Prologue

My first father taught me how to seek gain and avoid harm. My second father left me a legacy of casinos, transforming me into a diamond socialite who commanded the world's gaze.

Hand in hand with the Crown Prince, we became the couple everyone envied. I was destined to be the most noble woman in the realm.

And yet, I grew weary of it all.

I slaughtered the mages to seize their mana, held the Saintess captive to bend the Church to my will, and ultimately reduced the Imperial Family to mere puppets dancing in my palms.

Your Highness, you brought this upon yourself.

From this day forward, the entanglement between us shall be eternal.

Through the bars of the cage, I stared into the azure eyes of the Empire’s most noble prince. I covered his mouth, pinning him beneath me.

Listening to his ragged, frantic breaths, I let the imperial documents rain down around us. Stained by spilled red wine, they became worthless—nothing more than a pile of wasted paper.

He swore he would kill me with his own hands.

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Chapter 1: The Beauty and the Gambler

The winter of the Empire was so exceptionally bitter that the streets of the Lowlands were strewn with the husks of the departed, their clothes ragged and faces gaunt.

Solene clung to her mother, stumbling through the biting wind until they finally reached their home.

Click, clack...

Her father’s gambling markers fluttered through the air like autumn leaves, scattered everywhere, each a testament to his crushing debt.

In coarse linen stained with crimson, he lay there. The fabric could no longer soak up the relentless flow, allowing the blood to pool across the floor.

A pile of firewood, brought back from some unknown place by her father, was stacked in the corner.

Solene stared in shock at the small knife in his hand—an exquisite blade, a family heirloom passed down from her grandfather.

The hearth radiated a soft warmth, turning this cramped room into a cozy sanctuary, a world away from the frigid death outside.

Without a word or a flicker of emotion, her mother dragged her father’s body out the door.

"Good riddance. At least he showed a shred of conscience at the end! Gambling day in and day out... what a fitting end!"

With a heavy thud, the door was slammed shut. Solene tried to scrub the blood from the floor, but no matter how hard she worked, that jarring red stain seemed impossible to erase.

Her mother busied herself in the kitchen, preparing dinner. It seemed her father's passing had only served to make this winter a little warmer.

Knock, knock, knock.

A sudden rapping at the door echoed through the room. A man’s voice called from outside, "Miss Liliana!"

That was her mother’s name.

Solene forced herself to stand, struggling to reach the door. Her mother emerged with a bright smile, having clearly taken the time to wash her face.

Her mother’s beauty was breathtaking; she possessed skin as pale as jade and features as delicate as a painting, made all the more striking by her unique pale gold eyes and flowing blonde hair.

Though Solene was thin and gaunt, she had perfectly inherited her mother’s looks. Her own pale gold eyes and golden hair gave her an air of both beauty and sanctity.

The guard at the door was clearly sent by a nobleman. He stared intently at her mother, his eyes filled with sheer admiration.

Solene let out a soft sigh. She couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like if her father’s family hadn't fallen from grace.

Her father had once been a noble, a minor Earl, but the family had spiraled into ruin shortly after her mother married in. Back then, Solene was just an innocent child.

Her mother took her hand and led her toward a luxurious carriage. A single gemstone encrusted on its frame would have been enough to support them for an entire winter.

As her mother busied herself organizing their belongings inside the carriage, Solene looked up at her, wide-eyed and confused.

"Are we never going back?" she asked with the innocence of a ten-year-old, her heart heavy with unanswered questions.

"We aren't going back, Solene. From now on, we will never be cold again." Her mother’s voice was tender yet firm, though it carried a hint of a practiced performance.

The carriage featured a partitioned section with a figure sitting behind a curtain. The interior was a marvel of gold thread, silver embroidery, and gemstones that sparkled like a sea of stars. There were soft cushions and the faint, elegant scent of roses.

"But Father’s firewood... we haven't finished burning it yet." Solene’s eyes welled up, and tears began to fall like broken pearls.

Her mother gently wiped the tears away, though her gaze held a silent warning. Her voice remained soothing as she urged, "Stop crying. Isn't it warm enough in here?"

"Yes," Solene whispered, nodding.

Despite the warmth, her heart was tight with fear and unease. This was the warmest winter she had ever known.

It was her father who had provided that warmth.

Outside, the thunder of hooves was accompanied by the faint metallic scrape of swords against scabbards and the steady, powerful breathing of the guards. So, these were the sounds that nobles heard every day.

Solene gripped her coarse linen clothes tightly. The stitching was messy, but her mother had sewn them by hand, and she cherished them above all else.

It was hard to believe her mother would leave with a nobleman, especially since she had always harbored a deep-seated hatred for the aristocracy.

The Empire was vast, far beyond anything she had imagined. She wiped away her tears and drifted into sleep in her mother’s arms.

The journey to the prosperous Inner City was still some distance away. After what felt like an eternity, Solene woke from her slumber just as they passed through the towering, majestic gates.

She wondered why the Highspire had to be separated from the Lowlands by such a colossal wall.

Secretly, she lifted a corner of the curtain to peek outside. The scene before her was so beautiful it stole her breath away.

She couldn't read a single word of the script on the walls, and a quiet longing stirred within her—how wonderful would it be to understand them? The letters looked as if they were cast in solid gold, surrounded by iridescent silks, vibrant flowers, and pristine white pillars carved with intricate, exquisite patterns.

It was magical.

Compared to this, the slave markets and casinos of the Lowlands seemed like shadows. Here, every inch of the Inner City was breathtakingly beautiful.

The person behind the curtain finally seemed unable to wait any longer. The silks were pulled back, and a man with deep black hair and piercing eyes stepped out. He wore magnificent attire that perfectly accentuated his lean, powerful frame. His exquisite accessories chimed softly with every movement, and Solene instinctively knew they were worth a fortune.

The man produced a massive pink gemstone necklace and gently fastened it around her mother’s neck. His gaze was filled with a profound tenderness.

"Liliana, you are finally mine. You were always meant to be mine."

His voice was low and resonant. Solene thought it sounded even more beautiful than the male vocalists the Inner City occasionally sent to sing for the people of the Lowlands.

Her mother’s beauty complemented the necklace perfectly, yet the man frowned slightly as he inspected her mother’s clothes, his fingers grazing a strand of her hair.

"Liliana, you have suffered."

He looked pained as he felt the dry, brittle texture of her hair. Solene felt a spark of joy; it seemed this man truly cared for her mother.

As the carriage reached the plaza, the man pulled her mother into his arms and moved behind the curtain. Faint, rhythmic breaths carried an air of intimacy. Outside, the guards flushed with embarrassment, while Solene sat perfectly still, not quite understanding but remaining well-behaved.

She didn't want to move because she felt dirty, and the carriage was so clean and beautiful. Moving might ruin it. If she made a mess, she would surely be scolded, and she was desperate to make a good impression on this man. She never wanted to be hungry or cold again.

She turned slightly and lifted a small corner of the curtain. The fabric was velvet—soft, heavy, and warm to the touch.

As they slowed in the plaza, Solene’s gaze caught a group of strange-looking people dressed in black cloaks, holding wooden staves tipped with glowing gems. In the center of the crowd stood a boy about her age.

His hair was a dazzling gold, and his pale blue eyes were like the gems on the Astrian national emblem—clear and pure. The boy smiled as he instructed the guards beside him to fetch something; their hands were already overflowing with parcels.

Staring at that innocent expression, Solene’s fists instinctively tightened. An inexplicable emotion surged within her.