself as the heiress.

But,

That Alpha was born.

And from Priscilla, who cunningly took my father’s side right after my mother died of a terminal illness.

Moreover, there were rumors that she was involved in my mother, Liselle’s, death.

An Alpha was born from her like this.

I couldn’t accept it. I grabbed Mary’s shoulder roughly.

“Mary, are you certain of this? Who told you to say such a lie?”

“My lady, I wish I were lying too. But the head of the family and the elders… they all confirmed it’s an Alpha. And Priscilla said she’s moving her room from the separate quarters to the main house because of this…”

My hand, which had been gripping with force, immediately went limp and fell from Mary’s shoulder in despair.

‘My God, this is a nightmare.’

The main house was the only place where traces of my mother remained. It was also the place where I, as the heiress, had used my authority to protect her traces from being erased.

But Priscilla would take over that place?

Even my legs lost their strength, and I nearly collapsed on the spot.

But I quickly regained my composure.