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Chapter 01
The Kingdom of Aventador, located at the eastern edge of the continent, was known for its mild climate and abundant natural beauty. In the expansive gardens of the Hertenes family estate, right next to the capital, the laughter of two children echoed.
“Hahaha, Emil! Are you scared just because our Ben jumped at you? Hahaha!”
“I’m scared of dogs! Waaahhh!”
“Miss, young master! Don’t run! What if you get hurt!”
“Hahaha, Ben! Come here—waaah, eek, aaaah!!”
Roabellin had been happily playing in the garden with her younger brother, Emilic, when she misstepped and tumbled into a bush.
“Ouch, ack….”
“Are you okay, sister? Ah… blood!”
Emilic rushed to his sister and was startled to see a scratch on her cheek. It seemed she had been scratched by a branch when she fell. Fortunately, it wasn’t deep, but it was on her cheek, so it was very visible, and a bit of blood had formed.
News of an injury to the precious young lady quickly reached her father, Duke Hertenes. After a brief treatment, he summoned Roabellin to his study.
“You called me, Father?”
Having hurt herself due to carelessness, Roabellin expected a stern scolding and felt deflated.
“Come closer.”
The Duke carefully examined his daughter’s small wound. Though it pained him to see her injured, he spoke sternly.
“Roa, tomorrow is the day you will enter the palace after a long while, yet you’ve been careless. You will show the King your unwell face. You are the only daughter of our Hoo family. Since you will become queen, you must always take care not to get hurt.”
For over a thousand years, the Hertenes family had produced nearly every queen of Aventador, earning the family the nickname ‘Hoo’—the queenly house.
“Yes, Father. I’m sorry…”
“That’s right. And to add, in the past, when international affairs or security were unstable, daughters of the Hertenes were sometimes brought to the palace from a young age to be raised there before marrying into the royal family.”
The Duke smiled faintly and continued, looking at his daughter with affection.
“There’s only one thing your father hopes for. Before you enter the palace, conduct yourself properly and study diligently. Show that even within the Hertenes household, you can grow into a worthy queen. That is, if you do not wish to leave your family early to live in the palace.”
The thought of living apart from her beloved family, among complete strangers in the palace, was unimaginable for eleven-year-old Roabellin.
Yet she could not indulge in childish wishes to avoid marriage and live with her family forever. As the only direct daughter of the Hoo family, she knew she would inevitably become queen, regardless of her own desires.
The next day, the carriage carrying Roabellin and Duke Hertenes arrived at the palace.
“Roa, do you remember entering the palace last year?”
“A little. But I don’t remember the time before that very well.”
Daughters of the Hoo family often visited the palace from a young age to become acquainted with the prince they were to accompany. This time, due to various reasons, the interval between visits had grown longer.
At a modest tea table in the palace garden sat King Yuraksis and Prince Skark, already waiting. Skark had dark brown hair and green eyes; his features were handsome but gave off a subtly crooked impression.
The Duke and his daughter greeted the King.
“We pay respects to Your Majesty, the Sun of the Kingdom, head of Aventador.”
“Welcome. Sit, and have some tea first. This is our kingdom’s special Earl Grey, harvested this year.”
“Yes, thank you. We enjoyed the Earl Grey you gifted last year. It’s our family’s favorite tea.”
Listening to the formal exchange, Roabellin suddenly felt an uncomfortable gaze.
“Hm…?”
Turning, she saw Skark staring at her intently.
She had platinum hair, a trait inherited from Hoo ancestors, and violet eyes, a feature that appeared with high probability among direct Hoo daughters. This combination was extremely rare for Aventador natives—so much so that it could be considered unique to this family. Additionally, the Hoo family was known for producing extraordinary beauties, regardless of gender.
‘Once she grows a bit more, she’ll be truly remarkable. If she becomes the kingdom’s most beautiful woman and my queen, the people will admire me for having her.’
Skark was more interested in Roabellin’s beauty than the legitimacy of marrying a Hoo daughter to secure his status as king.
‘Why is he staring at me so unpleasantly?’
Roabellin felt uncomfortable under his gaze but had no way to avoid it.
After some more polite conversation, King Yuraksis gestured to Skark.
“Skark, we have matters of state to discuss with the Duke. Show the young lady around the main building. It’s good for the two of you to have some time alone.”
