◈ 174. [Side Story] Winter Silver
It’s a story from when I was very young.
The villa where the 2nd Empress Dustia and 3rd Prince Ash live.
Today, the Countess of Wintersilver and her daughter – Serenade visited here.
While the Empress and the Countess drank tea and chatted, Ash and Serenade were playing in the garden of the courtyard of the villa.
“… … .”
Today, the serenade was lacking in energy. Ash tilted his head in front of him.
“Why is that, sister? what happened?”
sister.
No matter how much I begged him not to call me that, it was no use. As a child, Ash always followed Serenade by calling her older sister.
Ash asked with an innocent smile.
“Tell me, sister! I’ll take care of everything!”
“Ugh, that… … in fact… … .”
Serenade, who looked around, lowered her voice and whispered.
“I heard the word born again… … .”
On my way here today, I passed the checkpoint at the entrance to the imperial palace, and I heard the officers standing guard whispering.
– A family of born-again merchants keeps coming in and out of the imperial palace.
– Isn’t the second empress also born from birth? Crabs playing with each other.
Seeing that he didn’t bother lowering his voice even though he could hear everything clearly, it seemed like he was doing it on purpose.
Serenade let out a sigh.
“I’m a lowborn even outside, but the kids are ostracizing me… … .”
Serenade had no friends.
No aristocratic son would associate with the daughter of a merchant family whose title was bought with money.
That said, it wasn’t even that if he had commoner friends. Even if he bought his title with money, he is a count.
There was no commoner child the same age as the count’s daughter.
Somewhere between nobles and commoners.
The Wintersilver family existed in the gray zone.
Seeing this situation, Ash was the first person Serenade had ever met.
“The only friend who hangs out with me is Prince Ash.”
“Hehe, it’s me! My sister is my first friend too!”
Ash was in the same situation.
There was no one on the side of Second Empress Dustia, who was a former battle slave, in this vast imperial palace.
His son, Ash, was treated the same way.
In terms of legitimacy and family strength, it was obvious that the next great emperor would be the son of the first empress, and the first empress openly admired the second empress.
Given the circumstances, no one tried to get close to the second empress and her son.
Except for the people of Wintersilver.
“Don’t be offended by what fools say, sister.”
Ash stretched out his small hand and squeezed Serenade’s hand tightly.
“It’s a deal that people who really don’t have anything to brag about, like family or lineage, not their abilities.”
Serenade looked at Ash as he said that with surprised eyes.
The little boy’s hands were warm.
“I promise, sister.”
Ash smiled like an angel.
“I will create a world where noona doesn’t have to listen to those words.”
“Make the world… … ?”
“huh! The blood is low and noble, and that doesn’t matter… … A world for bullied kids like us. A world where mothers don’t have to cry and sisters don’t get bullied.”
Ash’s tiny fingers squeezed Serenade’s fingers.
“I… … I will definitely make it.”
Ash’s young face was filled with vague sadness and clear determination at the same time.
At this moment, the serenade was intuition.
that she would fall in love with this little boy.
Whether this boy will keep his word or not… … .
With just the bright sparkle emitted at this moment, she would follow this boy for the rest of her life.
Looking at the boy’s white smile, I thought so.
***
Serenade suddenly opened her eyes.
It was early in the morning when I saw the faint sunlight penetrating through the curtains.
I felt refreshed. her body was light. Serenade quickly got up.
“Are you awake, Master?”
Elise, who was waiting outside the door, heard someone pretend and went inside.
On the tray Elise brought was a basin of hot water.
“Good morning, Elise.”
“good morning. Here is the water for washing your face.”
“thank you.”
I took a bath last night and went to sleep, so in the morning it was enough just to wash my face. Serenade washed her face while being attended to by Elise.
“Aren’t you tired?”
Elise asked cautiously as the serenade wiped her cheeks with a towel.
“You are already suffering from overwork, but suddenly you are even giving dance lessons to His Highness every day… … .”
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“… … .”
“I only slept for 3 hours today. I’m worried about your master’s health.”
At those words, Serenade covered her mouth with a towel and laughed out loud. Elise blinked her eyes in bewilderment.
“master?”
“Elise. Do I look tired?”
“no… … You look in a good mood.”
“that’s right. not tired at all Rather the opposite. Like flying?”
Serenade looked at the mirror in front of her. With her fresh face shining in her eyes, she saw herself.
It’s okay even if you don’t sleep.
‘Can I sleep now?’
Ash came to see him first and asked him to teach him how to dance.
I don’t know why this mischievous prince, who must be more skilled at ballroom dancing than anyone else in the capital, pretends to be inexperienced at dancing.
But the reason was good.
Wearing light makeup and clothes, serenade could not hide the smile on her lips.
In recent years, it has never been this enjoyable.
According to Ash, the Wintersilver family is now facing the crisis of extinction.
Serenade was building defenses against him as Ash told her to do.
Know. This is not the time to be immature.
But, to be really honest… … Serenade was willing to pay whatever the price was if she could get close to Ash again, for whatever reason.
‘If I could hold that person’s hand and dance today, just for that, I… … .’
jump!
“miss!”
