Long brown hair fluttered between the tall trees. A small, slender body scampered down the steep mountain path like a baby squirrel.

It was a rugged mountain without proper paths that even ordinary adult men would find difficult.

Arabel paid no heed as she raced along, using the scattered branches, rocks, and stones around her. If there was one thing in the world Arabel was confident about, it was climbing mountains.

It had been that way since she first started toddling. She had explored all the local mountains, following her mother to gather medicinal herbs. Especially the mountain behind her great-aunt’s husband Baron Kander’s estate, notorious for being treacherous even within the empire, was an exciting playground for Arabel.

Quiet and introverted from a young age, Arabel found it more comfortable and enjoyable to spend time with animals rather than people.

Her boldness in hiding and treating an injured magical beast in a cave was out of character for her usual personality.

Those who knew her would probably burst out laughing, saying it was impossible. After all, Arabel was very timid, passive, and somewhat naive.

But that was Arabel as seen through the eyes of people hardened and weakened by the world. People didn’t know or try to understand the ‘real’ Arabel.

Arabel was naturally uncomfortable standing out and didn’t try to show off her strengths. Even if she seemed like a timid and cowardly girl, she wasn’t as naive or stupid as people thought.

How could a stupid girl know the names and properties of hundreds of medicinal herbs, thoroughly explore the terrain of local mountains and rivers, and remember the names and characteristics of countless animals and insects?

People mistakenly judged Arabel, who was kind-hearted and forgiving even when taken advantage of, as a dim-witted child.

And even her family members took her kindness for granted and exploited it. For Arabel, animals were her true family and friends. Animals didn’t lie to her and loved her just as she was.

That’s why Arabel couldn’t ignore the black panther dying from people’s spears. In Arabel’s eyes, humans who cruelly harmed animals and nature seemed far more dangerous than beasts.

Click, a dry hand quietly opened the old castle’s kitchen side door. Large eyes carefully surveyed the surroundings through the gap. The few employees were busy preparing the lord’s family’s late breakfast.

Suddenly, a cold hand firmly grasped Arabel’s thin wrist and pulled her inside.

It was Arabel’s older sister, Camille.

“Where have you been until now?”

“Sorry, I went to the mountain and got trapped in a downpour. I ended up falling asleep in a cave.”

“The castle was turned upside down because of you, and you say you fell asleep?”

Camille, a head taller than Arabel, frowned as if dumbfounded. Arabel’s younger sister Roxy, who had appeared at some point, shot her a look full of contempt.

“Don’t lie. You were treating some useless injured animal in the mountains again, weren’t you?”

“N-no, that’s not…”

“What do you mean, no? It’s written all over your stupid face. I know you took rabbits from Father’s lab and released them in the mountains. Father is fuming, so you better be prepared.”

Roxy, who never called Arabel ‘sister’ despite being only a year younger, warned.

“As if we don’t have enough hands, how many people do you think climbed the mountain because of you? Even making Father go out. Serves you right.”

“They didn’t have to do that…”

Guilt washed over her, but somehow a corner of her heart felt warm. Great-uncle, great-aunt, and even Father were worried about me. Arabel’s nose tingled as she lowered her head.

Two years ago, when there was a landslide and Arabel was trapped in the mountains for three days, no one had come looking for her.

In the dead of winter, she had climbed the mountain to pick truffles, her great-uncle’s favorite. The castle people had pushed her, saying Arabel was the only one who knew the mountains like the back of her hand.

And then the landslide happened. Arabel, shivering in a rabbit hole, wasn’t resentful that no one came looking for her. They might get hurt if they came searching. She thought it was fortunate they didn’t come to rescue her.

But when she was made to skip meals because the truffles she had picked from the cliff edge after three days had all frozen and become unusable, she might have felt a little sad.

“How ridiculous. You don’t actually think they went looking because they were worried about you, do you?”

“The pregnant racehorse is getting sensitive and making a fuss, shouldn’t you be there to calm it down?”

“You think you’ll be the only one in trouble if something happens to Eric’s racehorse? We’ll all catch heat for it!”

Camille and Roxy relentlessly berated Arabel. At some point, the head maid Mary and the maid Annie had gathered behind them and chimed in.

“What will you do if something happens to Young Master Eric’s beloved horse?”

“Tsk, if you’re going to live off the Baron’s household, you should at least have some sense. My husband is about to get scolded because of you, miss.”

