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Chapter 01
Amelie Winterpool fell in love for the first time at her debutante ball.
‘I can’t believe such a handsome man exists in this world…’
Amelie’s ruby-red eyes sparkled. Her cheeks turned as rosy as summer rose petals.
Where her gaze landed, a strikingly handsome man with ash-gray hair and eyes stood with his back lightly resting against a pillar.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties. His refined features and well-built frame were perfectly accentuated by a dark suit that suited him far too well.
The man stood alone, arms crossed, sometimes quietly observing the dancing crowd, sometimes taking a sip of water from a glass. But throughout it all, his expression remained cold and bored.
Every small movement of his sharp eyes, eyelids, and fingertips made Amelie’s heart pound. She felt an overwhelming urge to walk straight up to him and ask everything—who he was, which family he belonged to.
Amelie first asked her father, the Count of Winterpool, who had been standing beside her.
“Father, do you know who that man is? The one drinking water near the second pillar over there.”
The Winterpool Count, who resembled her closely, looked in the direction she pointed and nodded.
“Hmm, that must be His Grace, Grand Duke Kristan Bellerophon. He doesn’t usually attend balls. I wonder what brought him here.”
“Grand Duke Kristan Bellerophon…”
She felt it was fate—luck itself—that she had met the rarely-seen Grand Duke at this very ball.
Amelie made her decision. This might be her only chance.
She quickly tidied her long blue-silver hair and adjusted her dress. Even if she wasn’t a stunning beauty, she knew very well that she was quite cute and pretty by objective standards.
She even placed a handkerchief—prepared as bait—into her pocket. Just as she was about to approach him, she froze.
“Kristan.”
A beautiful woman she had never seen before walked up to the Grand Duke. The bored, cold expression on his face instantly melted into a warm smile as soon as he saw her. Amelie’s heart dropped with a heavy thud.
The Grand Duke called her in a voice so sweet it was almost unimaginable.
“Synthia. Where were you?”
“I just went to the lounge for a moment.”
“I see. Are you thirsty?”
“I’m fine.”
After their brief exchange, the two stood close together, clearly a loving couple. The Grand Duke even placed a hand around the woman’s shoulder.
Amelie stood there, frozen.
“Amel, what are you doing? Are you feeling unwell?”
“N-no, Father.”
At her father’s question, she snapped back to her senses and took a glass of champagne from a servant, drinking it in one go. Her face felt hot.
‘So he already has a Duchess…’
And she was so beautiful that even Amelie, as a woman, thought she was breathtaking. If Amelie stood beside her, she would look like an octopus in comparison.
With a flushed face, Amelie stared at her empty glass and murmured.
“Well… of course. With a face like that and being a Grand Duke, there’s no way people would leave him alone…”
“Hm? Amel, what did you say?”
“Nothing…”
Thus, Amelie Winterpool’s first love ended as abruptly as it had begun.
Amelie looked out the window of the shaking carriage as she recalled the past.
Coincidentally, the place she was now heading to was Bellerophon Territory, ruled by the very man she had once loved.
As the carriage traveled farther from the capital, the roadside trees grew more barren, and fewer people were seen. Gray leaves piled up along the road.
“Haah…”
The massive broom that represented her status bore a pale blue ribbon embroidered with the Winterpool family crest.
Amelie Winterpool was the first noble-born witch in the Verdelio Empire.
Yet during her childhood, no one except the Winterpool couple and her mentor, the great witch Lilith, knew she was of noble blood.
In fact, even Amelie herself did not know.
Because of the Empire’s intense hatred of witches, the Count and Countess had no choice but to send her to a hidden witches’ sanctuary.
The Count, acting as a benefactor in disguise, supported her generously for fifteen years while she trained under the Great Witch.
At fifteen, believing herself to be an orphan, Amelie fainted when the Count revealed the truth.
After returning to the Winterpool estate, she underwent three more years of training and finally stepped into noble society.
After her identity was revealed, many despised her for pretending to be a noble despite being a witch, but Amelie never backed down.
With the strong backing of House Winterpool—and the fact that they had supported witches—open discrimination gradually decreased.
And also…
‘If I earn great merit in the Rift subjugation, the Imperial Family promised to improve the treatment of witches.’
That was the agreement between the Witch Council and the Emperor. Because of it, Amelie was now heading to Bellerophon Territory to deal with a newly formed Rift.
The growing number of rampaging monsters had long exceeded what conventional forces could handle.
In the end, the Empire had no choice but to rely on witches—the very people they had long despised.
Frankly, she didn’t trust the Emperor, who had ignored witches for so long, to truly change anything. But doing nothing was worse.
An imperial backing still held immense power.
Drrr— the carriage came to a stop.
Nina, her personal maid, lifted the broom for her as they prepared to disembark.
“Oh my, we’ve arrived, my lady.”
“It seems so. That didn’t take long.”
Amelie replied absentmindedly, still looking outside. A grand castle could be seen through the window.
Suddenly, murmuring voices came from outside, and a head of ash-gray hair appeared at the carriage door.
Amelie’s ruby eyes widened.
The door swung open, and dazzling light seemed to pour in.
“Lady Winterpool, this way.”
Her first love stood there, holding out his hand to escort her.
“….”
Almost spellbound, Amelie took his hand.
After she stepped down safely, the Grand Duke let go and helped Nina descend as well. Only then did Amelie realize she had been staring at him blankly.
She quickly bowed.
“P-Pleased to meet you, Your Grace, Grand Duke Bellerophon. I am Amelie Winterpool.”
“I am Kristan Bellerophon. Welcome to my territory.”
“….”
His unexpectedly gentle greeting made her bite her lip subtly. Her heart, however, was already pounding uncontrollably. She internally slapped her own cheeks.
‘Get a grip! He already has a wife!’
Still… seeing him again after so long made her more aware of him than she wanted.
But that was only acceptable if he truly was a married man.
“…?”
Suddenly, Amelie tilted her head slightly and looked behind the Grand Duke.
The person she expected to see was nowhere in sight.
‘…Where is the Duchess?’
