Prologue

It was a familiar scent.

A fragrance reminiscent of a rain-soaked forest.

Jane, sitting on the floor of the house that had been trashed by debt collectors, raised her head.

There was a silhouette waiting for someone in the doorway, where the hinges had fallen off and left it wide open.

For a moment, Jane thought she must be seeing things. There was no way he would appear at her small, shabby refuge.

But it really was him.

With his vivid blonde hair, eyes like the sea, prominent brow, high nose bridge, and an air that combined elegance with rawness – there was only one such person in this kingdom.

Cain Hastings.

Jane’s former fiancé and the sole duke of the great Emblem Kingdom.

The arrogant man’s gaze swept over the wrecked interior.

“You left me, and now look at this pitiful state you’re in.”

Their reunion after 7 years came at a moment she hadn’t expected – when she was at her lowest point.

He took a bold step inside.

“How squalid.”

Each word he uttered pierced Jane’s heart like a dagger.

“How unrefined.”

Jane squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them.

“How… did you come here?”

Jane’s voice trembled terribly.

Clean, noble, and dignified, he didn’t belong in this place.

“Wrong question. You should be asking why I came.”

“…Please leave.”

Cain’s expression turned harsh. But he quickly wiped it away and said:

“I have a proposal for you.”

Jane swallowed hard at the unexpected words.

A familiar face wore an unfamiliar expression. Jane’s eyes trembled slightly as she looked at the face of the man who was once her fiancé.

Just as she felt she might be pulled back into the days when she loved him helplessly, she managed to tear her gaze away.

The lips that had once whispered love to her now moved businesslike, uttering a cold voice.

“I need a woman to play the role of mother to my child.”

His cool eyes felt merciless. This man needs me.

A shockingly rude proposal from a man who was once her fiancé but now no different from a stranger.

At the familiar look in her former fiancé’s eyes, now so different from the past, a realization flashed through her mind.

“Get ready.”

That she had no choice in the matter.

The Woman Loved by God

Jane Whitney was a woman who had it all.

A moderately wealthy family, parents of high virtue, a harmonious home, and a kind and handsome fiancé.

She was even so beautiful that rumors about her spread through high society before her debut.

Anyone who saw her vivid red, full hair like roses and her shining jade-colored eyes fell in love with her.

That’s why she was always grateful to God.

‘Thank you for giving me so much.’

She thought she was favored by God.

But it didn’t even take a full day for that belief to shatter.

No, a day was too long. It only took 5 minutes – the time it took for the judge to read the verdict – for her life to crumble.

“Jillian Whitney and James Whitney are hereby arrested for treason against the state. The criminals have committed the unforgivable crime of supporting rebels who disturbed the nation and attempting to transfer power to commoners against Her Majesty the Queen. From this moment, all assets of the Whitney family are confiscated by the state and the entire family is banished from the capital.”

Shock spread across the faces of the Whitney household members who had rushed out at the news that the judge had arrived with the royal knights.

It was unbelievable.

Count Whitney was a very aristocratic person. Though he was a bit special, but only when it came to Jane.

They taught Jane rhetoric, politics, and history – subjects that ordinary women didn’t learn.

But he was someone who personally composed poems for the Queen’s birthday each year and gladly looked down on manual labor.

There was no way the Whitneys would have supported rebels calling for the dissolution of the royal family.

Jane grabbed the judge.

“Treason? That’s absurd. There must be some mistake. Is the royal decree really for the Whitney family?”

“Step back. If you say one more word, I’ll have you dragged away too!”

The knight beside the judge harshly struck Jane’s hand away. Jane turned to look at her mother and father with a shocked expression.

“Say something! Please!”

James and Jillian each took one of Jane’s hands. Jane closed her mouth and raised her lowered head.

And she met her parents’ eyes. In that moment, Jane understood everything.

“Ah…!”

Jane staggered.

The verdict was not wrong. The Whitneys had supported the rebels.

On her parents’ faces, there was a mix of will, conviction, and guilt at showing their daughter such a disgraceful sight – but no trace of resentment or regret.

The Whitneys had supported the rebels.

“Execute the order.”

At the judge’s cold command, the Queen’s army occupied the Whitney mansion.

Their hands were merciless. Servants were dragged out, and objects were smashed.

Jane could only stagger, unable to do anything. She stared blankly as her precious space was trampled under the soldiers’ boots.

