C H A P T E R 1

P R O L O G U E,

Amid a deep night, I heard a voice that forcefully woke me up, and as I opened my eyes, I saw my father.

Sweating, pale, terrified, and clearly in a state of panic.

At that time, I had no idea what was happening. I never expected that there would come a time when everything I had would vanish instantly.

His hands trembled as he hurriedly tried to wake me up from my bed, "Hurry, Selena, hide here and don't make any noise, do you understand?" he asked me, filled with fear and urgency. I had no choice but to obey his instructions.

He pulled me toward an old painting in my room and pushed it back, revealing a small hiding place behind it. However, I sensed a dark and suffocating passage behind the wooden panel blocking my way.

"Stay here, and under no circumstances should you open this, especially if someone you don't know is calling your name. Do you understand, Selena? I will come back for you; I just need to save your mother," my father said to me as he kissed my forehead, then gently closed the hiding spot, enveloping my vision in darkness.

I hugged my knees and shivered in the darkness, filled with screams I couldn't identify and laughter from the unknown.

Human or monster? I didn't know.

But in those moments, all I could do was tightly shut my eyes and cover my ears until morning arrived.

I felt footsteps approaching my location, and anxiety filled every inch of my trembling body until I suddenly heard a voice I recognized all too well.

"Selena! Selena!" shouted my brother Rowan, and I quickly called out to him from my hiding place.

He pushed aside the painting in front of me, and the surroundings immediately brightened. I saw his face filled with deep concern, and he embraced me while still shedding tears.

I wondered why I had become so numb to fear and anxiety that night. He gently stroked my hair and repeatedly said, "Everything will be fine."

I didn't know what had happened, but as I stepped out of my room, the entire mansion revealed itself to me, bathed in fresh blood.

Blood from various people who lived here.

***

SELENA,

THE YEAR 1473.

I carefully folded and placed the last garment in my luggage, which I would bring with me on my journey back to the Alpin Estate. I closed the bag and brushed my palms together.

"That finishes the packing," I whispered, tidying up my appearance.

Facing the mirror, I put on the bonnet, tying its ribbons beneath my chin. I examined every angle of my face, assessing whether I looked presentable.

I combed through my long, black hair again, tucking stray strands behind my ear.

"Hmm, something seems missing," I pondered, taking a small box containing a red blush for my lips. I applied it delicately, enhancing the color to complement my fair complexion.

"Hmm? This should do. Maybe Enzo won't tease me about being too girly anymore," I remarked with a smile, donning gloves and picking up my luggage.

As I stepped out the door, a servant awaited me. She took hold of my luggage, and we walked out of the dormitory together.

I couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness as I gazed at the entire facility. I had lived here for ten years, considering it my home, but now it was time to leave and fulfill my duty.

"Selena!" I turned and was greeted by Sophia.

"Write to me, okay? I have no one to talk to here!" she said with a melancholic tone, causing me to chuckle. She had been my close friend within this dormitory throughout the years.

"Hahahaha, if only I could go back one more year in school to graduate with you, why not? But no, I'm already a lady," I teased her, playfully remarking as she hugged me.

"Just take care of yourself. Write to me if you want someone to talk to, and I'll try to visit you during vacation," she said, and I smiled. I knew she was worried about my departure, but I needed to fulfill my role.

"Yes, I'll come running here if you need my help, okay? Hahaha," I replied, and she laughed too, waving goodbye as I retreated under the shelter of a large umbrella held by my servant.

"My lady, your carriage, and young master Enzo are waiting," the coachman announced, and I nodded, catching sight of my childhood friend, Enzo, looking handsome and waiting for me outside the gate.

I smiled, and even before I called out to him, he immediately turned in my direction, giving me a wide grin.

"Little tomato! Wahahaha!" he called out, causing me to blush, and my servant couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Samantha, are you laughing at me? Do I still look like a child?" I asked her, and she quickly stifled her laughter and shook her head.

"No, milady, in fact, you look very beautiful. Perhaps it's just that the young master's perception of you hasn't changed," she replied, and I simply smiled, stepping closer to Enzo.

He immediately took my hand and kissed it while bowing.

"Greetings, my lady, or should I now address you as Duchess Selena?" he asked, slightly shaking me with his formal greeting. Why couldn't I get used to his teasing gaze?

"Just call me 'little tomato' as always since you just shouted it again, right?" I retorted, playfully withdrawing my hand from his grip, but he only laughed and assisted me into the carriage.

"I'm sorry, my lady. I'm just used to it, but you've gained quite a bit of height," he teased, unchanged. Even though I held a higher status than him and he was my father's scholar, he treated me as his friend, which was the reason I developed feelings for him.

"Well, time has passed, and now I'm a young lady. What do you think? Am I still the crybaby from before?" I asked, and he shook his head with a smile, which slightly quickened my heartbeat.

Undeniably, even after all these years without seeing Enzo, I still admired him.

"No, in fact, you're incredibly beautiful now. Who would have thought that the child who used to be a crybaby would become a distinguished lady of the Lumire Empire?" he said, leaving me speechless as I smiled in front of him. I hoped that I had truly become a lady who could face the tragedy I once ran away from.

"How's brother Rowan?" I asked him, and he shrugged, saying, "I don't know. Actually, I just returned to the empire to pick you up." I raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"If that's the case, who is managing the Alpin Estate, and where have you come from?" I asked, puzzled, and he grinned at me while stroking his shoulder adorned with medals and badges.

