TAHR 01

Chapter 01

Valder Solar Year 987.

When the Emperor of the Luman Empire declared the unification of the continent, a bloody storm swept across the peaceful Chronos Continent.

The large and small nations of the continent joined forces and established the Allied Nations to fight against the mighty Luman Empire. Among them was the Kingdom of Petra.

The first person to command the Petra Kingdom’s army was the First Prince, Alex von Martinez. He declared that he would definitely protect the Kingdom of Petra, but unfortunately, he lost every battle he participated in.

The situation was no different in other countries. While everyone was growing anxious over the news of one defeat after another, the Second Prince of Petra, Howard von Martinez, stepped forward.

However, no one expected much from him. The people of Petra, and even the King himself, were skeptical.

But surprisingly, Prince Howard drove back the Luman Empire’s army, which had advanced all the way to the borders of the Kingdom of Petra.

Not only that, but everywhere he fought, he sounded the trumpet of victory and raised the morale of the Allied Army, which had been completely crushed.

Riding that momentum, he continued to pressure the Luman Empire’s forces and eventually brought the Emperor of the Luman Empire to the negotiating table.

Because no one had expected it, the surprise was even greater. People went wild over Prince Howard, and newspapers and gossip papers were filled with stories about him.

The closest aide of Prince Howard and the true mastermind behind the victory in the war, ‘K.’ Who is he?

There was one person who was always mentioned alongside Prince Howard.

It was ‘K,’ the man who had helped him lead the war to victory.

Other than the fact that K was a man, nothing was known about him. His name, age, status, and origin were all unknown. Even the nickname ‘K’ had been given to him by the people.

Countless reporters and informants tried to uncover his identity, but every single one of them failed.

Just what kind of person was K?

One day, when people’s interest in the completely mysterious ‘K’ had reached the sky,

Prince Howard, one of the main figures responsible for ending the terrible four-year war, and the rumored ‘K’ returned to Baluch, the capital of the Kingdom of Petra.

The streets of the royal capital were brightly lit by streetlamps, and even brighter and more splendid carriages filled the roads. Their destination was the Dawn Palace, where the celebration party for the end of the war was being held.

It had been a very long time since a royal banquet had been held because of the four-year-long war, so the faces of the nobles entering the banquet hall were filled with excitement.

“Are we finally going to see K’s face?”

What excited them even more than the banquet was the chance to see the rumored ‘K’ in person.

The nobles immediately began looking for K as soon as they entered the banquet hall, but unfortunately, he had not appeared yet.

Prince Howard, the main guest of the banquet, was nowhere to be seen either.

“I heard that he’s a huge man, as cruel as a barbarian. Is that really true?”

“Oh my, I heard he’s a man as sly and agile as a weasel…”

“What do you think, Lady Elissa?”

Elissa Leslie had been standing with them but had not joined their conversation, only drinking champagne. When someone called her name, she turned her head.

Her platinum-blonde hair, as if moonlight and honey had been mixed together, softly swayed with the movement.

Her clear blue eyes, like glass beads, looked at the red-haired woman with freckles across her nose.

What was that woman’s name again?

She remembered that she was the youngest daughter of House Montesch, but she could not remember her name.

“Come to think of it, isn’t your fiancé’s family, House Grenville, in the military supplies business? Then you must know a lot about the situation on the battlefield!”

The fact that she spoke so casually to Elissa as if they were very close showed just how little they actually knew each other.

Elissa found that ridiculous.

At the same time, she was annoyed that the woman kept asking about the rumored ‘K,’ something she had not the slightest interest in.

“Have you heard anything about K? His name, perhaps. Or what he looks like.”

“No. I haven’t heard anything.”

Her cold voice instantly killed the excited mood that had been building.

The young lady of House Montesch flinched and closed her mouth.

The other young ladies also watched Elissa carefully.

“……”

Elissa narrowed one eye as if this had become slightly troublesome. She let out a short sigh and handed her empty glass to a servant passing by to serve drinks.

“I drank quite a lot of champagne after such a long time. I’m feeling a little dizzy.”

A social smile appeared on Elissa’s lips as she looked back at the young ladies.

“I’d like to sit on the sofa and rest for a moment. Would that be all right?”

“Oh, yes. Of course! Go and get some rest.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Click, click.

The sound of her high heels rang out at regular intervals.

Unlike what she had said, Elissa did not stagger even once.

