Ella Querin was the only servant left to protect and depart with Irelina Mercius, the solo daughter of Arcy and Esmeralda Mercius. The shadow demons ruined their small country, leaving not a single hair of the innocent.

Irelina could not believe what happened. It was unacceptable. The horrendous death of her parents has still lingered in her thoughts. She could not accept that her parents were gone—not even having the chance to bury them or obtain a small amount of their ashes swept away by the cold wind.

The evil flames devoured every living thing that the shadow demon could see and kill.

She silently screamed, covering her mouth, and wailed in tears when the shadow demon burned her parents alive in the far-distance forest where they hid and watched.  She did not want to leave her parents behind but she had no choice but to survive as her parents will.

Irelina Mercius’s new home in the regent’s palace.

Ella sobbed while combing Irelina’s wavy, long, shiny black hair. Her face was covered with the magicus black veil, but her silence was filled with grief and sorrow for what she had lost. She had no choice but to follow her parents' last will—to be sheltered by the regent’s grace. 

Her black veil was bizarre. It was embedded with a magic spell made by her mother’s blood. Her parents were the only ones who could briefly see her face behind it. If touched, the veil released a painful purple electric vine shock that turned the skin black.

Irelina started wearing the black veil when she was born. As she ages, she is prohibited from using the mirror and has never seen her face since then. She was such a beautiful, innocent child with a pure heart who obeyed her parents, for she never questioned why they hid her face. Yet her persona was unique from the rest.

For the last seventeen years, she had never removed the black veil, even when sleeping and bathing. Irelina would come of age in a few more months, and only then could she remove the veil with a mystic bracelet that she would soon wear.  

“Ella…” Her tone was gentle. “When will you stop crying?” 

Ella sniffled and wiped her tears with great concern.

“How can they be so cruel? You just got here and are mourning your family’s death. And yet, they pronounce you as the 9th Concubine without your consent. Isn’t it unfair and unjust, Lady Irelina? Why did you not refuse?” 

“If I refuse, where would we go? Father said that we could trust the regent. He also mentioned that the regent was one of his closest friends for a long time.”

“I know, but still—” 

“Ella, we should be grateful that there are still people like the regent who accept us even though we don't belong in this country,” she said bluntly. 

“I’m sorry, Lady Irelina. I overstepped.” 

Ella put the hairbrush on the table with a concerned expression. 

“That’s alright—don’t apologize. I know you’re concerned. Let’s stay here for a while. Tomorrow, If the regent visits, I will talk to her about us.” 

Ella agreed. 

Ella had never seen Irelina’s face even once. Curious, she tried to touch the black veil when Irelina was soundly asleep. Her fingers had been itching to touch Irelina's face when she was born. And, whenever she asked Lady Esmeralda about the veil, she would smile and say, 'It's for the bugs not to bite because Irelina had sensitive skin.' Naively, Ella would stare at Lady Esmeralda's smiling face while humming a lullaby to Irelina.

Luckily, she stopped midway and realized that she would patiently wait no matter what until Irelina looked like and when she was ready to show her face to everyone.

In her heart, Irelina was the kindest lady she had ever served. 

A week later, Regent Robina finally visited them. But before her planned visit, a big commotion happened with the country’s barrier spell. The Emperor of the West, Doris, rashly came to the Golden Empire with Apollis, the archmage, to discuss the peculiar rumble of the barrier. They were able to resolve the shattered barrier spell temporarily. But Zeddrick was not convinced how long the barrier could stay dominant if another surprise shook the land. It seemed a mysterious entity was trying to break the barrier, and they didn’t even know when it would occur again. 

Regent Robina and Irelina were having a high tea prepared by Ella for them.

“Are you settling well in the palace?” She asked as she drank her tea. 

“Yes, I am, and we are deeply grateful to you, Regent Robina,” she said politely and placed the teacup on the table. 

The regent smiled but was curious about her face behind the black veil. Whether it was confirmed that the shadow demons ruined her face or the cause of hiding her face was not to be told or talked about. A moment of silence when—

“My father—how well do you know my father?” Irelina asked.

