Chapter 1:
She Wasn’t My Daughter
Diana, born into the prestigious House of Marchioness Pereshte, had always believed she was happy.
Raised in a wealthy household and showered with love, she grew up with a kind and warm-hearted nature. She believed the most precious thing in the world wasn’t money or honor, but people. Because of that, she treated everyone—nobles and commoners alike—with equal kindness.
She firmly believed that nobility came with the duty to share, and she even volunteered to help orphans who had lost their parents.
Anyone who spent even a moment with Diana—whether noble or commoner—would be instantly drawn to her virtuous character.
Some even claimed she must be an angel in human form. Thus, she came to be known as the Saint of House Pereshte.
But that wasn’t the only reason for her fame.
Her angelic heart was paired with stunning beauty, which only helped spread her name even wider.
Her thick golden hair shimmered like honey, her eyes gleamed like emeralds, and her long lashes framed her face like embroidered silk. When she smiled, it was impossible not to turn and look.
As if blessed by the gods, she also possessed rare magical power.
Sadly, Diana never had the chance to truly develop that gift.
She was forced into a political marriage with Kalipso de Ernest, Duke of the northern region of the Edith Empire.
In the Edith Empire, noble children were typically engaged from a young age to secure suitable matches.
But the Marquess of Pereshte did not follow that norm. He wanted his beloved daughter to choose her own husband.
However, by the time Diana debuted in society and was of marriageable age, very few high-ranking young nobles remained available.
Moreover, nobles were hesitant to propose to Diana, fearing the overwhelming power and influence of the Pereshte family.
The Marquess began to worry. Unless Diana was planning to enter the Mage Tower, she needed to marry soon—just like everyone else.
And then Kalipso de Ernest appeared.
Rarely seen in high society, and never dancing with anyone even when he did attend a ball, Kalipso was rumored to be the Coldblooded Duke of the North.
Despite his cold reputation, the Marquess arranged a meeting between his daughter and Kalipso. Though his expression seemed stern, the young man was surprisingly upright and polite.
“What do you think? Though the duchy may lack compared to our territory, being a duchess should not be beneath you.”
Kalipso was honorable, but not ideal in every way. The House of Ernest held little real power or wealth. Kalipso’s grandfather had only been given the ducal title because he was the emperor’s eighth illegitimate child.
But when Diana met Kalipso, she saw something different.
Despite the rumors, he was gentle and kind.
“That’s alright, Father. I like him.”
There was only one reason Diana chose him.
“Love isn’t always about passion. Diana, I promise to cherish and respect you forever.”
That heartfelt proposal moved her deeply. And in that moment, Diana accepted Kalipso’s hand in marriage.
Even after marrying, their relationship remained calm rather than passionate. But they always respected and cared for one another. Diana believed that quiet love was love, too.
Soon after, she bore a lovely child. Though she passed out during childbirth, both she and the baby survived, thanks to her childhood friend and physician, Alicia.
“Your Grace, please wake up.”
By the time Diana came to, everything had already settled. In Alicia’s arms wriggled a freshly washed, adorable baby.
“Th-this child is…”
“How about the name Catherine?”
Kalipso looked down at their daughter with a tender expression, though his face remained shadowed.
“Catherine… I like it.”
Exhausted from the long labor and fainting spell, Diana could hardly move, but a gentle smile bloomed on her lips as she gazed at her baby.
“Catherine… Catherine…”
Whispering the name, Diana silently promised herself. That she would love her more than anyone. That she would always protect her.
And so, Diana, Kalipso, and Catherine lived a blissful life.
Catherine would often sing like a canary in her sweet voice. Diana, enchanted, would sip tea with Alicia and listen happily.
But misfortune came without warning.
One day, Diana, Alicia, and Catherine went on a picnic near the duchy. While sitting on a mat, enjoying the gentle breeze—
A horrifying scream pierced the air.
“Kyahh!”
Diana and Alicia rushed toward the source of the scream, panic-stricken.
There, Catherine was tightly shutting her eyes, blood trickling from both of them.
“Mother! It hurts so much! Mother!”
“Oh, Catherine!”
Diana cradled her daughter, who was flailing in agony. Alicia began searching the nearby brush—and then screamed.
“This… can’t be!”
Her red eyes trembled. Diana, holding Catherine, turned to her anxiously.
“What is it, Alicia?!”
Alicia pointed at something. Diana followed her finger and saw it—black, thorny brambles.
“Poison thorns… very potent ones. If they touch your eyes, it can cause blindness. Why would something like this be near the duchy…?”
Diana’s hands trembled. Watching Alicia’s darkening expression, she asked with a shaking voice,
“Will Catherine be alright…? Don’t tell me—!”
Alicia quickly examined Catherine’s eyes. But her face contorted in pain.
“No… she’s completely lost her sight.”
The poison was too powerful. Catherine’s eyes were already beyond saving.
“No… this can’t be!”
She was only fifteen. Catherine cried tears of blood, waving her hands in the air, desperate and afraid. Even as she sobbed from the pain, the despair of not being able to see again crushed her spirit.
“Sob… I won’t be able to see the pretty flowers… or the cute birds anymore, will I? Mother?”
Tears streamed down Diana’s face as she gently touched her daughter’s bleeding eyes.
In a few years, she would’ve blossomed beautifully. She hadn’t even had her debutante yet. To lose her sight was to lose everything.
“There’s really no way…?”
Diana asked Alicia, fighting to hold back sobs.
Alicia hesitated, then spoke with difficulty.
“There… is one way.”
“Tell me, Alicia!”
Diana was willing to do anything. Alicia wavered but finally replied carefully.
“It’s possible… to transfer someone else’s sight using divine power.”
But it came with a condition—a desperate, sincere heart. In other words, only someone who loved Catherine deeply could make it work.
“It needs a truly desperate heart to succeed…”
“Divine power… and a sincere heart…”
“No, Mother, don’t!”
Catherine clutched Diana’s hand tightly. But Diana had already made up her mind.
“You can’t possibly mean…”
“I’m going to the temple.”
“My lady!”
Kalipso desperately tried to stop her. Giving up one’s eyes for a child was no easy feat.
“My love. I love Catherine more than my own life.”
Tears ran down Diana’s cheeks. She opened the window. The warm spring breeze tousled her golden hair. A beautiful rose garden stretched out beneath Catherine’s room.
She adored flowers more than anyone. If she could never see them again, what kind of life would that be?
Diana no longer needed to see. As long as Catherine could be happy.
She took in the image of the blooming roses one last time.
“Prepare the carriage, my love.”
Kalipso looked into her eyes, full of unwavering sincerity, and finally nodded.
And so, Diana went to the temple and gave her sight to Catherine. The emerald light vanished from her eyes.
Darkness consumed her.
So this… is what it feels like, Catherine.
It was frightening. But it was okay. She could endure it.
Because she had saved her daughter.
But she didn’t know… what kind of expressions Kalipso, Alicia, and Catherine were making as they looked at her now—blind.
