Chapter 1

Someone carefully walked up to the blond man feeding his parrot, giving him a quick bow before shouting in desperation, “Your Majesty! I have a significant matter to discuss with you!”

The man slowly turned to his servant after letting the parrot fly away and brushing off the remaining birdseed on his hand. As he lowered his indifferent face, the sunlight vibrantly shined down, giving light to his beauty.

“We have finally found the ring!”

The ring. The man’s eyes lit up once he heard the word.

***

“You worthless little brat!”

While the little girl’s nose was still running with blood, the voice felt particularly harsh today. She clenched her lips and wiped her nose with her already dirty sleeves.

“You useless brat! I took you in with plain generosity, and this is how you repay me? The least you can do is be of some use!”

The inn was filled with the innkeeper’s nagging voice. The girl held her shoulder tight as she mocked the man under her breath. Out of generosity? Where would you find someone willing to work here for only two shillings a week, other than me?

As she watched the man raise his hand once more, the girl clenched her teeth and closed her eyes tight. She felt the blow to her head when she closed her eyes. Soon enough, the blood from her nose stained her clothing bloodred.

The man wasn’t finished. As she watched the man raise his hand again, she decided to run for her life.

The girl’s name was Blondina. She’d worked as a clerk at the inn since her mother passed away. Her life at the inn was arduous. Her hands were swollen from the tedious work, and she was often bullied for being clumsy. However, as an orphan, she had no better choice. It was either this or being sold to an old pedophile.

She didn’t stop running until she reached the entrance of the village. Putting her hands on her knees, Blondina was running out of breath. She held on to her necklace tightly as her mother’s voice echoed in her head.

“Blondina, you must take good care of it. It’s a gift from your father. Always keep it close.”

It was a small worn pouch with strings. Unlike its cover, there was a shiny ring in it, which was the sole reminder of her father, whom she had never met. Her mother used to always talk about her father, who abandoned them like the wind as soon as Blondina was born.

Tears started to well up in her eyes when she finally caught her breath, but she kept the tears from dropping. This is nothing. I’ve gone through worse. She softly touched the ring in the pouch as she clenched her trembling lips tight. She knew it was the only legacy left by her mother, and she had promised to protect it until the very end.

But…

“I’m sorry, Mother. But I can’t live my life like this any longer.”

This was it. She finally decided to put her survival before a ring left behind by her father, who had done nothing but abandon her and her mother.

Blondina began running back into the village. She knew it was time for her to sell the damn ring. She headed straight to the jewelry store at the end of the alley.

As she pushed open the heavy wooden door of the shop, the dry air mixed with the smell of perfume welcomed her. It smelled exactly like a place fancy ladies would visit.

Blondina felt her heart flutter. She couldn’t stop feeling guilty for breaking her last promise to her mother.

The first thing she saw was a man with a long mustache, the shop’s owner, cleaning a magnifying glass. “What brings you here today?” he asked when he noticed her.

“Hello, sir.”

“I’m assuming Nordy sent you to sell something again. Him and his love for gambling,” he said.

Nordy, the innkeeper, often made Blondina run errands to sell his jewelry for his gambling money. She slipped the necklace off her neck and put it down before the man. The sound of the ring in the pouch hitting the glass countertop made the owner raise his head toward her. “Actually, I’m here to sell one of mine today,” Blondina said quietly.

“One of yours?” he replied.

“Yes. My mother left this for me, but…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

The man put his magnifying glass down and picked up the pouch with his fingertips as if he was holding filthy trash. For a brief moment, he looked disgusted and quickly threw the necklace back to Blondina. “Here. Untie this. By the way, it has already been three years since Lily passed away. Such a pity she wasted her entire life waiting for her husband to return.”

Her mother was widely known for her beauty. Even the aristocrats admired her blond hair and beautiful eyes.

Blondina took the ring out of the pouch with a blank face and handed the ring to the man. Even after these many years, the ring sparkled with light. “Well, I’ll look through only this once, but don’t expect much, all right?” the man said while carelessly skimming over the ring.

“Yes, sir.”

“Just by first glance, this ring is made of cheap…” The man was at a loss for words right before he finished his sentence and suddenly went silent. His eyes dilated as if he had seen something incredible. Blondina was so surprised by his reaction that her eyes followed his every movement.

