Meanwhile, one of the backup agents observing from a distance muttered,
“It looks like Abel Sting hasn’t completely given up.”
The others nodded in unison.
It certainly appeared that way.
Abel, who had been listless for the past week, now resembled someone who, after prolonged hunger, had begun binge-eating. He was unleashing words at the target—neatly packaged as warnings—each one essentially meaning You’re doomed and Misfortune will follow you everywhere.
“Oh dear, you didn’t know those flowers came from a cemetery?”
“Tsk, tsk. You really look like someone who wouldn’t know. But miss—where are you from?”
As a few meddlesome merchants chimed in, the woman clutching an armful of flowers turned ashen.
Like a corpse freshly buried.
—
Vues, the capital of Luxen.
As the heart of Norfolk trade, Vues had always commanded exorbitant land prices. Even within Vues—already notorious for its wealth—the upper reaches of the Rothen River were unmatched, lined with mansions belonging to royal and noble families who had ruled Norfolk for generations.
The Marquis Reinhardt family was one such household.
And at present, another noble house stood just as prominent.
The Count Jerome family.
On a night when darkness fell.
Servants of the Count’s household, dressed in formal livery, moved so swiftly their feet were barely visible.
Today was a special day.
It was the birthday celebration of Sabina von Jerome, Count Jerome’s only daughter and the fiancée of Crown Prince Leopold.
From before sunset, distinguished guests—names known throughout the continent—arrived one after another at the Jerome mansion.
Sabina’s guest list was remarkably diverse.
“Your Highness the Princess! My goodness, you truly came!”
“I said I would. It’s not far from Felpe.”
“Don’t make me cry. I spent far too long on my makeup today. I can't cry”
A collateral royal from neighboring Felpe.
“Sabina, happy birthday.”
“Thank you for coming, Duchess Elos. Mother is in the hall.”
“Yes, yes. Though this will be the last year I call you by your given name, won’t it?”
“Please don’t say that. Call me by my name anytime.”
“And when you become Queen—what then?”
Senior figures of the Luxen royal family were present as well.
In addition, celebrated artists at the height of their popularity—dancers, opera singers, painters, pianists—had all been invited.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“I’m grateful you came. I’ve prepared a place over there—please enjoy yourselves.”
With a practiced social smile, Sabina gestured toward a corner of the hall.
As the artists followed the servants and disappeared, a noblewoman fluttered her fan and spoke admiringly.
“I’ve heard painters and musicians are clamoring for the Jerome family’s patronage these days. Was that your doing, my lady?”
“Especially Dante—the one you recently sponsored. His paintings were so peculiar at first, I couldn’t make sense of them. I wondered what they were. But the more I looked, the more fascinating they became. I purchased one myself.”
Sabina smiled modestly and guided her guest forward.
“I do have a fondness for peculiar things.”
“Not all peculiar things are worthwhile. Your judgment is excellent—you chose well.”
“Thank you. Please hang Dante’s work in a quiet corner of your study. It’s conducive to contemplation. I had one hung in His Majesty’s study as well.”
“In His Majesty’s study? Then I must hang it immediately.”
Sabina von Jerome was the rising star of Luxen society.
It was only natural.
She was the King’s future daughter-in-law and Count Jerome’s only daughter.
But that alone was not the reason.
Sabina linked arms affectionately with a woman who had been watching her from afar.
“Truthfully, it wasn’t my discernment—it was Mother’s. Sponsoring Dante, placing his work in His Majesty’s study… all of that was Mother.”
Her mother, Charlotte, who had been gazing fondly at her beloved daughter, spoke with a gentle reprimand.
“Sabina. That’s enough humility.”
Mother and daughter stood together like a completed painting.
And the greatest reason Sabina shone so brightly in society—
was her mother.
The most beautiful woman in East Norfolk.A possessor of unparalleled discernment.The axis of the latest trends.The undisputed queen of society.
“Marquise, I truly envy you. How did you raise such a beautiful and intelligent daughter?”
Charlotte von Reinhardt smiled.
At that, her masterpiece—Sabina’s smile—deepened further. As mother and daughter, sharing lustrous blonde hair and amethyst-like violet eyes, turned toward one another and smiled, it felt as though the air itself brightened.
Yet Charlotte’s masterpiece was not limited to Sabina alone.
“Is it only your daughter?” another noblewoman asked. “What of your son?”
Charlotte’s lips curved slightly.
“The true masterpiece lies elsewhere.”
“Speaking of my brother, Mother—I’m terribly disappointed in him.”
Sabina pouted as she spoke, and Charlotte reached out to stroke her daughter’s cheek.
“Don’t say that. You know how busy your brother is.”
Oscar von Reinhardt.
Charlotte’s eldest son—and the foundation of her power.
That fact was evident in the simple truth that, even after bearing Sabina with Count Jerome—her longtime lover—Charlotte still retained the Reinhardt surname.
“Still,” Sabina said softly, “how could he not attend his only sister’s birthday?”
“If you recall what he gave you as an engagement gift,” Charlotte replied, tapping the large diamond necklace resting against Sabina’s collarbone with her index finger, “you shouldn’t complain.”
Gasps rippled through the surrounding women.
“It’s larger—and more brilliant—than my wedding jewelry.”
“My lady, I’m envious. No brother in the world gives such a necklace to his sister.”
Charlotte adopted a deliberately stern expression.
“You pestered your brother for it, then decided to combine it with your birthday gift. Didn’t you?”
“Mother,” Sabina replied, lowering her eyes, “I don’t need gifts like this. I just wanted my brother to come.”
She looked genuinely disappointed.
The noblewomen gathered around them immediately chimed in.
“I understand completely. A party attended by Marquis Reinhardt? I would cross the sea to attend.”
“I feel the same way. Do you know my younger sister is currently collecting every newspaper featuring the Marquis.”
“So is mine. We’ve subscribed to so many papers just to gather his photographs. Marquise, even if there’s no place to sit, please let me know if he attends.”
“Forget a place to sit, A place to stand would be more than enough.”
As the women spoke earnestly, Charlotte smiled with the ease of a sated lion.
“Oscar doesn’t attend gatherings meant only for casual conversation,” she said lightly. “So, I can’t say how it will turn out. But if such an occasion arises, I will inform you.”
At that moment, a family servant approached and whispered something into Charlotte’s ear.
Charlotte nodded once.
“I understand.”
As the servant withdrew, Charlotte turned to her daughter, who was watching her with widened eyes.
“Sabina. Your father is calling for you.”
“Calling for me? Won’t he come inside?”
“He says a gift sent personally by His Majesty has arrived. It seems impossible to bring it here.”
The surrounding noblewomen gasped.
“I wish I could be reborn as a noblewoman.”
“Your brother’s gift alone is enviable—but a gift from His Majesty that can’t even be brought inside?”
Sabina covered her mouth with her hand, feigning modesty, as Charlotte led her away.
Mother and daughter passed through the crowd of nobles showering them with admiration. The banquet hall, designed for such occasions, had exterior stairs leading directly to the rear. Servants opened the balcony doors for them.
Upon reaching the balcony, Sabina released her mother’s hand and hurried to the railing.
In the garden below, lit by scattered lanterns, Count Jerome waited.
The moment he saw his daughter appeared beyond the balcony, his face broke into a radiant smile.
“Father!”
Beside the Count stood an Achel Teke—renowned as the finest of fine horses—its elegant form glowing softly in the dim garden light. Its golden mane rippled gently in the night breeze.
In that moment, it looked almost like a unicorn.
—