Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: #1. Did I Bother You That Much?
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"Today, Noel de Micarus, the young heir of House Micarus, finally ascends to the position of marquis."
"Indeed. The previous marquis's funeral was just a short while ago, so it must have been a huge shock, but he seems to be holding up well. What a relief."
Amid the murmuring crowd, a man strolled leisurely forward.
The onlookers fidgeted, eager to speak to the strikingly handsome man first.
Noel de Micarus. Silver-gray hair framing eyes as warm as a sunset, blending hues of orange and yellow. And that affable personality of his.
It was only natural that everyone was drawn to Noel.
"Noel—no, you're Marquis now. Congratulations, Marquis."
"Thank you."
Noel offered a faint smile, looking a touch weary.
Yet even as he fielded greetings from the approaching nobles without brushing them off, responding with kindness, they breathed sighs of relief.
"The marquis has always seemed like such a gracious man."
"The previous marquis passed so suddenly... it must have broken his heart."
The death of the previous Marquis Micarus had come abruptly a month prior.
No one here knew the full extent of the efforts he'd made to fill that void, nor did they care to—they simply carried on with light chatter.
"Hey, Noel! How about we grab a drink in the back garden?"
Jints Zomonda, heir of House Zomonda and a longtime acquaintance, called out to him. Noel broke into a bright smile and nodded.
"Sounds good."
A procession of promising young heirs from prominent noble houses followed in his wake.
The nobles watched the scene fondly, but their gazes soon shifted to one corner of the room, turning icy in a way they hadn't before.
"Oh my, she was invited too?"
"I heard she had some minor dealings with the marquis household, and used that as an excuse to get an invite. The marquis is too kind for his own good."
"Her merchant group is done for anyway—what's she doing here? Word is, it'll all go under the auction hammer soon."
"I hear her engagement to the Crown Prince is about to fall apart too."
"This is why parvenu commoners-turned-nobles are no good. How does someone like her even end up in a place like this?!"
"She's not even a noble anymore, is she? Bought herself a countess title with money, and now she'll have to sell that too. Ho ho ho!"
A woman with fiery red hair flinched at the whispers, then hurried after Noel, her rich crimson locks fluttering beautifully in the air.
Esther Elpis. A commoner by birth who had purchased a countess title, she was the head of the Elpis Merchant Group—and the Crown Prince's fiancée in name only.
The labels that trailed her were always the same: a money-grubbing parvenu merchant, unworthy scum risen from the dirt.
But those days were over now. With all her trade ships lost to storms, her merchant group had collapsed entirely.
No one had seen her outside since, and her first reappearance was at Noel's ascension ceremony.
The blatant stares were followed by cutting words aimed straight at Esther.
"To show her face around here takes some nerve. What a woman."
"I'd have bitten my tongue and died if I were her."
Wherever Esther passed, nobles spat venom at her back.
She bit her lip hard and clutched the invitation in her hand. Still, it was her one and only friend's big day.
Knowing how hard Noel had worked to reach this moment, Esther quickened her pace, determined to offer her congratulations and slip away.
How far had she walked when she spotted him amid a cluster of chattering young men? Esther's face lit up with a radiant smile.
But it lasted only an instant.
"Hey, Noel. You hear about that Elpis Merchant Group?"
Esther froze mid-step as she approached him.
The others, oblivious to her presence, pressed on casually.
"Come to think of it, I saw that woman here earlier. You need an invite to get in, right? Did you give her one?"
"Why the hell would you?"
"This is just a rumor, but... word is you two were close. They even say she had a thing for you... Nah, no way, right? Tell me it's not true, Noel?"
Noel's shoulders twitched visibly.
A brief silence passed between them, and then Noel's nonchalant response shattered everything for Esther.
"Don't talk nonsense. She knows her place. I just felt sorry for the poor thing for a bit. You have no idea how exhausting it was putting up with her acting all friendly. I only invited her so she could enjoy a party like this for once—I didn't think she'd actually show."
"Hahaha! Damn, Noel! That's even crueler!"
The invitation slipped from Esther's limp fingers.
In her mind, the image of the kind Noel who had once extended a hand to her at her very first banquet—back when she'd boldly crashed it fresh off receiving her countess title—shattered into pieces.
Everyone had abandoned her, but he had been the last one, the sole reason left to keep living. Her closest friend, Noel, had severed that final thread of attachment without mercy.
Esther stared at the sky with eyes as lifeless as the dead.
