Damian Ravenhurt knew he belonged to the elite of his country. He was the eldest son of one of the greatest families in the empire and knew that one day he would become Duke.
Women swarmed around him like bees in a field of flowers, and yet… the only woman he desired was forever out of reach.
He knew he was insane to be so obsessed with his own sister. When they were children, playing together without a care in the world, he had truly believed their relationship was nothing more than that of a normal brother and sister.
But one day, everything changed.
As time passed, his sister grew more magnificent with each passing year—and he, more than anyone, noticed.
The day he discovered that a loose tile in his bathroom offered a forbidden view into hers was the point of no return.
He despised himself for the thoughts that followed. He had read holy scriptures countless times, prayed, begged God to free him from his impure desires. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he always fell back into them.
That morning, he sat in the breakfast room, waiting for Selen to join the family.
He knew she had been slightly unwell these past few days. Having received detailed reports from the maids about her condition, he was certain it was nothing serious—just a touch of melancholy.
"You. Go see whether Selen intends to join us," he ordered a maid who had just placed a plate of eggs and bacon before him.
The servant bowed and hurried away.
At that moment, the duchess entered and seated herself across from him.
"Good morning, Mother."
"Good morning, Damian," she replied without lifting her eyes from her plate.
He hated that rigid mask she always wore. Her only daughter had been unwell for days, and she had not paid her a single visit.
"I don't know if you're aware, Mother, but Selen hasn't been feeling well lately."
The duchess delicately finished her bite before dabbing the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.
"I am aware. It is likely due to the continued postponement of her betrothal. I will speak to the Duke about it when he returns from the palace today."
Damian clenched his jaw.
He hated the very thought of that betrothal. His precious Selen promised to the Crown Prince.
The prince was one of the few men in the empire who held more power than he did—and he knew that the Crown Prince had taken a particular interest in Selen.
The only reason the engagement had yet to be finalized was the Empress, who refused to accept Selen as her future daughter-in-law. Everyone in the empire knew that the Empress and Duchess Ravenhurt were not on good terms.
Damian reached for his glass of water when the maid returned, tears streaming down her face.
She fell to her knees before the duchess.
"Forgive me, Madam. I swear I knew nothing. I went to check on Lady Selen's room… it was empty. The bed was exactly as I had left it yesterday."
The glass slipped from Damian's hand and shattered against the floor.
"What are you saying?" he demanded, rising abruptly.
"Did you check the other rooms?" the duchess asked calmly. "I heard she has been bathing elsewhere lately. Perhaps she simply wished for a change."
Trembling, the maid pulled a letter from her uniform pocket and handed it to the duchess.
Damian stood behind his mother. He had not even finished reading the first paragraph before he stormed upstairs.
Selen's room was untouched. Her dresses were still there. Her jewelry. Everything.
Everything except her.
A storm of thoughts raged in his mind.
Had she truly fled? Had someone forced her? Who was the bastard she claimed to love?
The Selen he knew had always been distant. The idea that another man could have stirred her heart—while he begged for mere crumbs of brotherly affection—ignited a fury so violent he nearly lost control.
He rushed back downstairs, ready to return to the capital and hunt down the man who had taken her.
He would kill him with his own hands.
But before he could cross the mansion's doors, guards surrounded him and seized his sword.
The duchess stepped forward and struck him sharply across the face.
"Where do you think you're going?" she said coldly. "Do you intend to announce to the entire capital that your beloved sister ran away with a beggar?"
She inhaled slowly.
"Take him to his room. He is not to leave until tomorrow."
The butler ran to the duchess and made a surprised gesture upon seeing Damian being led by a dozen knights.
"We have warned the duke of the urgency of the situation"
"Very well, make sure that none of the maids dare to even mention this story even if it means cutting off their tongues if necessary. If a single gossip arises, no one will be spared."
The butler nodded and ran to watch over the situation.
Three days later in the north of the empire..
Selen knew her time was running short.
Alchemy consumed enormous energy. Even the greatest mages could not maintain another person's form for more than twenty-four hours.
Fortunately, their journey was nearly over.
Before entering the duchy's main territory, a delegation was supposed to meet them.
She intended to act during the pause.
Her plan was simple: kill everyone in both carriages and make it appear as an attack by heretics.
When the convoy stopped, she waited until the soldiers dismounted.
"Here. Your ration for the day," one of them said, handing her a small bag of food.
"Thank you," she replied.
A blade of condensed magic materialized behind him and pierced him.
Another knight stumbled backward in horror. She cut him down without hesitation.
One by one, they fell.