"Whoa, you're already a knight of the Empire?" I asked, taken aback.

"Ahem, a First Rank Knight of Lumire, my lady," he boasted in front of me, but I couldn't help but feel delighted by his accomplishments. His rank had risen, and he was now the first knight of the empire. That was a significant title.

"My brother is amazing! Can it be sold?" I pointed to the badges pinned on his clothes. It was obvious that he had adorned himself with all of them just to show off to me. What if one of them goes missing?

"Milady, young master Enzo, we have arrived at the Alpin Estate," announced the coachman, interrupting our banter and replacing the excitement in my chest with nervousness.

As I beheld the vast expanse of land, we were currently traversing, anxiety and fear slowly consumed me in my seat.

I swallowed hard and strained my eyes, examining the path leading to the manor where I grew up and truly belonged.

"Are you alright, Selena?" he asked, and I nodded though I was hiding the trembling of my hands.

The carriage came to a halt in front of the mansion, and it felt as if my heart stopped beating. It was as if I was entering the nightmare I had escaped from.

"Greetings, my lady." The door swung open, and my brother Rowan greeted me with a smile, instantly dispelling my fear as he held my hand and helped me down from the carriage.

"Greetings, my lord," I greeted him, taking the edges of my skirt and curtsying respectfully.

"How time flies. I used just to carry you around, and now you've blossomed into a young lady," he said, and I smiled, slipping my hand onto his arm.

"Seems like I'm the one who's getting older here, right? You too, Rowan, you've become a fine young man," I said to him, and we happily chatted as we walked towards the mansion. It had been years since I last spoke to my brother Rowan, but it felt like it was just yesterday when I was last with him.

"You're really going to leave me here?" we heard Enzo's pursuit, and both of us burst into laughter.

My only remaining family at the Alpin Estate was Rowan and Enzo. In truth, they were not even my blood relatives, just scholars of my late father.

They grew up alongside me, and I treated them as brothers. I knew they felt the same way about me, so returning to this manor didn't evoke a sense of loneliness.

Ever since the tragedy that befell us that night, I was the only one left inside the entire manor.

Enzo was at the training grounds in the royal palace that night, and Rowan was studying in the dormitory.

My parents, all the servants, and everyone else working here in the estate were gone.

We were content, and my father had been managing the manor well.

But one night, a tragedy occurred that changed my whole life. After my father hid me to keep me away from that tragedy, only my two brothers and I were left alive after some monster mercilessly killed them.

I still remember walking on the road filled with blood and lifeless bodies. Rowan couldn't carry me back then because his knees were trembling, and he was only around ten years old while I was seven.

We were oblivious to what was happening, and questions filled our minds until my uncle arrived and helped the two of us.

I found out that my parents were lifeless, their bodies drained of blood. They couldn't even have a proper burial because it was said that it would bring a curse to the whole bloodline.

I just followed whatever they wanted to do with us back then. I had no idea that it would be the last time I would see my parents.

After that, my uncle brought me to an all-girls school to learn everything I needed to know to manage the manor.

Because when I reached the right age, I was supposed to take over. We followed his plan, and I tried my best to recover from that nightmare, striving to find out who or what killed my parents.

Years passed, and my uncle passed away without me even having the chance to thank him. Rowan temporarily took his place, and now that I have completed my studies, I am the one who will oversee the entire Alpin Estate.

"Selena, are you really okay with staying here? I can prepare the main room for you if you want to sleep there," Rowan asked me, visibly tired and sleep-deprived. It seemed they were busy preparing for my return.

"I'm fine here, and besides, this is my room," I replied, kissing him on the cheek.

"Get some rest, Rowan. I also want to rest, and you can finally step down from being a Duke and do what you really want," I said to him, holding both of his hands.

I knew this wasn't his dream in life, but he was compelled to do it because of his responsibilities and his indebtedness to our family.

"Are you really okay? Can I really leave you behind?" His serious question tightened my chest.

I simply smiled and nodded in front of him, although I was somewhat hesitant. Why does it feel like he's saying he'll leave me, and I can no longer consider him my older brother?

"Hehehe, I'm already a young lady," I said to him, forcing a smile on my face. He messed up my hair and came closer, causing me to startle.

"It's true. You're already a young lady. It makes me want to whisk you away and take you with me," he whispered, making me feel a bit anxious.

My ears turned red, and I took a step back from him. He just smiled at me and walked towards the door.

"Let me know if you can't sleep. Good night, my lady." I nodded, and he closed the door.

My knees weakened, and I sat down on my bed. Since when did my brother Rowan have such a deep voice?

I swallowed hard and held my chest.

"It's not just me who has changed so much. Even they have changed tremendously from the children I used to know." I lay down, feeling the rapid beating of my heart.

Why do my cheeks feel so warm?

"Oh, dear! Selena, you'd better just read a book to fall asleep," I said to myself as I stood up to get a book from the large bookshelf attached to my room's wall. But as I looked, my eyes were fixed on a large painting hanging on the wall.

"I remember this painting," I whispered as if I wanted to see the hiding place behind it again. So, I quickly grabbed the lamp from the side of the bed and pushed aside the painting in front of me.

Though the hiding spot was small, it still seemed like I could fit in there. I held the board in front of me and felt it give way.

My suspicion was correct; there was a passage behind this hiding spot. Despite its narrowness, I managed to squeeze through and enter this dark place once again.

It felt like I was returning to that night, the last time I saw my father's face.

But my curiosity was devouring me, urging me to explore this passage.

A passage whose destination I did not know.