The right of succession to the empire belonged only to sons. It was an unfair situation for Riena, but it was still an evil law that had not changed.

Because of this, the title of Count Dyke was inherited not by Riena, the eldest daughter, but by Aaron, the only son, who was 10 years old.

However, there was no way that the young Aaron, who had not yet received proper successor training, could rule the family.

Thanks to this, Aaron inherited the count’s title, but all the governing power of the family fell into the hands of the Countess Dyke.

Although it was unfair, Riena had no choice but to agree with Aaron inheriting the count’s title. If Aaron couldn’t inherit it, all titles and property would be passed on to collateral relatives.

Rather than that, it was much better for Aaron, who inherited father’s blood, to inherit everything. It was natural, too.

‘But I didn’t expect this.’

She gritted her teeth, thinking of Baron Rothman whom she had seen at dinner time. She had anticipated that the Countess, who didn’t welcome her, wouldn’t find her a proper marriage partner.

In fact, Riena thought she wouldn’t bother to find her a marriage partner at all and would just neglect her.

But suddenly she called her saying a guest was coming, and told her to marry Baron Rothman, who had been widowed only a few months ago. She never expected this.

How could she suggest someone who was rumored to have killed his own wife…!

If the Countess, who now held all the power in the family, pushed for the marriage, powerless Riena would have no choice but to enter the wedding hall.

Then there was only one option. To leave this mansion.

But father, who had been an only son, had no living relatives left. It was the same with her maternal family. After her birth mother passed away when she was 2 years old, contact with her maternal family was almost cut off.

Aunt Letitia, with whom she occasionally exchanged letters when she remembered, was in the capital. From the Dyke territory at the southern end of the empire to the capital, it took a good 3 weeks by carriage, or at least 3 days even using a magic port.

In other words, it was nonsense to go to the capital alone without someone’s help.

Someone who could help. While looking for such a person, Riena muttered a name.

“Raoul…”

It was the name of a childhood friend she had known since she could remember. Raoul Berna.

The Berna barony where he was born and raised was right next to the Dyke county. He normally stayed in the capital as a member of the Imperial Knights, but he had recently sent Riena a letter saying he had taken a vacation and come down to his territory.

If she could escape to the Berna territory first and go to the capital with him, she could ask for help from Aunt Letitia in the capital.

Having thought that far, Riena hurriedly took out writing paper.

To Raoul,

I received your letter saying you recently took a vacation and returned to the territory for a while. But aren’t you coming to see me? I’m disappointed. It’s already been a year since we last met.

I’ve been feeling especially depressed lately, perhaps because father is gone. If you see this letter, I’d like you to come see me. Please.

Your old friend, Riena.

Riena suppressed her anxious feelings and wrote as neatly as possible.

She wanted to honestly tell Raoul about the situation, but disguised it as a common greeting letter in case the Countess Dyke might discover it.

But Raoul, who had known her for a long time, would sense something amiss from the single word “Please.”

Just then, Joanna, who had gone to get ice, entered the room. Her face was even more swollen than before. Riena looked at her with pity and handed her the sealed letter.

“After you finish the cold compress, send this to Raoul without mother knowing. Understand?”

“But miss, if madam finds out…”

“That’s why secretly. Understand?”

“I understand.”

“Thank you.”

Joanna looked at Riena with a still anxious face and put the letter in her bosom.

Rip, riiip.

Countess Dyke tore the letter with angry hand movements. It was the letter Riena had written to Raoul just 30 minutes ago. Why on earth was the letter she had entrusted to Joanna in the Countess’s hands?

Riena carefully observed Joanna’s face behind the Countess. This time, her right cheek was flushed red.

With such a face, she kept silently whispering apologies to Riena. It was proof that Joanna had not betrayed her.

‘I’ve only caused trouble for Joanna because of me.’

While feeling sympathy for her, Riena looked at Countess Dyke with a cold gaze.

The Countess, not satisfied with tearing the letter into four pieces, tore it to shreds. As if that wasn’t enough, she now scattered the paper on the floor and trampled it with her shoes.

Is this something to be so angry about? Riena couldn’t understand. As she thought earlier, the person who should be angry was Riena, herself.

The Countess had no reason to be angry when she was trying to practically sell her stepdaughter in marriage to a man who had killed his own wife overnight.

“So, you were thinking of running away?”

The Countess asked in a still angry voice. Her fierce eyes turned to Riena. Looking at those eyes as blue as the autumn sky, Riena was lost in thought for a moment, inappropriate for the situation.

She couldn’t remember her birth mother’s face. It was natural. Her birth mother, the former Countess Dyke, had passed away from a fever when Riena was only 2 years old.

Instead, Riena had seen a portrait of her mother. Her mother’s eyes, smiling kindly, were as blue as the autumn sky.

Eyes that made one’s heart swell just by looking at them, and made one smile involuntarily. She loved such blue eyes of her mother.

Was it for that reason? In her childish mind, Riena sometimes resented her father for why she took after her father’s purple eyes instead of her mother’s blue eyes.

Now she was proud of her purple eyes that resembled her father, but embarrassingly, there was a time when she had such an immature thought.

So when she saw her new mother with the same blue eyes as her mother at the age of 8, Riena felt love for her as if it were fate.

Solely because she had blue eyes. It was a truly simple and ridiculous reason, but at the same time, a reason befitting a child of that age.

However, there was no affection at all in the new mother’s blue eyes looking at Riena.

Nowhere could she find the honey-dripping gaze like when she looked at her own children, Bianca and Aaron.

Continued coldness and jealousy. Naturally, resentment towards blue eyes bloomed in young Riena’s heart. Thus, blue eyes were now a symbol of love and hate for Riena. Something she wanted to love, but could never love.

And after seeing her stepmother’s behavior after father’s death, even the desire to love disappeared.

“Answer me. Were you thinking of running away?”

The Countess Dyke asked again in a slightly calmer voice, as if her anger had subsided a bit. Riena looked at her with an expressionless face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You were trying to send a letter to Raoul Berna!”

“If you read the letter, you would know. It was just a greeting letter to an old friend. I recently received a letter saying he had returned to his territory after a long time.”

Riena wasn’t particularly good at lying. Yet the lies flowed smoothly without her voice trembling at all.

But there was no way Countess Dyke would believe those words. The Countess’s eyebrows rose fiercely at Riena’s calm reply.

“You thought I wouldn’t know if you disguised it as a greeting letter? You were planning to elope with him when Raoul Berna came, weren’t you! Why else would you send a greeting letter at a time like this?”

“What can I do if Raoul happened to return to his territory at a time like this?”

“You’re still so good at talking back! Ungrateful thing! Is this how you betray the kindness of raising and feeding you?”

Riena opened her mouth with a snort.

“What kindness?”

“W-what did you say?”

“You said you raised and fed me, but I have no memory of that at all.”

The Countess’s face, which was already red, turned even redder.

“If you had ever thought of me as a daughter, you wouldn’t have done something like this.”

“Young lady, you’re going too far!”

The head maid intervened on behalf of the Countess. Riena smiled coldly and slapped the head maid’s cheek. Usually, she didn’t raise a hand to employees, but today was different. This is for Joanna.

“How dare you tell me I’m going too far, you need to be re-educated.”

Riena warned in a calm but chilling voice, then murmured to the Countess.

“I will not go through with this marriage. So keep that in mind, mother.”

She spoke the last word “mother” as if chewing each syllable, then left the room. Joanna glanced around nervously, then followed her out.