Luna Winfred (1)
Luna Winfred was a child born under the weight of countless expectations.
Her parents, like so many other nobles, had entered a political marriage solely to strengthen ties between their houses. In that hollow union, affection and respect had never taken root. While everyone in the mansion celebrated Luna’s birth, her own parents exchanged nothing but venomous curses.
The conflict had erupted for one simple reason: she was a daughter, not a son.
Luna had grown up largely under the care of servants. The occasional glances from her parents were half-dead, the kind one might give a defective product rather than a child. Then one day, a second stroke of fortune arrived at the mansion.
A leader destined to guide all people. A hero who would save the empire from evil. The brightest sun of the North. Accompanied by flowery praise that bordered on a high priest’s blessing, a new life was born.
— It is undoubtedly a boy!
We sincerely congratulate you on the birth of the heir!
The reactions were completely different from those that had greeted her own arrival. The half-dead eyes of her parents sparkled with excitement and anticipation. Even the visitors who had offered only formal congratulations now genuinely celebrated the family’s prosperity.
— Haha, it seems boundless glory has finally come to the Winfreds.
— If it had been another daughter after Lady Luna… just thinking about it is horrifying.
— Shh! What if the young lady hears you? Lower your voice.
That night, Luna couldn’t sleep. She was still a little girl who could barely speak properly, yet the fact that no one expected anything from her made her grind her teeth in fury.
Luna changed.
She hid herself behind a dazzling smile and a perfect mask. She whipped herself mercilessly and pushed forward. She gave her heart to no one and devoted herself to her studies without rest for even a single day. It was a time of bone-carving endurance.
Every moment, frustration threatened to devour her reason, but Luna paid it no mind.
And it wasn’t only Luna who changed. The way her parents looked at her shifted. The weight her every word carried inside the mansion grew. In time, she earned a proud place on the list of candidates for the next family head.
If you work hard, you can be acknowledged.
Luna burned her life fiercely, fueled by boiling ambition and a desperate craving for recognition.
Then one day, into the quiet ducal residence came a common-born woman carrying a child mixed with Winfred blood.
— Hello, my name is Kyle.
An untainted, transparent smile. Blue eyes that never left her. To Luna, who had lived her entire life gritting her teeth in endurance, it was an overwhelmingly fresh stimulus.
Kyle casually lifted the heavy bolt that had sealed her heart shut.
Was it because Luna had been so young? Or because Kyle had been special?
The affectionate gaze directed at her, the innocent smile that bloomed at her every word—everything about him felt so violently unfamiliar.
After that day, Luna began avoiding Kyle. She kept her distance with appropriate excuses and thoroughly ignored him whenever he asked after her well-being. She never went so far as to hurl venomous words at him.
Deep down, she didn’t entirely dislike the interest he showed her.
— Do you really memorize all of this every single day?
— That’s amazing. I still can’t even read the letters properly yet.
— The next family head? Of course I can do it! I’ve worked harder than anyone else in this mansion.
No matter how much she pushed him away, Kyle stuck to her like a magnet.
That was when it began.
Her days, once blank as white paper, slowly started to become stained by Kyle.
— What do you mean, a gift? Did you forget? Today is your birthday, sister.
— It’s the chef’s special sandwich that you like. You haven’t eaten anything yet, right?
— Instead of anyone else, I hope you become the head of the Winfred family, sister.
Those warm words, filled with pure affection and free of any pity, melted the ice that had frozen her heart.
Whenever she stood in front of Kyle, she found herself acting spoiled without realizing it—like an ordinary noble daughter her own age.
Even though Kyle was a bastard. Even though he was nothing more than an unwelcome guest no one in the mansion welcomed. Even though she knew that simply being seen with him would give those who disliked her all the justification they needed to attack.
— It would be nice if we could keep staying together like this.
She had no choice but to admit it.
In this mansion, the only person she could truly call family was Kyle and no one else.
A single tear fell silently.
Ah, that’s right. I’ve been so lonely.
That’s why my emotions are this tangled.
After that, Luna stopped avoiding Kyle. She no longer kept her distance and treated him naturally, without exaggeration.
It was a day when lightning tore through the clouds and poured down.
— Kyle Winfred.
— It seems it would be best to deal with that boy soon.
As she walked down the darkened corridor, a refined voice slipped through the gap of an open door. It was a familiar voice—her mother, the duchess, and Ian Winfred.
— Are you saying we should kill him?
— Yes. Wouldn’t that be the cleanest solution?
— Have you spoken with Father?
— There’s no need to ask. That man has no interest whatsoever in a mere bastard. He doesn’t even know the boy’s name yet, after all this time.
— Then do as you wish, Mother.
— Hehe, I’ve already finished all the preparations long ago. Look forward to tomorrow.
Luna’s eyes flooded with horror.
The words kill Kyle tore through her mind in chaos. This was no mere joke. Just as they said, if a bastard died, no one in the mansion would care.
Kyle would die.
And there was nothing she could do to stop it. In this mansion, the duchess’s influence was absolute.
Luna despaired. Her breathing grew ragged, and her arms and legs began to tremble violently. She wanted to flee from this place immediately.
