🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 01
It was a war that had raged for six long years.
The Kingdom of Glorious, blessed with lush forests and the beauty of nature, stood opposite the Kingdom of Winternight. The relationship between the two kingdoms, which had gradually deteriorated since the reign of the previous kings, had finally erupted into full-scale war.
The dry earth was soaked with the blood of countless people, and every night was filled with the sorrowful cries of those forced to bid farewell to their loved ones. It was a war that brought nothing but suffering to both friend and foe.
After six years, the war finally came to an end with the victory of the Kingdom of Glorious.
At last, peace had returned.
The soldiers came home after the long conflict. Upon hearing news of the great victory, the people of Glorious poured into the streets to welcome them.
Many had failed to return alive, but their names would be remembered in history as having died honorably.
That day, celebrations were held throughout the kingdom.
The royal palace hosted a grand banquet for the soldiers who had fought on the various battlefields. While the entire nation rejoiced in victory, the commanders and vice-commanders of the Royal Guard Knights gathered in the audience chamber after receiving a summons from the king.
The king looked warmly upon his loyal subjects.
“You have all worked hard. Thanks to your efforts, our kingdom has regained peace.”
At the king’s heartfelt words, the knights bowed deeply.
The king studied each of them before his gaze settled upon a red-haired woman standing respectfully in plain attire.
Adora Alfred.
The youngest commander of the Green Knights and the only female knight in the Kingdom of Glorious.
Anyone who had fought beside her knew she had played a crucial role in this war.
After all, they still remembered the moment she severed the head of the enemy commander—a man who had long been a thorn in their side—and raised it high before the army. That was the moment everyone realized the war was finally over.
The king was proud to call her his knight.
“Alfred. I hear your contributions to this victory were immense.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. It was only possible because my comrades fought alongside me.”
Though she had every reason to boast, she remained humble.
The king smiled in satisfaction.
“No one can deny your achievements in this war. I would like to personally reward you.”
“Your Majesty’s words alone are more than enough reward for me.”
“No. This time, I insist. Whatever you desire, ask it of me. If you wish for a title, I shall grant one. If you desire land, I shall bestow it gladly.”
“…Then I have one request.”
The king’s eyes brightened.
He had expected her to refuse.
“What is it? Speak freely.”
“I wish to retire from knighthood.”
What?
For a moment, the king wondered if he had heard her correctly.
Then came her next words.
“I intend to get married.”
The entire audience chamber froze.
Sir Adora Alfred was getting married?
The woman who had worn trousers instead of dresses since childhood. The woman who had preferred swords to flowers. The woman who had defied everyone around her to become a royal knight and eventually rise to the position of commander.
Now she was saying she wanted to abandon her knighthood for marriage?
The crimson beast of the battlefield, who smelled more of blood than flowers, wanted to marry?
No one could believe what they had heard.
Some wondered if they had heard correctly at all.
The royal scribe forgot his manners and dug at his ear.
The attendants behind the king hiccupped in shock.
The knights standing beside her widened their eyes and pinched their cheeks or slapped their ears, trying to determine whether this was reality or a dream.
“So I wish to step down. Please grant my request.”
But Adora Alfred was completely serious.
She did not take back her words.
Once everyone realized she meant every word, the audience chamber fell silent.
The king swallowed hard.
“Will… will you not regret it? You worked so hard to reach your current position.”
Through this war, she had earned not only the trust of the king but also the admiration of those who had once looked down on her.
The people were already praising her as a war hero.
She had achieved enough to justify asking for almost any reward.
This was the perfect opportunity to rise even higher.
Yet she intended to throw it all away.
Had she lost a limb or suffered an injury that prevented her from wielding a sword, it would have been understandable.
But she remained perfectly capable.
“Yes. I want to live as someone’s wife now.”
The entire room stared at her in disbelief.
The king was no exception.
A woman who had known nothing but swords and duty now wished to become a wife?
He briefly wondered whether the war had somehow affected her mind.
