Chapter 1

Juno wiped away the tears from her eyes as she heard whispers from the people around her.

“Is that child his wife’s daughter?”

“Oh goodness, how old is she? She looks so young.”

“She’s said to be ten years old.”

Juno did not want to cry in front of those who curiously looked at her.

“Ten years old! The road ahead will be difficult.”

“The marquis is quite cruel. This is his wife’s funeral, yet he’s not here.”

“Tsk, tsk. It’s to be expected. She was an unloved woman after all.”

Listening to them, Juno stared at her mother’s coffin. White lilies were placed on top of it.

“Why did the marchioness’s family decide not to take in the child?”

“Didn’t you know? The older brother of Her Ladyship, Marchioness Oliva, was the head of the family, and he died three years ago.”

“Oh, so…”

“Indeed. Since then, they’ve been publicly criticized.”

“What a shame.”

They were so rude. The women thought they were speaking quietly; Juno was determined not to cry in front of them, even though she was holding in her anger.

“Won’t His Lordship, Marquis Trish, give that to his child?”

“Do you think so? She can meet my son-in-law.”

“Unless the mistress gives birth to a son. Then that’s another story.”

“Oh, you’re right!”

Juno clenched her first. That woman…

“What will happen to his daughter then?”

“She’ll be married off to a suitable aristocrat.”

“She’s pretty, so there’s bound to be many marriage candidates.”

“That’s good.”

“I heard His Lordship is very handsome as well. What kind of person is his mistress?”

“They say she’s plain-looking.”

“Really?”

“Well, she’s…”

“Oh my!”

Juno covered her ears as the frivolous laughter resounded. She didn’t want to hear anything. It was despicable such scum was present at the funeral of Marquis Trish’s wife. Juno’s mother was not loved by the marquis, and her mother’s family had fallen from their noble status. No one wanted to pretend to be respectful to Juno or her mother.

It’s not a big deal anyway. As Juno was deep in thought, someone approached her.

“My lady.”

It was a friendly voice she always recognized. Nereus was the family butler and also the only person who was kind to Juno.

“What is it?”

With an apologetic look, Nereus said, “His Lordship is calling for you.”

“…My father?”

“Yes.”

Juno didn’t want to go. No one else would truly grieve for her mother. She wanted to stay here until she was confident her mother went to heaven.

Nereus noticed Juno was rather reluctant. “My lady.”

“Do I have to? The funeral will be over in one hour.”

“…I’m sorry.” It wasn’t his fault, yet he looked like he wronged her.

“I understand.”

Juno followed Nereus. There were still traces of her mother in the mansion, calming Juno’s heart but also making her sad at the same time. As they walked to her father’s study, Juno could sense Nereus’s sympathy. Everyone, the aristocrats and servants, felt sorry for her. But she could only grit her teeth.

It’s all right. It was not Juno’s fault she was unloved. Being unloved by her father didn’t make Juno feel sorry for herself either. As her mother said, Juno was just unlucky.

“My lady.”

“Yes?”

“I’m on your side.”

“Of course.”

Juno appreciated the friendliness the butler showed her. He was also the only one who would look at Juno like she was his friend.

With a perfect smile, the butler knocked on the door to the study. “I have brought the young lady.”

“I’m here.” Juno walked past Nereus, who had opened the door for her.

In the past, Juno was nervous when she was called into the study. Because I was scared of him. To Juno, her father always lurked in the shadows.

But today was different. Juno, as usual, looked at her father. After a brief silence, the marquis spoke.

“Juno.”

“…Yes, Father.”

“Your mother has died.”

“…”

He sounded happy talking about the dead woman.

“Lilith will arrive at the house tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

“Show some respect to your new mother.”

Did he just call his own daughter, who was attending her mother’s funeral, to say something like that? A scathing remark came to mind.

“I think you’re mistaken.”

“What?”

Juno knew the more she acted like this, the harder it would be in the future. However, she wanted to do something for her mother today.

To be honest, she wanted to make her father, Marquis Robert Trish, infuriated. She wanted him to feel the anger, the sadness, the exhaustion that she was feeling, barely enduring even. It felt like she was going to die.

“…Lilith can’t be a marchioness. So, she’s not my mother.”

“…Say that again.”

There was no going back after this, but Juno didn’t hesitate. “She will never be listed in our family registry. She can never be my mother.”

Crash! Juno ignored the glass that flew past her.

“How dare you!”