Regent Robina simpered as she held her teacup placed on her lap. “I never expected you to ask about your father,” she added, “I knew your father well because we went to the same school. He lived in the Southern part of the Vincentus Empire. After a year, we became close friends. Thanks to him, I met my deceased husband, Freddrick Verticulas. They were inseparable as best friends. Your father was a bubbly man and a born merchant, so he travelled much with his father. Until one day, he never came back to Hēnte.” 

The regent paused, staring at her teacup with a wistful smile, and said, “Out of the blue, your father sent me a letter and mentioned that he established a small country and named it after his family name, Mercius. From then on, we often exchanged letters. He talked much about you and how he loved you and your mother.”

Irelina felt a sense of relief in her heart. She placidly smiled with teary eyes. Her father and mother were everything to her. When the shadow demons ambushed their land, her parents saved her and left Ella with her instead of them. The last words her father said were, Run! Run away, Irelina! Save yourself! Don’t look back!

It was still so vivid to her that she could remember her parents' last smiles and tears looking at her with their last goodbyes while being burned to the ground, embracing each other.   

She looked at the open window as the silhouette of the curtain rustled. 

“My parents…they were everything to me. Seeing them die in front of my eyes was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced.”

The regent felt unhappy to hear such sorrow from her. But despite what had happened to her at such a young age, she was still trying to live an everyday life.

“And I believe as sons and daughters, the love of our parents will remain forever regardless of what happens. I’m sure your Father and Mother are at ease because you’re in good hands now,” were Regent Robina’s comforting words to her. 

Irelina looked sideways at the open window and thought about her parents, reminiscing and thinking, Please watch over me, Father and Mother. I will try to live as normal as you want me to be.

Meanwhile, the seven concubines were having an afternoon of high tea in the glasshouse beside the emperor’s palace. It was a refreshing teatime surrounded by an enormous variety of chrysanthemums and an angelic fountain in the center of the garden. The Wisteria trees were the center of attraction and were well-maintained by the gardener. The Wisteria flowers were about to blossom as they sat comfortably enjoying their favorite tea under the distance of the pink-violet Wisteria tree. 

Behind Dianthus's far right shoulder were backdrops of cattleya and moth orchids, uniquely designed and placed. The glasshouse was embedded with revivora spells to maintain its healthy glow with fresh ventilation.

“I’m curious what the 9th Concubine's face looks like. Was Irelina her name?” Samantha opened the topic. 

“Me, too. I am curious. No one has seen her walking around in the regent’s palace. Don’t you think so?” Lily added. 

“She must be a discreet person who doesn’t want to meddle with anyone,” Erielle said. 

Dianne sipped her tea while listening to their conversation. She shifted her gaze at Yzabelle and gently set the teacup on the table. 

“Since she’s the topic for the day, what do you think of her, Yzabelle? Are you also curious about what she looks like?” 

Yzabelle gracefully sipped her tea as they wondered and waited for her opinion. She was the oldest among them, and it was common for the ladies to respect someone older than them whether they hated them or not; their moral values needed to come first for the credibility of their family’s name. 

“I am, of course, curious about her. But what can we do? The regent made it clear that she didn’t like to be seen.” 

“So, you’re saying we should just let it go?” Dianthus’s brow slightly furrowed. 

“I am not sure why everyone’s bothered about her. She’s not meddling with any of us or the emperor. Aren’t we supposed to be contented? That the emperor shows no interest in someone like her with an ugly face?” Yzabelle said sarcastically. 

Some felt embarrassed and distressed, except for Dianthus, who was displeased by her sarcastic tone. The atmosphere became upsetting. 

“My, my, shall we change the topic? The emperor’s birthday is just months away. Would it be great if we plan something for His Majesty?” Amelia tried to divert their attention to the emperor’s upcoming special day.

Luciana seemed uninterested in listening to their mockery as she enjoyed her selection of sweets and a cup of Jasmine tea.