But if she left now, Kyle would surely die.
Into her mind, bleached white with panic, Kyle’s voice pierced through.
That addictive voice that had said he wanted to stay with her like this echoed in her brain.
The hesitation didn’t last long.
— What an interesting conversation you’re having.
When Luna opened the door and stepped inside, the duchess’s eyes narrowed.
— I have a better idea.
Luna did not back down. She hid herself behind a smiling face and curved her eyes in a gentle laugh.
— Would you like to hear it?
Kyle must live.
That single obsession burned white-hot and set Luna’s reason ablaze.
****
From that day onward, Luna began tormenting Kyle.
— Sister? Why are you suddenly…
— Shut up!
Luna screamed. Fear crept into the eyes that looked at her. It hurt so much.
— From now on, reduce Kyle’s meals to twice a day.
— Pardon? Twice, you say?
— Yes. Send him the same meals the servants eat.
She restricted his meals exactly as the duchess had suggested. From that day on, Kyle’s words grew drastically fewer.
— Send a letter to Lady Chloe.
— …Exactly as written?
— Exactly. Not a single word missing.
Using the information she received from the duchess, she deliberately destroyed Kyle’s reputation. Before long, the name Kyle Winfred became synonymous with the word scoundrel across the empire.
She could trust no one in the mansion. Every servant here was an extension of the duchess’s will.
Yes. At least this was better than letting him die meaninglessly.
It was an unavoidable choice if she wanted to keep Kyle alive.
She endured each day through countless self-justifications.
But what returned to Luna was only a swamp of deeper despair.
— Ian will begin receiving education to succeed as the family head starting today.
— Luna Winfred, you are removed from consideration.
Luna had been officially eliminated from the list of heir candidates. The family elders had begun questioning her qualifications, and the prevailing opinion was that she must be removed. They gave two reasons.
Her inherent flaw of being born female. And the inhumane treatment she had inflicted on Kyle.
She realized it then.
Ah. This was the duchess’s doing.
It was such an obvious scheme. She had been blinded for a moment and fallen for it.
But even if she had known the true intention beforehand, what could have changed?
Her choice to save Kyle would not have been any different.
Luna bowed at the waist and laughed, then let out a scream.
The actions she had taken to keep Kyle alive had come back to poison her.
The goal she had pursued her entire life had crumbled in an instant.
Faced with the cold reality before her, Luna began to go mad.
— …Are you okay?
When Kyle, having heard the news, looked at her with sympathetic eyes, the tangled mass of emotions that had accumulated in her chest suddenly turned toward him.
If only you hadn’t pretended to know me that first day we met.
If only you hadn’t captured me with all those warm words.
If only you hadn’t been a bastard.
No—if only you had never set foot in this mansion at all.
Luna poured out abuse as if screaming. At the same time, Kyle’s blue pupils darkened with deep disappointment.
I saved you.
I endured this horrible humiliation just to keep you alive.
So isn’t it okay for me to vent this much?
If you had any conscience, you shouldn’t be looking at me like that.
Luna unleashed her lost anger. Inside her, Kyle Winfred shattered into pieces.
Because it hurt. Because she hated him.
The contradictory emotions that had tangled together sprouted branches and bore fruit.
On a day when the whole world seemed dyed white, Kyle caught a terrible flu and began hovering between life and death.
It was because he had dared to talk back to her. As punishment, every blanket and piece of sleepwear in his room had been confiscated.
That was when Luna realized—something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
The fact that she had nearly killed Kyle with her own hands tore her reason to shreds.
— Call the physician right now!
Her heart pounded as if it would burst through her ribs. Every breath felt like a stab to the lungs.
— His condition does not look good.
— What exactly has his diet been like?
— He is in a state of severe malnutrition. At this rate, self-recovery will be difficult.
Luna stared at the physician with unfocused eyes. Soon, the tightly closed lips of the doctor opened.
— He needs an elixir.
— Not an ordinary one. A specially blessed elixir from the temple.
Luna did not hesitate. She poured out every coin she had saved, searched high and low, and finally obtained the elixir.
She carefully entered Kyle’s room. His face was flushed red, and he was breathing in short, labored gasps.
— So… I just need to give him the elixir like this?
— Yes. If it would be uncomfortable for you, my lady, I can—
— No, it’s fine. Leave us for a moment.
Once the two of them were alone in the room, Luna gently brushed Kyle’s bangs aside. The sleeping Kyle looked beautiful.
The image of him from long ago, saying he wanted to stay with her, flashed through her mind.
I’m sorry. I wasn’t in my right mind.
A wind swept through a corner of her heart. Luna carefully parted Kyle’s lips and placed the elixir inside.
After confirming it had slid down his throat, she quietly left the room.
And the next day, a servant came to report that Kyle had risen from his sickbed.
After that day, Luna gradually reduced the torment she inflicted on him.
At the same time, she pondered.
What method could safely take Kyle out of this mansion?
The answer was closer than she thought.
— Who is this woman?
— Isabelle Ustia. She is the daughter of Count Ustia.
— Hmm. The conditions are quite good.
A political marriage.
Only through marriage could Kyle escape this mansion. It was the sole exit available.