“Yes.”
Skark led Roabellin to one of the main buildings, which housed an audience hall and conference room for foreign envoys.
“When does the Hoo daughter’s divine power manifest?”
“Usually at twelve.”
“Then next year.”
“Yes, probably. It will be very faint at first.”
The two, not particularly close, walked together, making small talk about matters they both knew. Turning a corner, they came to a hallway lined endlessly with portraits on the walls.
“These portraits are of our ancestors—the kings and queens of Aventador.”
Hoo daughters possessed not only divine power but also several mysterious abilities. One of these could be seen here.
The first child of a direct Hoo daughter and the legitimate king of Aventador was always born with black hair and blue eyes, regardless of the parents’ appearance. For this reason, past kings who were unsure of their legitimacy often found excuses to avoid marrying a Hoo daughter.
Looking at the portraits, most kings had black hair and blue eyes, though some variation existed. Queens were mostly platinum-haired, many with violet eyes like Roabellin.
Skark, scanning the portraits absentmindedly, thought:
‘Surprisingly, there are quite a few kings who weren’t of the legitimate line. But almost all the queens…’
After a moment, he spoke to Roabellin with a twisted expression.
“As you can see, the kings’ hair colors vary, and occasionally… their bloodlines change. Rebellions, dying without heirs, and such happen. But the Hoo family?”
He paused deliberately, as if asking a genuine question.
“In the past thousand years, Hoo daughters have occupied the queen’s position in almost every generation. In a way, they’re an even more impressive lineage than the royal family. You could say this country has essentially been ruled by the Hoo family, couldn’t you?”
Though not entirely false, agreeing to such a statement could be dangerously construed as treason.
Roa carefully chose her words, hiding her astonishment.
“The Hertenes have loyally served the Kingdom and the royal family for generations, and will continue to do so. As Your Majesty knows, our family has a tradition of strictly prohibiting the use of a queen’s power for family gain.”
“…”
Skark was slightly surprised by her reply.
‘An eleven-year-old not only detected the sting in my words but also gave an answer that avoids trouble…’
This calm, perceptive girl, who did not fall into his intended trap, annoyed him further.
Having grown up spoiled and attended to, he was unaccustomed to restraining his emotions. Everyone around him catered to his moods.
Now, he felt the urge to unnerve this young girl who did not bow before him.
‘I need to find a flaw… Ah!’
Just then, he noticed a faint scratch on Roabellin’s cheek. Forcing a smile, he asked:
“But what’s that scratch on your cheek?”
Roa, startled by the sudden change of topic, replied:
“Oh, I scratched it on a branch in our garden yesterday.”
Seeing an opening, Skark smirked and said:
“The girl who is to become queen runs around like a colt and gets a scratch on her face? I wonder if the Duke and Duchess are really raising her to be a proper queen.”
Annoyed by the mocking tone, Roabellin lifted her previously lowered head. Her father’s warning came back to her like a lightning strike:
“Conduct yourself properly and study diligently. Show that even within the Hertenes household, you can grow into a worthy queen. That is, if you do not wish to leave your family early to live in the palace.”
Her bright violet eyes reflected her unease and tension. She feared she might be dragged into the palace immediately.
Skark, amused by her reaction, raised his mockery further.
“Well, your daughter wasn’t born sooner, born too late… plenty of excuses. Anyway, the Hoo family didn’t produce a queen for two generations… now they should be worried, right? Or maybe they think the queen’s position naturally belongs to Hoo, so they raise the daughter half-heartedly?”
Skark knew the truth—Hertenes daughters were rigorously trained in court etiquette, governance, royal studies, politics, economics, finance, foreign languages, and palace management. They were practically perfect queens-in-training. Yet he deliberately mentioned her parents to provoke Roabellin.
Roa could not tolerate her beloved parents being disparaged by this fourteen-year-old, contemptible prince.
Her lips trembling with anger, she spoke:
“Your Majesty, the Hertenes always do their utmost in educating their children. It has been the most important value in our family for a thousand years. And, by taking Hoo daughters as consorts, the royal family has effectively secured legitimacy. How can you speak of our long-standing consort family in such a way?”
Ordinary commoners, unaware of the Hoo family’s power, assumed their daughters were favored by the king simply for their beauty. In reality, it was the opposite.
