CHAPTER – 01
– Plumette Fritzki –

“……The Kroscich Empire used to be a kingdom until four hundred years ago, but our ancestors decided to expand their territories. Thus, it became the Kroscich Empire after fighting many other kingdoms. Many long-standing noble families contributed greatly in the past wars, and they are still doing so in the current battles along the borders……”

“That’s it for today’s history class, Lady Fritzki. I want you to study and take notes on what the old nobles have contributed to the empire until our next class.”

With that being said, Teacher Mason left the room. Lady Fritzki, already done with her classes for the day, exited the room as well and decided to dress up for her next appointment, which was to attend the tea party of her friend, Grace Crowe.

Within a little time, she did what she could to fix her appearance and hopped into the carriage with her maid, Kate, and a guard knight, Ian.

Grace had been her friend since Plumette started socializing in society as a child. Though Grace was the daughter of a Marquess, she never tried to overstep her bounds or look down on those beneath her. Plumette also had another friend, the daughter of Count Ashcroft—Dorothy Ashcroft.

Whenever these three were together, they often caused trouble. But today was an important day for Grace’s family, because they had finally managed to open a new business on the famous Willow Street, owned by Marquess Narwing.

Willow Street was famous for a reason. Business flowed even into the smallest shops there, customers streamed through like running water, and even nobles frequented Willow Street as a popular dating spot.

Plumette arrived at the tea party just in time before it started. She looked around for Grace, but seeing that she was busy greeting other guests, she decided to stand aside, waiting for Dorothy to arrive while she sampled the new dishes on the table.

Dorothy arrived a little later at the party. Now, while Dorothy and Plumette were in the middle of talking—or rather, complaining about their family issues—Grace and her father stepped into the center of the crowd, wine glasses raised in the air.

Marquess Aldrich Crowe began to speak.

“I would like to thank Marquess Narwing for opening an opportunity for me to expand my business on the famous Willow Street. Since Marquess Narwing isn’t here at the moment, his son, Jacob Narwing, please grant us the opportunity to thank your family in return with this small celebration.”

Jacob Narwing was the only heir of the Narwing family. He had also earned his position as Captain Jacob Narwing in the military through his own skills. Many young men admired his abilities, and women were head over heels for his handsome face.

He stepped out of the crowd and stood beside Marquess Crowe with a faint smile. His eyes momentarily lingered on Plumette, but she already had her hands full talking with Dorothy and failed to notice his gaze—thankfully, or perhaps not.

As the event continued, the crowd busied themselves chatting and gossiping about politics and new drama. Still, Plumette, Dorothy, and Grace remained in their own world.

“Last night, my father was so happy that he drank a whole bottle of wine. The servants had to carry him back to his bedroom, and my mother was totally not happy about it,” Grace said.

She glanced back at Marquess and Marchioness Crowe. The awkward air lingering between them made last night’s events obvious to anyone. The three girls giggled, knowing that the Marquess would soon apologise to his wife.

However, Plumette was still unaware of the gentle gaze of Jacob Narwing watching her from a corner. His eyes followed her as her lips twisted into laughter, but he couldn’t bring himself to approach her. He wasn’t very brave when it came to such things, so for now, he was satisfied just watching her from the side.

The next day, Plumette was back in her room, watching the gardener at work. She told herself—and others—that she was simply making sure the servants were doing their jobs correctly.

It was a clever excuse to pass the time instead of doing her history work.

She had studied well in her teenage years, but history had always bored her, so she often skipped those classes. Now her father had forced her to retake all those lessons under strict orders, which ended up making her study twice as hard in her twenties.

Her only brother, Zachary Fritzki, was busy fulfilling his duties as the next heir of the Count estate. Still, he visited her once a day—or once a week if he was too busy.

Plumette got up from her windowsill and walked down the hallway directly to her brother’s study, where he was working.

“Brother Zachary, you’re not busy today, right?” Plumette asked as soon as she stepped inside.

Without looking up, Zachary answered, “Depends on your request, Plumette.”

She took a seat on the empty chair near his desk and sighed.

“Well… It’s nothing much. How about we go horseback riding?”

Zachary finally put down his quill and looked at her.

“Horseback riding, in the middle of the day?” he questioned.

“Yes, because you always refuse when I ask in the morning or evening, so I decided to ask at noon,” Plumette replied with a pleasant smile.

Zachary quickly scanned the papers on his desk before answering.

“Fine. I happen to need to check the storage today. We can both go on horseback then.”

Plumette nodded happily. “Then I’ll quickly go and change my clothes.”

After Plumette left, Zachary decided to go through a few important documents before joining her outside the grounds.

After changing into clothes suitable for horseback riding, Plumette walked down the hallway near her father’s office when she caught a glimpse of Jacob Narwing inside, speaking with her father.

A maid stepped out of the office and greeted Plumette, drawing the attention of both her father and Jacob.

“Plumette, come inside,” her father said.

With a quiet sigh, she entered the office.

“Hello, Lord Narwing, Father,” she greeted them properly.

“Are you going somewhere?” her father asked, while Jacob’s watchful gaze rested on her.

“Brother is going on a storage inspection, and he let me join him,” Plumette replied.

“Oh yes, the storage inspection. Inform Zachary to report to me as soon as he’s done. I have things to discuss with him,” her father said.

Then he added, “Let Lord Jacob tag along. He wants to inspect the merchants who provide us with goods.”

With that, she was dismissed shortly.