Katrin hadn’t always hated Estella from the start.

There was a time when Estella—beautiful, kind, and intelligent—had been a source of pride for her. But after that day, cracks began to spread through Katrin’s life, and her fractured heart had shattered so completely, there was no piecing it back together.

Knock knock.

As she returned to her room after the send-off, trying to soothe her depression, a knock came at the door. Katrin let out a deep sigh.

“Come in.”

As soon as she gave permission, the door opened and in stepped the family physician, Alexis. Katrin gestured for Lucille, who stood in the room like furniture, to leave. She then sat across from Alexis with the table between them.

Today was her regularly scheduled checkup—once every two months. Everyone in the Marquis’s household knew Katrin had been born with a frail constitution and frequently fell ill, and that she received regular examinations from the doctor.

It was one of the few things the Marquis paid special attention to regarding his daughter’s health.

Alexis entered the sitting room with practiced ease, placing his medical bag on the table. It was a thoroughly waterproofed cloth bag, typical of what physicians carried. Its sturdy leather handles were worn, and the corners had frayed from frequent use. The wide-mouthed opening made it easy to access its contents without rummaging. Divided into many compartments, it was a very practical bag.

And it had been a gift from Katrin, five years ago.

Her sigh escaped again.

“You should just buy a new one.”

“I prefer this one.”

Alexis replied calmly, as always, and opened the bag. A pungent medicinal herb scent immediately spread through the room. Katrin wrinkled her nose in irritation, got up to throw the windows wide open, then sat back down on the sofa and extended her arm.

“Are you absolutely sure no one knows?”

“I swear…”

Looking at Katrin, whose eyes mirrored his own, Alexis nodded solemnly and retrieved a case from his bag that resembled a pencil box.

Another sigh from Katrin.

Alexis took a syringe from the small case.

—

Moments later, Alexis exited the room and addressed Lucille, who waited outside.

“She’s taken the medicine and will be asleep for at least three hours. Make sure she rests properly—don’t wake her.”

“Yes. But… the young lady isn’t seriously ill, is she?”

Lucille was worried. If something were to happen to Katrin, all the frantic work she’d put in for survival would be wasted. If, by chance, her condition was truly deteriorating, Lucille needed to consider other options—even now.

“She’s in excellent health. Don’t speak nonsense.”

His firm answer only raised more suspicion, but with no proof, Lucille had no choice but to nod.

Ballachy was a remote village over an hour’s carriage ride from the Marquis’s estate. It was located at the western edge of the Blue Forest, where the Maul River ended. The further west one went, the denser the forest grew. The Maul River, with its swift and clean current, was the lifeblood of Ballachy.

The river’s flow nourished the trees of the Blue Forest, and the forest, in turn, thickened from absorbing the blood-soaked water of slain monsters.

When they’d departed from the estate, the sky was still dark. By the time they arrived near Ballachy, it had turned crimson. Perhaps because they were approaching the slaughterhouses, a pungent scent of blood drifted on the breeze even though the village was still out of sight.

The stench made even the once-beautiful sunset appear bloodstained.

Though they were used to the smells of monster hunting, the knights involuntarily frowned at the more concentrated metallic tang. Whether beast or monster, air steeped in death always felt heavy. The few faces they passed looked equally grim and weary.

Thankfully, the road to Ballachy was well maintained. Wagons carrying monster corpses passed through several times a day, and the road was straighter than those of most capital cities.

Because Estella had decided to accompany the Marquis on short notice, Ria had spent the whole night packing. Now she sat dozing across from Estella, her head bobbing.

Already pressed for time with Miraclelium production, this had been a particularly exhausting day for her.

Feeling guilty, Estella gently draped a soft blanket over Ria’s lap and placed a cushion by her head so she wouldn’t hit the wall. Like a romance novel’s male lead, Estella was a remarkably considerate master.

Ria was always so devoted that it made Estella feel unworthy. If given something small, Ria would nurture it like a snowball—returning it many times over.

That’s why Estella had brought Ria into the Miraclelium business, even though she could have done it alone.

She wanted to make sure that even if something happened to her, Ria could live comfortably. Estella had already arranged for all rights to the business to transfer to Ria if she died. Of course, Ria knew nothing about this.

Estella taught her riding and arithmetic, too. Some servants scoffed at the idea of a mere maid learning to ride, but most looked at Ria with envy—recognizing that she was someone whom Lady Estella had truly acknowledged.

Gone were the days when Ria had been openly despised. The atmosphere had changed completely. It also meant Estella’s status in the Marquis’s household had changed just as dramatically.

Whenever servants came to her and asked, “Does the lady need more maids?” Ria would hold her head high.

No one in the estate dared to look down on her anymore.

The Marquis’s and Estella’s carriages did not pass through the village but instead headed straight for the Ballachy lord’s castle. Though small, the estate had a long and storied history.

As the Marquis’s carriage pulled up in front, the young lord of Ballachy and his sister came rushing out, clearly having just received word.

Walter had inherited the Ballachy house at the start of the year after the death of his father. Though thirty-one and still unmarried, he was the most sought-after bachelor in the village.

The last time he had seen Marquis Cassian was six years ago, before his father died. Armon Ballachy had been one of the Marquis’s most loyal and upright retainers. As a boy, Walter had admired his father. But as he grew older, he found his father’s rigid honesty and inflexibility suffocating.

He had submitted tax calculations with not a penny out of place. If there had been an error, he’d pay extra the following year.

And who even appreciates that…

Many nobles already looked down on House Ballachy for making its fortune off monster butchery. The same nobles who benefited most from the monster byproducts were the ones putting on airs—it was sickening.

Walter knew: wealth was necessary if he wanted to elevate the family’s reputation. Integrity and loyalty were meaningless ideals that couldn’t make real life any easier—not by even a single penny.

To Walter, his father Armon had always seemed like a feeble dreamer chasing illusions. But now he was dead, and Walter finally had his chance.

He was confident that he could lead the territory into the future. That he could build a family no one dared to sneer at.

As if in agreement with his ambitions, monster sightings in Wintfall had increased exponentially. While most were dismantled on site, those caught in large numbers or far from the estate were sent to Ballachy.

The misfortunes of other regions had become Ballachy’s good luck, bringing in wealth with every monster corpse.

The Marquis’s carriage was enormous and lavish—nothing like Ballachy’s own.

So this is how they live off the taxes we pay…

Walter quickly averted his eyes, his temper flaring. If he kept looking, he might glare at the Marquis himself.

There was another carriage as well—smaller, more modest than the first, but still far more luxurious than Ballachy’s own.

From the first carriage stepped the Marquis. Then the second door opened.

Walter had only just been informed by the butler that the Marquis’s eldest daughter, Estella, was accompanying him.

Walter had seen her once, years ago, when he’d accompanied his father to a vassal meeting. She must have been sixteen at the time—already so overweight she barely looked human.

According to recent rumors, not much had changed.

As the memory returned, a wave of displeasure crossed Walter’s face. He was already dreading how much food she would consume during her stay.

Chapter 54

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