Prologue

“You shouldn’t carelessly gamble away the family’s estate,” Firentia said. “This is already the third time—”

*Slap*

Her head snapped sharply to the side with an unwelcome, explosive sound.

“How dare you lecture me! Who do you think you are?!” said the man reeking of alcohol, whose strong hand had shoved her shoulder.

“Now, now. Calm down, Astaliu,” Bellezac gently chided his stumbling, drunk cousin. “Go over there.”

“And you…” he turned towards Firentia, stared her down, and—

*Slap*

A louder smack than before left a large handprint on her other cheek.

“You handle the family finances for a bit, and now you think all this belongs to you?” Bellezac sneered at Firentia, who stood trembling and holding her face.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” he continued. “We may share the same surname, but as someone with mixed, inferior blood, you will never be one of us. You’ll continue life as our servant, as you are now.”

No matter how many times she had heard it, the cruel words pierced like a dagger.

“Don’t you dare talk about this with grandfather, or else,” Bellezac growled as he spat at her feet and turned away.

Firentia listened as the sound of the carriage she had arrived in grew distant. Left alone in the dim alley of the nightlife district, she clenched her fists.

A drop of red blood fell from her burst lip.

***

*Clunk*

“Whoa, whoa.”

The carriage rocked lightly, and the coachman soothed the horses as Firentia was jolted from her deep reverie of the distant past.

Peeking through the slightly drawn curtain, she could see the palace guards through the window.

Firentia lowered the curtains, straightened her posture, and looked straight ahead. She looked like a framed Renaissance painting.

Her carriage passed through the palace gates and approached the Lehmbruck Palace. The brilliant afternoon sunlight glinted off the World Tree that adorned her carriage, showcasing the dazzling sheen of the original gold.

“We’ve arrived,” the coachman announced politely as the carriage came to a stop.

The carriage door opened, and a handsome man greeted her.

“Firentia,” he said.

“Perez,” she replied.

He gave the back of her hand a lengthy kiss as he escorted her out of the carriage, a deep kiss that exposed his inner desire.

“Perez!” Firentia exclaimed reproachfully.

But Perez smiled softly beneath his long eyelashes.

“Let’s go, everyone will be waiting,” he said.

Firentia pulled her hand away and walked ahead toward the grand banquet hall.

Perez let out another hearty laugh as the tips of Firentia’s ears turned slightly red before clasping his hands behind his back and following her inside.

“No one in the Lehmbruck Empire will complain if you make them wait a bit, my Tia. We can take our time,” he said.

The two had come a long way to get to this day.

“Think of our struggle to get here. Let’s enjoy the moment.”

After much perseverance and effort, it was time to enjoy the sweet fruits of their labor. It had been a long way back. More than anyone could possibly imagine.

“You’re right. It’s been a tough journey, ” Firentia admitted. “However, that’s no reason to be rude,” she added in a whisper.

It was a firm response. The woman with whom he had fallen in love at first sight was a truly remarkable lady.

Perez let out another cheerful laugh.

Before long, the two were standing in front of the grand banquet hall’s closed doors.

“Are you ready?” Perez asked.

Firentia nodded in response.

“Shall we, then, Mistress of the Lombardis?” he asked, extending his hand.

“We shall, Your Highness, The Crown Prince,” she replied, placing her delicate hand in his.

“Open the door,” Perez commanded.

As the doors slowly swung open, the bright lights of the grand banquet hall poured through.

“The Crown Prince and Lady Firentia Lombardi have arrived!” announced a servant.

The words sounded like sweet music to Firentia’s ears and brought a smile to her face.

Chapter 1

*Creeeak*

The royal soldiers closed the grand mansion’s iron gates, creating an unpleasant grating nose.

It was the end of the Lombardis, one of the great families that had stood shoulder to shoulder with the Lehmbruck royal family for nearly 250 years.

The Lombardi family, believed to be as eternal as their family emblem, the endlessly spreading World Tree, came to a hollow end. This was triggered by Viese Lombardi, the head of the house, and a few other important figures all going to prison for charges of tax evasion and treason.

Hundreds of citizens in the city that bore the family name gathered in front of the mansion. Some dabbed their tears incessantly with handkerchiefs while others turned away, unable to watch.

And at the very front was me, Firentia.

“Imbeciles,” I mumbled through gritted teeth.

But it didn’t matter now. I glared at the family’s main gate, now secured by a large, unimpressive lock, and muttered a few more choice words.