Yet despite everyone’s astonishment, her posture remained steady.
As upright and composed as ever.
The king was bewildered, but he had already promised to grant her request.
In the end, he nodded.
“I grant it.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Adora bowed politely.
She even seemed relieved.
And she paid no attention whatsoever to the countless stunned gazes fixed upon her.
Not long afterward, rumors began to spread that the Alfred family was seeking a marriage partner.
The news swept across the kingdom.
Sir Alfred—the woman everyone believed would remain single for life—was getting married!
The fact that she had even resigned from knighthood to do so became the talk of the kingdom.
At the same time, public curiosity focused on a single question:
Who would marry her?
A few days later, a man visited the Alfred estate.
He proposed.
And soon after, news spread that she had accepted.
When the people learned the identity of the man she had accepted, they were stunned once again—though for a completely different reason.
Because the man was:
The shame of the royal family.
The ornamental rose.
The so-called half-made prince.
Lionel Leonic Glorious, the Fourth Prince.
1. The End of a Revenge (1)
The carriage jolted violently as it rolled down a rough slope.
Boxes wrapped in cloth thudded against one another, and the passengers swayed from side to side.
Filled with both cargo and travelers, the carriage headed toward the eastern provinces.
The long war had ended in a great victory.
Festivals celebrating the triumph still filled the capital, and the arrival of spring, with hints of green appearing everywhere, seemed to amplify the blessings of peace.
Yet the losses brought by the war were too great for anyone to lose themselves entirely in celebration.
Each passenger in the carriage carried their own scars.
A woman’s skirt gradually rose with each bump in the road, revealing a leg that ended halfway down.
She had lost it after becoming caught in the war while traveling to another village in search of work.
Beside her sat a man missing one arm.
His face was wrapped almost entirely in bandages, save for his right eye.
An old man who had lost both sons in the war sat hunched over, leaning on a wooden cane more crooked than his own back.
His hands looked even thinner than the staff he held.
Next to him sat a widow whose husband had died in battle.
She gently stroked the head of her young son sleeping in her lap, but her face was filled with uncertainty about how she would survive from now on.
Silence filled the carriage.
No one showed interest in anyone else’s story.
No one asked questions.
The woman seated at the very end of the carriage was no different.
Unlike the others, she had not lost a limb.
She had not been blinded.
No part of her body had been pierced or maimed.
With perfectly healthy eyes, she stared blankly at the scenery passing by outside.
The daylight illuminated her red hair.
Her short hair, sturdy physique, and sword resting in one hand made her resemble a mercenary at first glance.
Though a female mercenary was uncommon, these were desperate times.
Many had lost their families to the war, while others had been so poor they had resorted to eating rats before finally taking up weapons and turning to banditry.
Compared to that, a woman carrying a sword was hardly shocking.
The farther east they traveled, the rougher the roads became.
Yet the carriage never stopped.
After three days of continuous travel, it finally came to a halt at the entrance to a mountain path.
The red-haired woman slung her travel bag over her shoulder, took up her sword, and stepped down.
Without hesitation, she climbed the steep mountain trail through the dense forest.
Eventually, a large estate came into view atop the hill.
About fifteen people stood waiting before it.
The woman stopped and lowered her bag.
Then she looked at them one by one.
Some bore deep scars across their faces.
Others carried old burn marks.
Even those without visible injuries likely hid long wounds beneath missing limbs or beneath their clothing.
A middle-aged man standing at the front approached her and carefully took her hand.
Time had left its mark on him as well.
The once-young and sharp-featured man now had white hair and a beard that softened his appearance.
The others behind him were much the same.
They all seemed calmer than when she had left.
Yet the way they looked at her had unmistakably changed.
“Welcome home, my lady. Truly, welcome home.”
“…John.”
At that single word, John—the butler of the Alfred family—began to cry.
The servants gathered behind him rushed forward, surrounding her as tears streamed down their faces.
Their embrace carried years of worry, relief, and affection.
Buried among them, Adora finally felt it.
She had truly returned home.