Just then, Serenade’s door opened violently, and another maid rushed in. Her startled serenade looked over there.
“What’s wrong? What happen?”
“The Count has another seizure! hurry… … !”
“Father?!”
Serenade stopped dressing up and hurriedly ran out of the room. Elise followed closely behind her with her hard face.
The Earl of Wintersilver had a seizure in his bedroom.
Fortunately, when the serenade arrived, the resident priest had cast a spell to stabilize the count.
“father!”
As the serenade shouted and entered the bedroom, the Count, who was lying on the bed, lifted his trembling chin and looked at his daughter.
“Three, Serenade.”
Traces of the disease were evident on the count’s face.
His yellow face was covered with skin and bones, and dark spots were in full bloom.
The Count held out his bony hand to the side, and Serenade approached and took his father’s hand.
“I am here, father. Are you okay?”
“Serenade, my daughter… … my dear daughter… … .”
Serenade’s face hardened at the Count’s words that followed.
“A seed? What about the royal seed?”
“… … .”
“Did you get it? Did you receive the surname from Prince Ash?”
Serenade kept her mouth shut. The Count was busy.
“Why no answer? How much money did we pour into the imperial family to receive that seed… … .”
“… … father.”
“Don’t forget, serenade. The contempt and humiliation our family has suffered… … .”
The Count looked up at the ceiling and muttered something to himself.
“Even when I became a baron, I was criticized for buying my title with money, and even when I became a count, I was criticized for being lowly. Even if we earn billions of dollars, we cannot erase this stigma engraved in our blood.”
“… … .”
“There is only one way to erase this stigma. We must mix the noblest blood in our family.”
Serenade closed her eyes tightly.
grandfather and father too.
The complex about status and lineage was enormous. I was willing to go up at all costs.
So the choice was money. The upper ranks went on a winning streak, and they got titles as they hoped.
But the low vision did not disappear.
Although they were engaged in line with the imperial family, the actual marriage did not take place even though Prince Ash came of age.
Serenade already had a premonition of breaking up.
Then, the father said.
– Even if marriage talks are broken, you don’t have to mix blood with the imperial family! Blood too!
– Beg for Prince Ash! I mean, get the seeds!
What do you mean by that?
He obtained the seed of the 3rd prince, an idiot who could not become emperor, in a situation where it was obvious that the marriage was broken. What does it mean?
However, the obsession with status and lineage passed down from generation to generation was already out of the realm of rational thinking.
Bloodline of the imperial family, bloodline of the imperial family… … .
My father yelled at me every day, and in the end Serenade had to go and tell Ash.
Ask for a reward for our family’s dedication to you.
your seeds… … ask me
To beg like this to a man who no longer looked at her.
Serenade just wanted to die in the misery of tearing the last remaining pride.
And what came back from Ash was a cold, contemptuous look.
– After all, you are the same as everyone else.
But the promise was obtained.
When Serenade returned home crying, Serenade’s mother… … The Countess of Wintersilver was about to leave her mansion at the insistence of her husband.
– You’re crazy for making your daughter do this!
– What is really lowly is not your family, but your heart.
She left only one word of sorry for the serenade, and that’s how her mother left.
When the mother left, the father got sick and lay down, and Serenade took over and ran the Winter Silver Merchant.
Prince Ash did not keep his promise.
So time passed and we reached the present.
“Your mother, you don’t understand.”
The Count let out a quick breath and muttered.
“Because she is a girl from a noble family by birth, this pain of us, who are strangers from the beginning… … I don’t understand.”
“… … .”
“Serenade, do you understand? If you have low-blooded blood like this father, you will surely understand.”
Serenade, who had been silent, grabbed her father’s hand once more and stood up.
“I’ll go and see, Father. Please rest well.”
Behind the serenade as she left the room, the Count’s troubled murmur continued to be heard.
“We have to mix the blood of the imperial family in our family. Only then… … You can break free from this curse… … .”
Serenade closed her mouth and walked down the hallway.
I couldn’t breathe.
Instead of red blood, it felt like dark tar was flowing through the veins throughout my body.
I couldn’t possibly breathe.
***
Wintersilver upper building. 4th floor.
When the serenade who ran out of breath opened the door,
“huh?”
Ash was sitting there.
“What, why are you here so early?”
In the bright morning sunlight, the 3rd prince of the Empire was dazzling.
Black, lustrous hair. A clear gaze facing each other. A smile like a painting.
Suddenly, it reminded me of how I looked when I was young at that palace.
The serenade made my heart throb.
– I promise you, sister.
okay.
What I loved you for… … It wasn’t because you were a prince, or because your blood was noble.
Just because he was going through the same pain as me.
And because you embraced and cared for my wounds.
‘iced coffee.’
Serenade slowly lowered her head.
Why couldn’t I have said this then?
What I need is neither your lineage nor your seed, just.
It was just a piece of your heart… … .
“serenade?”
When Ash asked curiously, Serenade quickly straightened her expression.
“No, nothing happened.”
Because of her tearful personality, her eyes quickly turned red, but she believed that the morning sun would cover them.
With a smile, the serenade said.
“Shall we dance, sir?”