When she finished, she returned to her original form and she ruffled her now black hair that she had taken care to dye well. Two-toned hair was far too distinctive.
She inflicted shallow wounds upon herself, tore her uniform, and smeared blood across her skin before collapsing to the ground.
Just as the delegation arrived.
Everything had gone perfectly—
Until she saw a man fleeing from the second carriage into the forest.
Her heart skipped.
She had missed one.
It was too late. The riders were already approaching.
Idiot, she scolded herself inwardly.
She had failed to check carefully.
Now there was a witness somewhere in the forest.
"Would the heretics have attacked so close to the duchy?"
"They have been quite reckless lately so it wouldn't surprise me"
Selen began to wiggle and took a deep breath through her mouth as if she was waking up after having lost consciousness.
"He... Help me...me," she whispered as if she were in agony.
"We have a survivor," shouted one of the men. "Get the wagon."
Selen felt lifted and put in the cart. Someone began to bandage her wounds and she opened her eyes, blinking several times as if she had just woken up.
"You finally get back to yourself little one." A man who wore glasses told her.
"Yes sorry but where am I and who are you?"
"We are part of the delegation that came to welcome you. You were attacked and you are the only survivor"
Selen tried to look as shocked and horrified as she could and it worked quite well since the man handed her a handkerchief believing that she was about to cry.
"Your wounds are superficial and I believe you fell on your head during the attack which would explain your loss of consciousness"
"Are you a doctor?" asked Selen.
"No, I am just attending Lady Rose at the castle hospital"
Selen noted that the latter had blushed while pronouncing the name of the famous Rose.
" Rose?" asked Selen.
"Yes, she is the best doctor in the north to see of the empire but she is also the sister of his highness the duke"
Selen noted this detail in the corner of his head.
"Otherwise, what is your name? Being the only survivor of the attack, you will probably have to go report to the duke"
Go what? Certainly she knew that she would end up meeting him at one point or another but so early?
"Couldn't you do your own report to him? Our team leader died in the attack and I am really not used to frequenting people such as his highness the duke."
The man sighed.
"No, we can't. The duke asked that everything related to heretics be transmitted to him verbally and as precisely as possible, especially regarding an attack on knights sent by the emperor so close to the castle."
Selen nodded and resolved to have to face the duke rather than planned. She had to pull herself together and quickly. The fact that there was another survivor of the attack who was now we don't know where would certainly complicate things but she should not lose sight of her goal.
"And so what's your name?" The man asked him again.
"Anna, my name is Anna Rotsvilt"
Arrived at the castle, she was led directly into the duke's office. A man who had introduced himself as the duke's advisor informed her that the duke had left for the hunt but that he would arrived shortly.
Selen drank the tea that had been served to her in the meantime and tried to compose her face as neutral as possible.
The door opened as Selen rested her cup and a man of high stature entered accompanied by the other man who had presented himself as the duke's advisor. She knew directly that it was him, Duke Clover.
Not because he was so tall or because he had an astonishingly muscular, but rather because he was covered in blood and it suited him well as if he were a man who was covered with the blood of others, animal or human, by killing them every day.
The advisor handed him a handkerchief that he used to wipe his hands and face before sitting down. Selen did not understand why but she was afraid of this man and it was the first time that she felt this kind of unexplained fear.
"She is the only survivor of the attack majesty"
Selen swallowed his saliva with difficulty. The amber gaze of the duke remained attached to her while the advisor made his report.
"How many were these heretics? If they came so close to the castle it's because they shouldn't have been so numerous otherwise we would have seen them."
Selen realized five seconds late that the duke was talking to her. She then adopted the most pitiful voice she could.
"To tell you all majesty, I fell on my head during the attack and I couldn't see anything concrete"
Selen had lowered her eyes to give herself a pitiful look and when she lifted them up, she noticed that the duke was staring intently at her with his piercing amber eyes.
"You didn't really see anything?"
He grabbed a document that his advisor was handing him and leafed through it for a few seconds.
"Anna Rotsvilt, knighted one year ago. Swordsmanship level B"
Level B was just above that of a beginner. Selen had guessed correctly, the blonde who held this title was really arrogant for nothing.
"The question now is why are you the only survivor? Even if they left one alive, they could have at least left one that would serve us well."
The silence fell in the room. Selen didn't care that he took her for an incapable person because after all the incapable people were less monitored and above all, no attention was given to them.
"Your highness, I still think she could be useful to us. You know well that any help in our situation is welcome"
Listen to your advisor, sir duke, said Selen to herself.
He barely gave her a glance then stood up to leave without a word and that's how her first meeting with duke Clover ended.