The head maid’s husband Jerry was in charge of the stables. It was his responsibility to take care of the pregnant racehorse. Yet everyone was pouring their complaints on Arabel.

As if it were all Arabel’s responsibility to deliver the racehorse’s foal overnight, to nurse the feverish pigs, to coax the cows that weren’t producing milk to start lactating.

The employees of Baron Kander’s household had long treated Arabel’s family, who lived off the Baron’s family, as their equals. Especially the kind-hearted and soft Arabel, they were quick to push their work onto her.

This was because Baron Kander’s estate was poor, far too poor.

The land, surrounded by layers of mountains, was barren and difficult to farm or cultivate fields, and it had not a single notable specialty product. Nor did many precious medicinal herbs grow in the mountains – it was truly a useless piece of land.

It would have been somewhat better if the lord and lady were wise and virtuous, but they were the worst as lords. Baron and Baroness Kander were not only stupid but also extravagant and excessively greedy. Not to mention their son Eric and daughter Margot.

With life so harsh, the castle employees and the few estate residents had no conscience or room to help others.

“Right. Lily will probably give birth to twins tomorrow. I should go check on her quickly. She must be very scared.”

Cousin Eric’s beloved horse Lily was more attached to Arabel than to her owner. Arabel ran up to the 5th floor attic room to change clothes.

As she passed the 2nd floor of the stairs, smack, Arabel’s head turned and stars burst in her eyes. Clutching her swollen cheek, she looked at her same-age cousin in front of her, blinking her eyes that were blurring with tears.

“How dare you secretly steal and wear my favorite dress?”

A yellow dress was thrown over Arabel’s face as she stood there with trembling lips.

“Are you trying to fool anyone with that stupid, idiotic expression? It was the dress I was going to wear to Count Hawthorne’s party on Saturday. You tore it up like this and tried to hide it?”

“N-no, that’s not…”

“What do you mean, no? Who else cleans my room besides you?”

Margot glared with snake-like eyes, her hands trembling.

“Did you tear Margot’s dress?”

The Baroness, Arabel’s great-aunt, appeared at the commotion on the stairs.

“I-I…”

“She can’t answer properly because she’s guilty of what she’s done, Mother. The head maid said she saw her wearing my dress and grinning happily in front of the mirror!”

Margot shouted, pointing at Arabel who was opening and closing her mouth, unable to speak properly.

The Baroness called for Mary without taking her cold gaze off Arabel.

“Mary!”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Is it true that you witnessed this with your own eyes?”

“Yes, yes. The day before yesterday morning, I saw Miss Arabel wearing the dress in Miss Margot’s bedroom.”

Head maid Mary lied, subtly exchanging glances with Margot. Margot, who didn’t want to go to the party in an out-of-fashion dress, needed a reason to buy a new dress.

The family’s financial situation was at its worst after using up non-existent money to cover up Eric’s assault incident. Her mother was unlikely to buy her one easily. The cunning Margot had joined hands with head maid Mary.

Margot had torn the dress shoulder strap herself. And Mary agreed to say she saw Arabel secretly wearing it.

The devious head maid wouldn’t help Margot for nothing. Young maid Annie, the only one left in the castle, was a thorn in her side.

She had seen her exchanging secret glances with her philandering husband several times already. To buy an expensive dress, they would have to use money not in the budget, and that money was three months’ salary for a maid.

“Sob, Mother, what should I do? This party is really important… They said even noble heirs from the capital will be attending. Sob, sob.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll fire Annie and have Arabel do Annie’s share until we find a new maid. You ruined an expensive dress brought in from the capital, so you can do at least that much, right? Be grateful I’m not telling your great-uncle about today’s incident.”

The Baroness comforted her daughter, who was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

This idiot who can’t even mutter a lie to defend herself. The corners of Mary’s mouth turned up as she avoided Arabel’s gaze.

Arabel was a hundred times better than the lazy and weak Annie. Her work would be reduced by a third, so it was killing two birds with one stone.

Heavy footsteps approached Arabel’s ears as she suddenly took on Annie’s duties as well. Arabel’s father Jonathan approached her with a stern face.

“Father, I’m sorry for worrying you…”

Arabel lowered her head, unable to face her father. Sharp words rained down on her crown, sharper than knife blades.

“How can you be nothing but a stumbling block in my life… in Camille and Roxy’s lives, in all our lives? You know how important the racehorse is in this household. You disappear without even properly helping with that? How long are you going to just eat our food like a parasite?”