She wanted to die. There was no meaning left in living.
Her feet carried her, entranced, deeper into the marquis household's mansion.
"Kyaaah!"
A woman's shrill scream filled the mansion's garden.
"Th-there's... there's a woman up there...!"
Trembling, she pointed at the grand clock tower crowning the Micarus estate.
A red-haired woman stood there, ignoring the voices below, gazing blankly into the void.
The murmurs swelled into a clamor, spreading like wildfire.
"What in the world is going on?!"
Noel pushed through the gathering crowd upon hearing the commotion and stepped forward. Spotting the woman teetering on the clock tower's edge, he shouted.
"Esther!"
With that, he bolted into the building, silver hair flying.
Noel flung open the door to the clock tower atop the mansion's highest floor—the one kept open for its famous view.
Panting from the sprint, he reached the top. Esther stood before him and whispered softly.
"Too bad, huh?"
"Esther, come down!"
Noel yelled at the woman standing recklessly before him.
In that instant, he caught a flash of fury in her eyes and shuddered.
Her sharp gaze pierced him as she continued.
"...Guess you wasted your time playing friend to a lowly merchant parvenu like me."
"What are you...!"
Meeting her eyes brimming with resentment, Noel averted his gaze, a fleeting thought crossing his mind.
...Did she overhear that conversation?
"The fallen Elpis of the empire... you must want her gone now."
"..."
"You're just like the rest. No..."
"That's not..."
"You're worse. Noel de Micarus."
Esther let out a low chuckle at the sight of him staring back with trembling pupils.
Once, she'd believed him a close friend who shared her sorrows. Now, every ounce of that trust lay betrayed. It was enough to make her utterly wretched.
Esther took another step backward.
"Esther, stop! You'll really fall!"
"Not the marquis's concern."
Even as her precarious footing edged further back, Noel couldn't bring himself to approach.
A chill wind cut between them, underscoring the rift already formed.
"What is all this racket?"
Urgent footsteps approached, and their owner appeared.
Even in the night, his golden blond hair gleamed like moonlight on gold. Thick-knuckled hands wiped sweat from his brow, and his furrowed brow deepened the hollows under his navy-blue eyes, weary from the rush.
The empire's Crown Prince, her sham of a fiancé who always scowled at the sight of her—Helios von Evgenia.
"Countess, what do you think you're doing? Get down now..."
"I've always been a hindrance to your life, haven't I?"
"What?"
Helios's eyes widened as he watched her brush back her hair with a self-mocking laugh.
For the first time, his gaze—always laced with contempt when fixed on her—held something else.
"I told you not to think you could buy my heart with money too."
"..."
She still couldn't forget that cold stare, dismissing their bond as nothing more than names scribbled on paper.
Even as every noble reviled her, he had merely looked the other way.
"I've never once coveted a place at your side. You know that?"
"Calm down first, Countess. We can talk once you're down."
She had never desired his affection.
It was a childish whim she'd buried deep within herself, one she worked tirelessly to ensure wouldn't obstruct his path.
Even knowing the emperor's schemes targeted her merchant group, Esther had been glad. At least it created a tenuous link to Helios.
But now, it was all for naught.
"Did it bother you that much? A commoner who built a merchant group and bought a countess title?"
"..."
"That I, of all people, took your fiancée's spot? Was I that contemptible?"
"..."
"Your gaze choked the life out of me. Being stripped bare and paraded through the streets would've been less humiliating. Standing before you made me feel like that filthy beggar commoner again."
It felt like everything had crumbled. Both men froze at the sob choking Esther's voice, and it showed no sign of stopping.
"What did I ever do wrong to you two? You were planning to break off the engagement anyway, toss me aside..."
"What are you talking about...!"
"A mere commoner like me sets up one merchant group and snags a countess title..."
"..."
"It doesn't change your world at all! I just..."
With a piercing wail, Esther screamed like a woman possessed. Hands shaking violently as she clapped them over her ears, she looked on the verge of collapse to anyone watching.
And as her foot met empty air, her body plummeted downward.
"No!"
"Esther!"
Two hands shot out to grab her flailing arm in midair—one barely caught hold.
It was Helios who seized Esther's slender wrist. The recoil slammed his hand against the wall.
Pain lanced through him, nearly forcing him to let go, but he glared down at her desperately.
"Don't... let go, no matter what... Ugh!"
In that moment, Esther's free hand struck his without hesitation.
His grip slipped, fingers grazing hers as she fell away.
"No!"