Chapter 1

Elena’s life was always the same, like running on a hamster wheel.

A father who worked himself to death and a mother consumed by vanity.

Elena was the only sane person in this shabby house.

“Elena!! Come here and fix my hair!”

When her mother shouted from her room, it was a house so small that Elena could hear it even from her own room. One of the things that ate away at Elena was her mother’s vanity—wearing expensive dresses that didn’t suit this place and putting jewels in her hair.

Elena put down the glasses she was wearing and organized the book she had been reading.

She didn’t forget to close the inkwell either. In their poor household, even a little dried ink would be a big loss. Right now, Elena was the only one earning money in this mansion, but there were three people spending it. She had to save even the small and trivial things to get through each day.

“Elena!! Didn’t I tell you to come here!!”

The floor shook along with her mother’s voice. She was definitely stamping her feet again because things weren’t going her way. Elena let out a small sigh.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Elena opened the door to the room Cecilia was using. It was a room less than ten steps away from her own room. Luxury items that she had desperately clutched and refused to let go of even when they were kicked out of the grand mansion that always smelled sweet were scattered around the room.

‘None of it suits her.’

How could such luxury items suit this house when the floorboards were rotting away?

If she sold those things, they could live comfortably for this month—no, for three months. But Cecilia was someone who didn’t care about such things. Fulfilling her own vanity was most important to Cecilia.

Elena glanced at the things scattered on the bed and then tended to Cecilia’s hair.

“Why are you so slow, child? You should come right away when I call!”

“I’m sorry, mother.”

It would only tire Elena out if the conversation dragged on anyway. She had chosen to just keep her mouth shut for several years now.

It had already been five years since they came here like fugitives after her father passed away and her mother squandered the family fortune. It meant it took less than a year for her mother to squander all that wealth.

How impressive. Part of the family fortune went to supporting her maternal relatives, part was spent on buying luxury goods, and part was used to throw parties. While Elena, who had tiny hands like fern fronds, grew into a twenty-year-old lady, her mother hadn’t changed at all.

Cecilia still thought she was a noblewoman living in a grand mansion. Cecilia puffed out her cheeks and touched her own cheek.

“Don’t you have some money? Look how my face is ruined because I’m using cheap cosmetics. I need to buy new cosmetics…”

Even now, she was going on about expensive cosmetics. Did she know that the money for those cosmetics would cover Leana’s medicine for a year?

Cecilia watched Elena’s reaction.

Elena and Cecilia’s eyes met through the mirror. Elena spoke quickly.

“I don’t have money, mother. We don’t even have soup to eat tomorrow…”

“Is food that important?! It’s more important that I was invited to the soirée that Countess Presto is hosting in a week!! How long are you going to keep this up? Do you think I’m doing this for myself? I’m doing this all for your sake! Leana’s marriage prospects are ruined, so I have to send at least you to a good family! How long are you going to live miserably clinging to those pieces of paper?”

Cecilia’s voice grew louder and louder.

Cecilia’s selfishness—saying she’d buy cosmetics because a ball a week away was more important than tomorrow’s soup—gnawed at Elena.

“But, mother… We don’t even have enough for Leana’s medicine. So, cosmetics can wait…”

Slap!

Cecilia, who had stood up from the vanity chair, struck Elena’s cheek.

“You, you! Don’t you know how embarrassed and upset I am right now? Is that why you’re talking back to me like this?”

Elena was the one who wanted to cry, but instead Cecilia was shedding tears. Black streaks ran down her beautifully made-up face. Elena stared at it blankly.

“Last month too, the month before that too! There wasn’t a single invitation for me! I finally got one! But it’s terrifyingly embarrassing to have to go wearing an out-of-fashion dress, and now you’re going to be like this too? Am I asking you to buy me a dress, to buy me jewelry! It’s just cosmetics!”

Cecilia huffed and stormed out of the room with her disheveled hair.

“No!”

Elena chased after her, but her body, having gone without food for two days, couldn’t muster strength and was pushed back by Cecilia’s force. Cecilia roughly pushed Elena aside and ransacked her room.

Cecilia managed to find the small bag with money in Elena’s room.

“You cunning thing. Hiding money like this and deceiving your own mother?”

Elena trembled with despair.

“Not that money, mother! Without that money, I can’t even buy Leana’s medicine!”

Elena desperately clung to Cecilia. Cecilia pushed Elena away once more. Elena’s thin body was thrown to the floor.

“She won’t die from not taking medicine for a month.”

Cecilia said coldly.

“Just wait, I’ll find you a wonderful marriage prospect. You just need to do what I tell you to do! Where else would you find a mother like me? Going this far thinking of her daughter.”

Elena let out a bitter laugh.

Please, if there is a God, please!!

She wished someone would save her from this hell.

Even a rotten rope would do.

Even if it would eventually drag her into hell, it seemed fine.

If only she could escape right now! She wanted to breathe comfortably just once.

Elena burst out of the house and ran. She ran through the streets where the sun was setting with feet that hadn’t even put on shoes properly.

‘Father… I miss you.’

Whispering mournfully.

---

Maxim slowly closed his eyes and opened them.

If it hadn’t been for Countess Presto’s invitation, he wouldn’t have set foot in this place.

It had been almost five years since Maxim had come down to the Levonto region.

Thanks to his aunt, who was considered an oddball, he had ridden in a carriage for hours to come all the way here. Countess Presto liked to gather many people and socialize. He had avoided it with this excuse and that excuse, but when she made a big deal about her 60th birthday, he could no longer refuse.

The family elders had also pushed Maxim’s back, and he ended up coming here.

[‘Your aunt cared for you so much. Can’t you grant her one little wish?’]

[‘Your aunt is right. How about taking this opportunity to cool your head.’]

The words repeated like a round song made Maxim unbearable.

If they wanted to be so filial, they should do it themselves instead of using him. Maxim clicked his tongue coldly. It was a moment when he desperately missed the cigarettes he had quit the moment he was discharged from the military, which he had fled to like an escape.

Aunt Presto was someone who believed in strange superstitions. She had her tarot read, and the fortune teller said Maxim’s destined partner was in the Levonto region. Thanks to that, the entire Presto family had come to their villa in Levonto.

She would personally find someone to become Maxim’s wife.

‘If only I knew who that fortune teller was.’

He wouldn’t let them be.

Maxim pressed his tired eyes. Maxim didn’t have time to waste in a place like this. How many tasks were waiting for his approval? Countess Presto should have seen the pale faces of his assistants who were stamping their feet anxiously.

Countess Presto needed to know that he was no longer the sickly boy of his childhood. Maxim rubbed his rough lips with his finger.

“What a useless waste of time and manpower.”

Grumbling with dissatisfaction, he leaned back in the carriage. He wanted to quickly finish all these bothersome affairs, prove that Aunt Presto’s wishes were futile, and return to the capital. He had just purchased new land on Kengarshi Island, a newly emerging resort destination.

He was busy these days with building a Rostein department store chain there. Even having two bodies wouldn’t be enough.

“Marriage, my foot.”

He had no interest in women, and even less interest in marriage. Maxim didn’t trust any woman. He didn’t understand why everyone was so eager to push a marriage skeptic like himself into marriage.

“Such busybodies.”

Maxim chewed on a curse and leaned his head against the chair with a thud.