“Fools, paupers, deadbeats who couldn’t even be bothered to roll over if they were on fire.”

I could feel surprised glances from those around me, but what of it? The Lombardi family was already ruined.

No matter how much I cursed them, I could not suppress the boiling rage I held inside.

“I told them so many times that he wasn’t fit to be Crown Prince. That brat is a troublemaker by nature and could never have become Crown Prince!”

And yet, despite my warnings, the foolish Lombardis had supported the first-born prince, Astana Nerempe Durelli.

They claimed it was because he was the empress’ legitimate son, but from what I could see, they chose someone just like themselves. The kind of “noble” whose mind was filled with nothing but luxury and indulgence, and whose body was lazy to the bone.

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the Lombardi family’s glorious history quickly became synonymous with the history of the Lehmbruck Empire.

The Lombardi family had taken the Durellis, lords of some rural town, and had made them into kings, which had eventually led the empire to its current state.

“Is that all?” you may ask.

They amassed enormous wealth through commerce, won wars through bloodshed and sharp diplomatic skills, and bestowed patronage on artists across the empire. There was no place that hadn’t been influenced by the Lombardis.

The previous head of household, Lulac Lombardi, was credited with taking the Lombardi family to an even higher level. Just after young Lulac rose to power, the royal family banned him from the capital.

That was when Lulac came up with the scholarship system.

His generosity supported and nurtured outstanding talent in various fields without discriminating between nobles and commoners. Among those who received the Lombardis’ patronage, it was quite obvious where their loyalties would lie.

Though these recipients were not Lombardis by birth, they were their people.

Thus, Lulac was able to secure influence without ever leaving his estate. Ultimately, the former emperor was forced to rescind the ban after twenty years, finally acknowledging the Lombardi influence.

But…

“Seriously? How could they be so foolish? They ruined the family legacy in barely two years!”

Two years ago, Lulac Lombardi had passed away, and his eldest son, Viese Lombardi, had taken over as the head of the house. That was the beginning of the end.

Viese was a phantom who enjoyed flowery words. He wasn’t fit to lead a family that was equivalent to leading an entire kingdom.

The rest of the bloodline were narcissistic and wasteful. Without a strong leader to rein them in, they ran wild like untethered horses.

It was all too predictable.

And there was a simple reason why I knew so much about them: I was once a Lombardi.

Let me explain. I lived in a country called South Korea, where I died in a fatal car accident but reincarnated into this world—into the Lombardi family bloodline.

Legend says that when I first opened my eyes as a newborn and saw the luxurious surroundings, I cheered instead of crying.

Finally! Born with a silver spoon!

Every morning, I woke up in a huge mansion, and each night I stared into the World Tree engraved on the ceiling before falling asleep.

Unfortunately, I was also a half-blood.

My father was Lulac Lombardi’s third-born son, and my commoner mother passed away while giving birth to me. Due to the strict family laws, they had never officially wed.

Though technically I was illegitimate, I was allowed to keep the Lombardi name through the grace of my grandfather. However, that did not mean every family member acknowledged me as one of their own.

I was in a perpetually ambiguous position; holding the family surname, yet not a formal member. Though this made much of my life a facade, there were times when I was genuinely happy.

That is until, just days before my eleventh birthday, an incurable disease took my father. I became an orphan and was slowly forgotten by the family.

Without my father, who had been my familial link, I was no longer considered a Lombardi. Before long, I stopped being invited to family events and gradually lost my place within the family.

However, I couldn’t just let myself be phased out. I began working when I was about fifteen years old, and my first job was to take care of the Lombardi mansion’s library. It was the place where I had spent the most time with my father, and I frequented it even after his death.

When the librarian suddenly resigned due to an illness, I somehow managed to take over the vacant position. It’s fairly absurd to leave an entire library to a fifteen-year-old child, but it helped to be a Lombardi, at least in some eyes.

Ordering and organizing books as people requested them was something I both enjoyed and found reasonably simple. As a result of my hard work and dedication, the library became increasingly pleasant, and I began to gain recognition.

Little by little, step by step.

This position grew into becoming increasingly involved in Lombardi household duties. By the time I turned eighteen—an adult according to this world—I found myself, knowingly or unknowingly, responsible for managing household affairs inside and outside of the Lombardi mansion.

It was quite a job.

My father’s brothers (technically my uncles) were all high-nosed aristocrats, proud of their own importance. My cousins, on the other hand, were troublemakers who caused problems every day.