“……Lady Leslie has changed a lot.”

Celine Montesch, the youngest daughter of House Montesch, stared at Elissa’s retreating back and spoke in a very disappointed tone.

“She used to be such a bright and cheerful person… I wonder what happened to make her change like that?”

“Perhaps because she was so seriously ill that she had to spend two whole years recovering? They say that a person changes after coming back from the brink of death.”

At one young lady’s words, short gasps came from several places.

“Ah, that’s right. Lady Leslie became ill not long after her coming-of-age ceremony, didn’t she? I completely forgot because she doesn’t look sick at all.”

“Come to think of it, I heard she met her current fiancé while she was recovering. Is that true?”

“The two became engaged about three years ago, so I suppose it must be true.”

They continued talking among themselves.

Some said it was impressive that she had managed to meet a man while recovering from an illness, while others wondered whether she had simply used her illness as an excuse.

They were chattering away until every single one of them suddenly fell silent after spotting Derek Grenville, Elissa Leslie’s fiancé.

“You were here, Elissa.”

Elissa, who had been sitting on the sofa resting, finally realized that her fiancé had arrived and raised her head.

Derek Grenville was not so handsome that people would gasp at first sight, but he was a handsome man with a gentle appearance.

He also wore brown glasses that matched his hair color, giving him an intellectual air.

He was actually intelligent as well.

Elissa had heard countless times that he was a talented man who had graduated second in his class from the Royal Academy.

“You suddenly disappeared, so I was worried that something might have happened.”

“I’m not a child. I can be alone, so don’t worry and enjoy the banquet, Lord Grenville.”

“Not Lord Grenville. It’s Derek. We’re going to be married soon, so don’t feel uncomfortable. Just call me by my name.”

Marriage.

That word tightened around Elissa’s throat like a tightly laced corset.

It wasn’t that she hated marriage itself.

On the contrary, she had once dreamed of marrying the man she loved, having children, and building a warm and happy family.

Yes.

The basic condition for the marriage Elissa wanted was to marry a man she loved.

<……I love you, Ellie.>

When a gentle voice that had once whispered those words softly into her heated ear suddenly came to mind, Elissa bit her lower lip tightly.

It had been more than four years since that old memory, but it came back so vividly that it felt as if she had experienced it only yesterday, tormenting her once again.

“Are you feeling unwell……”

“Prince Howard von Martinez is entering!”

Just as Derek was about to say something while looking at her increasingly pale face with concern, the attendant guarding the entrance of the banquet hall shouted loudly.

Elissa looked toward the entrance.

Because of the crowd gathered there like a swarm of clouds, she could not see either Prince Howard or the man called K.

“The man following the prince must be K!”

Even so, she could tell from everyone’s reaction that they had entered the banquet hall.

“Since K wasn’t introduced separately when he entered, I suppose he’s a commoner.”

“Of course. If he were a noble, would his family have remained silent all this time? They would have gone around telling everyone that he was from their family.”

“Even if he’s a commoner, he’s the hero who ended this war. Won’t he be given a title?”

The nobles who finally got to see the mysterious man they had only heard rumors about became excited and began gossiping.

Most of them were favorable toward him, but there were also quite a few who were jealous and envious.

A little while after they entered the banquet hall, Prince Howard could be seen slightly above the heads of the crowd.

His bright blond hair was neatly swept back, and he wore a pure white tailcoat.

Beside him was a man wearing a black uniform, the complete opposite of the prince’s appearance.

Is that man the rumored K?

Elissa narrowed her eyes and looked at the man in black.

He was still surrounded by countless people, and since he had his back turned toward her, she could not see his face.

But his back looked strangely familiar.

Where have I seen him before?

Elissa narrowed her eyes and stared intently at the man’s back.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, the man turned his head.

His pitch-black hair softly swayed with the movement.

Even from a distance, she could tell that his features were strikingly handsome.

And familiar.

He really does look like someone I know.

Elissa moved closer to get a better look.

Then she met his calm, emotionless gray eyes.

She stopped dead.

Her heart sank, and her breathing became ragged.

An unpleasant memory struck her mind like a blow, and her face turned cold.

Elissa clenched her dress so tightly that the fabric became terribly wrinkled.

Then she whispered his name.

“……Ethan.”

Her childhood friend.

Her first love.

The damn bastard who had taken everything from Elissa about four years ago and then disappeared without leaving a trace.