The man stood up slowly from his seat, keeping his eyes straight on the ring. She noticed his hands were trembling. He reached for his magnifying glass and looked at it carefully this time. His expression quickly went from surprised to doubtful to astonished. He held the ring tight in his fist and took a deep breath. “Wh-where did you steal this from, you brat?”

Learning from her past experiences, Blondina realized that the atmosphere had changed. She knew the man was beginning to interrogate her on suspicion of robbery. She shook her head as quickly as possible, denying his suspicion so that she wouldn’t end up being slapped by him.

“I didn’t steal it from anyone!”

“This isn’t something of your kind could ever possess!”

“I told you my mother left this to me, telling me it was the only legacy left behind from my father!”

“That can’t be possible! This symbol…” he muttered with a blank stare. He quickly hid the ring inside his pocket and set Blondina on a chair. “You stay right here! I’ll be back shortly!”

Blondina just sat there, utterly oblivious to what was going on.

Suddenly, as if an unknown being was chasing him, the owner locked the door, put out the closed sign, and drew the curtains. Soon after, he hurriedly left through the back door without another word.

“Sir?” Blondina quietly called him, staring blankly at the closed door, but he was nowhere to be found. She was now left alone in the dark room with only the dim lights of the candle surrounding her.

***

Blondina found herself at the top of the feudal lord’s castle. She slowly looked around the room while walking over the lavish carpet and carefully laid her body on the luxurious bed. She was still in disbelief at what was happening. Never in her life had she imagined herself sleeping in a room in a castle.

Two days ago, the owner who left her alone in the store returned shortly, accompanied by the feudal lord.

As soon as she saw him enter the store, she quickly went to the ground, surprised by his presence. The feudal lord stared straight at her for a moment with mixed emotions and ordered his servants to take her to the castle.

“Your Highness. This is, without a doubt, the symbol of the royal family. Moreover, the gold and diamond exquisitely designed around the ring are proof.” The jewelry store owner’s words crossed the lord’s mind once more. He had no choice but to take this girl he had just met to his castle and keep her safe.

That was how Blondina was taken to the castle, where she had been staying for several days now, still not knowing why she was brought there.

With the ring in her hand, Blondina turned toward the window in her room and watched the sun slowly set into the horizon. The fields outside turned orange as the sky darkened. Caught by such incredible scenery, she slowly drifted away to daydreaming.

The sky was soon filled with stars and the moon.

Blondina flinched at the sound of the wooden door rattling open as it always stayed locked except for mealtimes. Who could it be? She slowly stood up from her place and picked up a candlestick sitting next to her. It was the only useful weapon she could think of.

Creak.

The door creaked open, and a herd of gigantic figures lined up before her. Blondina knew her only weapon was useless against such a group of men, so she returned the candlestick to the table.

Looking at their spotless skin and imposing posture, she knew they weren’t just ordinary people. Their beauty was incomparable to an average man, and they were entering the room in an organized manner as if they were trained to do so.

After this group of men filled the room, a shockingly beautiful man followed. He walked in gracefully, followed by his servants. His vibrant blond hair shined through the darkness. He looked around the room with his hands behind his back until his eyes finally caught Blondina standing before him, and he raised his eyebrow as if he was greatly intrigued by her. As he walked closer to her, Blondina clenched her blanket tightly. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Who are you?” Blondina responded.

With a slight hint of irritation, he asked again. “Your mother’s name is Lily, correct?”

“Do you know my mother?” asked Blondina nervously.

She tried to hide her feelings with a gulp and raised her head to look him in the eye.

The man elegantly raised his hand and gestured to his servant, who handed him a candle. With the candle in one hand and the other holding Blondina’s chin, he examined her face closely as if he was observing an intriguing object.

A drop of candle wax dripped on her neck. “Ow!” Her scream filled the room, but it didn’t seem like he cared a bit.

“You do look just like your mother,” the man said. He finally showed some sign of emotion only after he finished observing her face. His clear, sharp eyes stared right at Blondina’s.

“Who are you, sir?” Blondina asked with a much stronger tone this time.

Instead of answering, the man continued to examine the features of her face, intrigued by her attitude. Her blond hair and her beautiful, sparkling eyes. Her gray and crystal-clear eyes reflected her upright character.

While his eyes remained set on her, his emotionless face soon put up a smile, then laughter. “I’m Trije Ryun Haverty Ates. I’m your father, and I’m the emperor of Ates Empire,” he replied while stroking Blondina’s hair.

Blondina was at a loss for words.