“Kyaa! Master! Madam!”

Only when a sharp scream shook the hall did Jane come to her senses.

“Count! You bastards, let go of our Count! Ugh, ack!”

The knights bound Jillian and James with ropes. The servants fearlessly rushed at the knights.

“Get your filthy hands off! These are criminals. Stopping us is the same as stopping Her Majesty the Queen. Do you want to be arrested too?”

Despite the knight’s threats, the servants absolutely refused to let go. Then excessive violence rained down. The knights’ brutality was indiscriminate.

They didn’t spare women or children. They stomped even harder on those who had fallen.

Jane bit her lower lip hard and clenched her fists. Jane moved. With her parents gone, she had to protect the Whitney household.

“Stop this!”

Jane blocked the path of a knight who had raised his sword high.

“Her Majesty the Queen ordered you to arrest the criminals, not to beat innocent people.”

Jane looked at the judge who had read the verdict. The judge made a regretful expression and gestured to the knights.

As the knights let go and stepped back, the judge turned to Jane.

“Since Miss Whitney says so, we shall withdraw for now.”

The judge’s exaggerated bow was almost ridiculous, and it was clearly meant to mock Jane.

With those words and that gesture, Jane realized how her circumstances had changed.

The judge had crushed her without laying a hand on her body.

The judge and knights filed out just as they had come in.

Even as they were being dragged away, the Whitneys smiled at Jane, as if telling her not to worry.

“Father… Mother…”

Jane’s mind went blank.

She was no longer the young lady of a prestigious family, but the daughter of the Whitneys who had committed treason.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine how things would change, how miserable her life would become.

‘What about my parents? What will happen to them? According to the law, the punishment for treason is…!’

Jane gasped. Treason was punishable by death.

‘I can’t just sit still. I need to find someone who can help. There must be someone.’

Even then, Jane still believed in her fate as one beloved by God.

That God wouldn’t abandon her so cruelly. That He wouldn’t take everything away from her.

* * *

The next day, Jane went to see the Duke and Duchess of Hastings.

The House of Hastings.

They were the most trusted family by the Queen and had produced the chairman of the noble council for generations.

The Whitney and Hastings families had closely cooperated in public spheres like politics and business.

They were also very close privately – the two families were connected by the engagement between the Hastings heir and Jane.

Since their marriage had been decided from a very early age, the Duke and Duchess of Hastings had been friendly with Jane since childhood and were quite fond of her.

That’s why Jane didn’t hesitate to seek out the Duke and Duchess of Hastings to overcome this crisis.

“Jane, your face looks very worn. You must have been shocked? I was shocked too, but it must have been worse for you. What on earth happened? Such gentle people, but behind the scenes…”

Ahem, the Duke of Hastings cleared his throat.

“Jane, have you found a place to live? I heard you have to leave the capital.”

The Duke and Duchess of Hastings expressed concern for Jane.

As expected of the Hastings. True to their reputation as model nobles and paragons of virtue, they were consistently kind even to Jane, the daughter of criminals.

They were different from others.

The responses Jane had received from people she’d urgently requested help from the night before had disappointed her.

People who had been trying to make connections with the Whitney family just two days ago had completely changed their attitude.

The Duke and Duchess of Hastings were the only ones who responded positively to her contact and allowed her to visit.

“I deeply regret causing you concern, Duke and Duchess. It’s shameless of me, but I came because I have a favor to ask.”

Jane felt urgent. She couldn’t bear to think of the Count and Countess Whitney staying in detention.

The detention center where her parents were held was notorious for its poor conditions.

Rats scurrying across the kitchen counters, beds made of stone, and no separate toilets – they had to use wooden buckets instead.

Dark clouds gathered on Jane’s face as she thought of her parents.

“Feel free to ask us anything. You’re like our own child.”

Jane firmly believed the Duchess’s words. Tears welled up at her kind words.

She felt so guilty having to make a request that would surely cause trouble for such kind people.

But it couldn’t be helped if she wanted to save her parents.

Only they, with their deep trust from the Queen, could reduce the severity of the punishment the Whitneys would receive.

Jane squeezed her eyes shut and said:

“Please save my parents.”

A heavy silence pressed down on the reception room. The Duke and Duchess of Hastings looked at each other with strange expressions.

“…Jane, that’s a very difficult request.”

The Duke of Hastings’ tightly closed lips parted.