When I turned nineteen, my grandfather fell ill, and I remained by his side to assist with his duties. No one knew our family’s affairs as well as I did, which made me the obvious choice.

Unlike my cousins, whose brains were empty, my grandfather was shocked to see that I was a quick learner and efficient with my tasks.

As his illness worsened, and his worry for the future of the family grew, Duke Lombardi developed a habit of sighing.

“If only I had known more about you just a few years earlier,” he’d say. “I would have handed you this family…”

Each time, I would sigh in response and smile.

“Still nothing would have changed, Grandfather.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because I’m only half. How could I, born of a commoner mother, become the head of this family?”

“No, Firentia,” Grandfather said clearly, shaking his head side to side. “You are a Lombardi. As long as you have our family’s blood, you are qualified.”

But it was too late for regrets. Grandfather’s eldest son, Viese, was eagerly counting the days until he became the head of the family.

However, the last three years I spent with grandfather were not meaningless. I was able to feel family affection again, something I had been missing ever since my father had passed away.

“I’m sorry, Firentia. I should have taken better care of you when you were younger. You are my granddaughter after all... I am truly sorry.”

It may sound trivial, but those words were enough for me. Any resentment I held towards my grandfather melted away at his sincere apology.

I did my best for the family. I poured my affection into my work and spared no effort nor means to make the family greater. I worked through the nights and did not shy away from cleaning up my cousins’ messes.

I loved the Lombardis.

However...

My uncle Viese, now head of the family, approached me right after Grandfather’s funeral and threw a bag at my feet.

“Leave. I’m sure you know what you need to do without me saying it out loud, Firentia. I’ve been holding back out of respect for my father, but I can’t stand by and watch this anymore. How dare you overstep your bounds.”

What did he mean, “holding back”? Was he angry about how much I had done for the family?

Despite everything I had contributed, it was clear that I had never been part of the Lombardis.

“You can take the Lombardi name away from me. Just let me work for the family,” I pleaded. “I’m needed here.”

Viese scoffed and snorted. “You still don’t understand your place. Don’t even think about coming near this place again!”

And that was how I was cast out, without inheriting any of the property that I was rightfully entitled to as a Lombardi.

***

Exactly two years later, those fools had ruined the family!

That great family! The beautiful Lombardi family I dedicated my youth to!

*Thunk*

I slammed my beer glass down a little too harshly. The bartender glared at me, but I was too upset to care.

“They should have backed the second-born prince!”

The second-born prince, Perez Brivachau Durelli, had been ignored because he’d been born to a maid. Rumors of his death had circulated while he was confined to a small palace. No one could have imagined what a capable man he would grow up to be.

But with his immense talent, he graduated as the academy’s valedictorian in both his civil and military exams and impressed Emperor Yovanes. But that wasn’t all.

With his incredible charm, the second-born prince won over nobles that the first-born prince and empress had painstakingly cultivated. Before long, Perez Brivachau Durelli completely took over the assembly.

If only they had chosen the right successor, the Lombardis would not have fallen.

“Another drink here please!”

No matter how much I drank, the fire inside me wouldn’t die down.

“If you have eyes, you should have been able to see! It was so obvious! The second-born prince is obviously the clear choice over the first-born prince, who only knows how to flirt and gamble!”

However, those Lombardi fools hadn’t seen it. They had probably been too busy gambling with the first-born prince.

Eventually, the second-born prince was appointed Crown Prince, and the emperor fell ill not long afterwards. In their quest to make their first-born prince the emperor, the Lombardis had been relentlessly cruel to the second-prince prince, and now they faced the consequences.

“Haa… I need to go home.”

I was dizzy, perhaps because I’d had too much to drink. Fortunately, the house where I paid rent was a mere two blocks away.

I carelessly placed my payment on the table and staggered out of the bar.

“Stupid. Muscle-head. Troublemaker.”

As I cursed my uncles and cousins, who I could still vividly remember, I began to wobble. My body lurched to one side, and I staggered to keep from falling.

When I regained my footing, I found myself on a road frequented by carriages. Then something hit me hard from the back, and I felt my body lifting off the ground.

I may have heard horses neighing in the distance.

In my past life, I had died in a car accident, so it really sucked that I was now facing death by carriage. No matter how much I grumbled, I couldn’t deny that my body had succumbed to the laws of physics and was heading directly for the ground.

Then everything went dark.