Despite being the daughter of a count, Aylin was chosen by the Imperial Palace to have her debut at the imperial ball. Her father, Count Montclair, was a successful merchant whose name was well known in the Empire.

Not only had his trade company grown exponentially in the past decade, but the mana stone mines in their county were of a higher quality than others.

Cassius and Aylin were popular among the mothers looking for their offsprings' future spouses. Unfortunately for them, the Montclairs shielded their children well.

The siblings had made their wishes known to their parents—they refused to be betrothed to anyone against their desires. Thus, every single marriage proposal was rejected.

Fortunately, the Montclairs were in a position where they could afford to do so despite only coming from a count's family.

Countess Montclair smiled in helplessness as she quietly looked from her husband to her son and daughter. Her eyes landed on Aylin, who seemed relieved after the end of their nagging.

"My dear, you chose your beloved father to be your partner tonight," the Countess spoke, her gaze gentle. "But do you have any gentleman in mind if you have the chance to dance with him?"

Count Montclair and Cassius' heads snapped toward Aylin once they heard Countess Montclair's question. Instead of grimacing at her mother's dangerous inquiry, she took this chance to speak of a name.

"I have, Mom. I hope to dance with Duke Arkel if he attends the ball."

Count Montclair and Cassius' jaws almost rolled to the floor. None of them had expected to hear Aylin say the name of the Great Lord of the West.

"The Duke?"

"Aylin, are you serious?"

Unfazed by the Count and Cassius' reactions, Aylin nodded. She answered firmly, "Yes. The young Duke. Duke Kazimir van Arkel."

The Countess arched her brows, also sharing the same surprise as her husband and her son. But instead of being alarmed by her daughter's answer, she was intrigued.

Putting her silver fork and knife down, Countess Montclair smiled at Aylin. "Since when do you admire him, my dear? I have never heard you say anything about him before."

Count Montclair and Cassius nodded in sync, agreeing with the Countess. Indeed, this was the very first time they had heard Aylin mention the young Duke's name.

The current Duke Arkel's fame was known to everyone in the vast Braxten Empire. He was also popular among the foreign kingdoms.

The Arkel family was one of the Empire's founding members. As its descendant, the Duke's excellent military prowess and high intellect made him a respectable figure in high society.

But...

Even though many mothers with daughters of marriageable age wished to have the Duke as their son-in-law, the young Duke Arkel had never shown any interest in finding a spouse.

Duke Arkel rarely appeared at high society events. He usually confined himself to the dukedom, performing his responsibilities as its leader, just under the Imperial family.

The Duke's people dearly respected him. They often sang praises to their lord.

On the rare occasions when the young Duke was present at high society events, most people did not have the guts to approach him. His stoic face, paired with his ominous dark circles and oppressive aura, was enough to keep people away from him.

"Hehe, is that too unbelievable?"

Aylin refrained from laughing at the sight of her family's evident curiosity. She really had never brought up Kazimir's name before them, including even the slightest mention of her admiration toward him.

From the first time she had received her previous life's memories over a decade ago, she had been keeping everything to herself.

Aylin's cherry red lips curled into a grin. A mirthful glint flickered in her light pink eyes as she said, "Why? Can't I keep my admiration for the Duke a secret until I'm ready to convey it?"

Countess Montclair burst into laughter, amused by how cheeky her daughter's reply was. As for the Count and Cassius, they exchanged a look, clearly baffled by Aylin's confession.

Before her parents and brother could say anything, Aylin quickly sang praise to Kazimir.

"Isn't he the most admirable bachelor in the Empire, even from the past few years? He's single, young and dashing. Also, he's the great war hero who eradicated the mystical beasts' lair and sealed the portal."

Count Montclair and Cassius' jaws were still slackened, and they were unable to believe their ears. The Countess held back from laughing as she enjoyed listening to Aylin.

This was the very first time their youngest had praised a gentleman!

Was it because she would move to the Arkel Duchy soon?

"Dad, Mom, Cassius," Aylin swept her gaze across the dining table, a grin tugging at her lips. "Unlike his peers, the young Duke is far from being a rakehell. Isn't that what you're worried about just now?

The Countess finally laughed while the two men became too speechless to say anything. Aylin took this chance to escape from the dining room.

"I'm full already. I'll return to my room now. Later!"

"Aylin!"

Aylin dashed out of the dining room, ignoring how unladylike her behavior was. She hurriedly headed to her bedroom, eager to meet someone.

To be exact, her divine beast familiar, Liora.

Soon, Aylin reached the third floor of the townhouse. She sent Clara, her personal maid, away by telling the older woman that she wanted to be alone.

Aylin closed the door, her entire face beaming from anticipation. Her gaze was settled on the bed.

A tiny fox with luminous, soft brown fur and sparkling pink eyes curled in the middle of the mattress. An intricate silver mark glowed on its forehead.

"Loa, how was it? Did you see him?"

Aylin cupped her hands together, scooping Liora up. The little fox snuggled in her embrace, happy to be back in her master's arms. Aylin sat on the bed, waiting for Liora to speak.

|Master, as expected, the effects have worn off. He couldn't sleep well last night. One of his knights learned it was you at the temple the other day.|

Liora's soft and adorable voice echoed, only to be heard by Aylin. No one else could see the fox unless it willingly revealed its presence.

A sigh escaped Aylin's lips. Despite already anticipating the answers, she had genuinely hoped that she would be mistaken.

How could she break the horrid curse that Kazimir, her former life's husband, was under?

Aylin had a few plans in mind, but she hadn't determined which one was best. More research had to be done before she could finalize anything. She didn't want to make it worse for Kazimir.

Aylin recalled the gold tassel she had left for Kazimir before leaving the Grand Temple a few days ago. She had poured a great amount of her divine power into the item, hoping the tassel would help him keep his nightmares and pain at bay.

"Loa… I hoped the effect would last much longer. Unfortunately, it didn't."

Aylin was aware that her divine power was greater than all the priests’ combined. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to break the dreadful curse suffered by Kazimir. She had to look for specific ways to dismantle it.

The curse originated even before the founding of the Braxten Empire, following Kazimir to this new life.

Something dark and malevolent had stuck itself to his soul. Severing the connection required a high price.

'I have to get close to him. Tonight... will he seek me out first?'

While rubbing Liora's fluffy head, Aylin's thoughts wandered to Kazimir—the version of him that she knew from hundreds of years ago.

He was her beloved husband, the one who was determined to kill himself when the devil tempted his soul to end her.

"Why? Why did you do this?"

"Because I love you... I would rather kill myself over and over... than end you..."

"B-but! Not by killing yourself!"

"My moon... live well... don't... let anyone cage you again..."

Her screams of agony, the bloodstained image of watching him die, and the warmth of his red blood spilling from his chest—she remembered all.