“…”

Angry as he was, the marquis couldn’t argue against Juno. It was the truth.

The venerable House Trish was not the only family led by a marquis. He was fortunate to be born as a legitimate successor. Since he only had his current position, the branch families and retired old men were watching him. Therefore, he could never officially bring Lilith into the family, who was a commoner and from a brothel, as the marchioness. The only thing he could do was not hire a new servant.

“I’m quite happy I resemble my mother.” Juno grinned as the marquis cursed. It was a beautiful, bright smile that her mother always praised and said looked like her own.

The branch families were no different from trash when they ignored what her father did to her mother as her family fell from their noble status, but in this circumstance, those damn relatives were helpful. A lesser evil is better than the worst evil.

The marquis, whose face was red, said in a cold voice, “Get out.”

His voice was filled with fury and despair. It was great. Even if his anger wasn’t like Juno’s, his blood was boiling.

“My lady.” The butler anxiously looked at Juno, but she didn’t care. From the moment her mother died, her father had no regrets.

“Let’s return to the funeral.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Juno began to walk faster. Soon, there would be another chapter in Juno’s life, and Juno wanted to see her mother go on her final journey.

Nereus was worried when he saw Juno running as fast as she could. “My lady, you’re going to trip and hurt yourself.”

“But…”

Juno, who left in the middle of the funeral, stopped in her tracks. Everyone had left.

“What? Why did…”

“My lady!”

Juno broke into a sprint. It wasn’t long before she ran out of breath.

“Huff, huff.” Juno saw a maid walk by.

She noticed Juno. “My lady?”

“W-Where’s my… mother?”

The maid’s eyes were filled with pity. “Oh, the cemetery—”

“What? It’s not time yet!”

“…His Lordship said we must not delay it any further.”

Juno held back her tears. Why were people so cruel? Did he hate her mother so much that he couldn’t let the funeral go on for another hour? Or was this his final act of love?

Juno reached out to hug Nereus who had just caught up to her. “I… The carriage…”

“Understood, my lady.” Nereus hugged her back.

The last time this happened was when she was eight. Maybe the butler had gotten older in two years’ time, for she heard his beating heart as Nereus carried her to the stables.

He called out, “Where is the carriage?”

The stableman appeared and was startled to see the butler. “Mr. Nereus?”

“The carriage!” Nereus’s usual, neat, gentle appearance was nowhere to be found.

With a confused look, the stableman hesitated for a moment. “Well, you see…”

“What is it?” Nereus was unable to hold back his frustration.

The stableman glanced at Juno before answering as if there was nothing he could do. “Miss Lilith wanted to go shopping, so she needed a carriage…”

Nereus shouted, “She doesn’t have her own carriage!”

“Y-Yes, so… I let her borrow Her Ladyship’s carriage.”

“What?”

The stableman averted his gaze. “The wheels of His Lordship’s carriage were broken…”

“How many days has it been since Her Ladyship passed away?”

Juno tugged Nereus’s sleeve. She was also upset, but they were running out of time. “Are there any other carriages?”

Her question made the stableman grimace. “I’m sorry, my lady. They’re being used to transport Miss Lilith’s luggage.”

There were no carriages. Rather than be upset, Juno found the situation to be absurd. Is this why the funeral ended early? Perhaps she was right. Truly, her father’s love was amazing in its own right.

“This is absolute madness…” Nereus could no longer hide his anger.

Juno pulled on his sleeve again. “Mr. Nereus, hold on.”

“My lady?”

If there were no carriages at the mansion, they could rent one from somewhere else.

“Bring a carriage here.”

“What? Me?” The stableman pointed at himself.

“Must I be the one to go when I’m but an old man?” Nereus was furious. Today wasn’t a good day.

The stableman shook his head and said, “No, of course not, Mr. Nereus.”

“You must hurry!”

“Understood!”

As the stableman left, the butler turned to Juno. “I’m sorry, my lady.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“You must stay here until a carriage arrives…”

“No, I will wait with you at the front gate.” Juno pretended to be calm, but she was impatient. She wanted to see her mother as soon as possible.

The old man who knew Juno’s heart reached out his hand. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Nereus and Juno stood in front of the mansion gate, waiting. As more time passed, the butler was worried about her.

“My lady, don’t your legs hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

“Why is he late?”

Her legs did hurt, but Juno refused to take her eyes off the main road that was past the front gate. Juno was determined to wait for the carriage.