Teardrops flowed and spread on Arabel’s worn shoes. But the harsh words from the angry lips showed no signs of stopping.

“If it weren’t for you… No, if you had just been born with our family’s blood properly, we wouldn’t have ended up in this situation. If only you had been born with the healing ability that Camille and Roxy have to heal people!”

“Brother, don’t make a fuss and go inside. If the Baron hears, he’ll be displeased again today, saying it’s noisy because of your family.”

The Baroness left with Margot after cautioning her brother. Arabel’s father also disappeared, turning away from his crying daughter.

Back in the attic room, Arabel bit her lower lip to keep her sobs from escaping. She wiped away the falling tears with the back of her hand, roughened from hard work.

If only I had been born with healing abilities like Camille unnie and Roxy, as Father said… Guilt washed over her like a tidal wave.

The House of Delcingre was once a family trusted by the imperial household for their ability to heal people.

Of course, that was a very old story. Originally commoners, the Delcingre family received a special viscountcy from the emperor for their healing abilities and enjoyed a prosperous life for a long time.

But as foolish humans often do, they began to misuse their blessed abilities for evil.

With each passing generation, their special abilities grew weaker and weaker. The Delcingre people squandered their fortune on gambling and entertainment, relying solely on their one ability.

Finally, by the sixth generation, the Delcingre people had become penniless and were reduced to being treated as quacks. The few remaining bloodlines barely survived by attaching themselves to rural lords with what little healing ability remained.

Arabel’s father, a direct descendant of the family, was no exception.

He was living as a hanger-on with his daughters on Baron Kander’s estate, using the minuscule healing ability flowing in his blood. His ability was barely enough to heal minor injuries that even a doctor could easily treat.

What Arabel’s father realized was that when all the Delcingre bloodlines combined their powers, they could increase the minimal healing abilities each possessed.

Unlike her older sister Camille and younger sister Roxy, whose healing abilities manifested at age five as per family tradition, Arabel’s never manifested.

If only Arabel had healing abilities too… Arabel’s father endlessly resented his second daughter, deluding himself that their combined abilities would have been tremendous.

Of course, this stemmed from his delusion of grossly overestimating his and his two daughters’ abilities. When the three of them together could barely heal a sprained ankle, adding one more Arabel wouldn’t have made much difference.

But he blamed Arabel for the poverty and contempt he experienced. That way, he didn’t have to admit that he was a failure.

Sadly, Arabel believed her father’s words and blamed herself for her family’s misfortune.

“If my abilities had manifested… Mother wouldn’t have left us, would she?”

Arabel whispered, stroking the pregnant racehorse Lily while sitting on the stable vines. She hadn’t eaten dinner, but being in the stable was much more comfortable than being inside the castle.

The year Camille turned eleven, Arabel nine, and Roxy eight, the three girls’ mother vanished without a trace.

‘It’s because of you. Your mother left us because she was disappointed in you.’

‘We lost Mom because of you. If it weren’t for you, we would have grown up with Mom’s love.’

‘Everything went wrong because of you alone. If another child had been born instead of you, we could have restored our family.’

The cruel words she had heard for over 10 years had become truth to Arabel and those around her.

“Lily, even if the baby you give birth to doesn’t become a great racehorse like you, you’ll still love it, right?”

Arabel gently combed Lily’s mane as the horse rested its head on her lap, blinking its eyes.

Just then,

“Now that I see, talking to animals at all hours seems to be your hobby.”

A deep, resonant voice came from behind her.

Somehow, it was a familiar voice filled with arrogance and overflowing confidence.

Arabel turned her head, and her eyes widened like full moons. The black panther, no, the young man who had been the black panther, was standing at the entrance of the stable.

He was no longer naked, nor alone.

The man was wearing a dark blue uniform made of precious fabric unobtainable in the village, with a red robe trimmed in gold draped over his shoulders.

Escorted by over twenty soldiers wearing silver iron armor. The golden dragon emblem symbolizing the imperial family gleamed on their armor.

The Baron and Baroness Kander, along with Arabel’s father, stood beside the man with hunched postures, unable to even raise their heads. Margot, Camille, and Roxy were stealing glances at the man from behind them.

As the man took a step forward, a guard swiftly unrolled a red carpet before his feet.

His red eyes pleasantly rippled as they captured Arabel’s trembling round eyes. Soon, a long shadow fell over Arabel’s head.

Emperor Maxwell extended his hand towards Arabel.

“Didn’t I promise to take responsibility? I’ve come to take you.”