Chapter 1

Part 1

A pitch-black night, with not even the moon in the sky.

Agnes suddenly woke from her sleep.

Absentmindedly, she reached toward the space beside her, but it was empty.

Where did she go?

Her five-year-old youngest sister, who had been sleeping right beside her, was nowhere to be seen.

She was the little sister Agnes had cherished and raised with particular care, feeling sorry for her because she had been born at the cost of their mother’s life.

Whenever Amy wanted to go to the bathroom, she would always shake Agnes awake, saying that it was too dark and frightening to go alone.

But this time…

Agnes had a bad feeling.

“Amy, Amy!”

Agnes sprang out of bed and rushed outside the room.

The dark mansion was eerily quiet.

Down below, the door on the first floor was slightly ajar, and a reddish glow seeped in from outside.

It was strange.

There wasn’t even a moon tonight, so where was that light coming from?

Without even stopping to catch her breath, Agnes ran down the stairs, threw open the door, and dashed across the garden.

Beyond the not-so-large garden, a red light was flickering.

The moment she saw what it was, her mind went completely blank.

A crimson rift.

From the reddish darkness that looked like the mouth of a gigantic monster, grotesquely shaped tentacles protruded and writhed.

Her little sister was hanging from the very end of one of them.

Agnes’s eyes met Amy’s, which were wide with terror.

“Amy!”

She had forgotten that she was still in her pajamas and slippers.

Just as she was about to run toward her without thinking—

“I’ll bring her back!”

Someone grabbed Agnes firmly by the wrist and pulled her back.

“It’s dangerous, so stay here!”

“Rupert!”

Without waiting for an answer, he was already sprinting across the garden.

Rupert was the butler’s son.

He and Agnes had grown up together like siblings, and after Agnes’s mother died, he had helped her raise her youngest sister as well.

Though he was small in stature, he had always been someone Agnes could rely on.

Clinging to the sight of his back as if it were her only hope, Agnes followed after him.

But Rupert was much faster.

Despite the surreal phenomenon before him, he bravely leaped toward Amy.

Amy stretched out her tiny hand toward him.

Her eyes were filled with complete trust.

Just like a child believing that her parent would save her no matter what, she seemed certain that Rupert would come to her rescue.

At last, Rupert caught Amy’s hand and pulled her into his arms.

—Rumble, crack!

The rift that had split open began to slowly close.

“Amy, Rupert…!”

Even though Agnes arrived moments too late and screamed until her throat tore apart, it was useless.

“No!”

Where the blood-red rift had been, there was now nothing but a thicket covered in darkness.

As though nothing had ever happened in the first place.

---

The phenomenon Agnes witnessed that day was called a “Rift.”

Blood-red rifts appeared unexpectedly across the continent, sometimes dragging people away, while at other times mysterious monsters emerged from them and slaughtered people.

They would naturally disappear after some time, but rifts continued to appear from time to time.

Fortunately, they were confined to the northern territory of monsters, which was protected by the five magic towers. As a result, the frightened people soon returned to their ordinary lives.

Except for those who had lost precious family members.

---

Agnes had felt heavy from the moment she woke that morning.

It was because of the nightmare.

Amy, Rupert…

Trying to soothe the pain weighing down her entire body, Agnes slowly got out of bed and straightened the blankets.

She was in a cramped, bleak room inside the Valdemar Count’s estate in the southern part of the continent.

Agnes worked as a governess, teaching the two children of the Count of Valdemar.

A short while later—

Agnes was making her way through the forest, searching for someone.

“Leonard! Cedric!”

From somewhere in the distance came the sound of children laughing.

Agnes narrowed her eyes and looked toward the noise.

The Count of Valdemar was a great lord who ruled over vast plains in the southern part of the Empire.

His mansion was likewise enormous, befitting the status of its owner.

In particular, the small forest in the rear garden had been personally arranged by the Count for the twins he had had later in life.

The two children were notorious troublemakers. Before Agnes took over as their governess, they had gone through no fewer than ten governesses in just three months.

And yet Agnes had already been looking after them for two years.

It wasn’t because she had some special trick, nor was it because the children behaved themselves only around her.

I just endured out of sheer stubbornness because I needed the money.

Even today, the children had run into the forest because they didn’t want to study.

Another governess might have simply waited for them to return and then scolded them, but Agnes always went after them.

If I don’t force them to study, they won’t listen to me at all.

She followed the direction of the laughter.

The bushes, where new shoots had only just begun to emerge, had been trampled chaotically.

Beyond them, a tuft of silky blond hair was sticking out from behind a bush.

They’re quick little brats.

I only get one chance.

If she approached carelessly, they would undoubtedly dart out and run away again.

Agnes held her breath, crept closer, and suddenly lunged over the bush.

“Got you!”

“Ahhh! Agnes!”

“You’re supposed to call me Teacher!”

The two identical little troublemakers flailed their arms and legs wildly as Agnes caught them.

Now that they were nine years old, it was getting harder to restrain them.

Agnes clenched her teeth and tightened her grip around the two children.

“Let me go!”

“I don’t want to study!”

“No. It’s time to study now.”

“Stubborn Agnes!”

“Unrefined Agnes!”

No matter what the two children shouted, Agnes remained steadfast.

Just as she grabbed the twins by the wrists and began dragging them back toward the mansion—

Leonard, who had been struggling wildly, managed to slip free.

“Leonard!”

And of all places, he jumped straight into a gently flowing stream.

Splash, splash.

Leonard happily hopped around in the water until, eventually, he lost his footing and slipped.

Water droplets flew into the air, sparkling as they slowly came into view.

Ah…

Agnes let out a low groan.

By the time she caught him again, all three of them were drenched.

“What is this? I’m wet too!”

“So what? That was fun!”

Seeing the children grin thoughtlessly, something Agnes had been desperately suppressing inside her finally exploded.

“You two! How long are you going to keep acting like this?! You’re nine years old now. Isn’t it time you started behaving your age?”

Even then, the two children didn’t care.

They merely continued grinning at her with infuriating smugness.

“What does Agnes care?”

“If we grow up and become sensible, Agnes won’t be able to make money anymore!”

“Mom’s dead, and they say Dad’s a gambler!”

“And your little sister died too, right?”

“Your house is going bankrupt, but you’re making money because of us. Isn’t that right?”

It felt as though someone had poured ice water over the crown of Agnes’s head, which had been burning with anger.

She knew they were saying it deliberately to provoke her.

They had probably only overheard the maids talking and were imitating them.

Calm down, Agnes. This happens all the time.

But today, their words felt unusually sharp, and her eyes began to sting.

Normally, she would have sternly scolded them for being rude.

But when Agnes remained silent, the two children cautiously watched her and began putting on a brave front.

“What? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“We’re not going to apologize even if you tell us to!”

“W-We didn’t even say anything wrong!”

Agnes didn’t respond.

She simply led the two children back toward the mansion.

Perhaps they realized themselves that they had gone too far, because after that, the children followed obediently without putting up much of a fight.

As soon as they entered the mansion, the maids spotted the three of them and immediately began making a commotion.

“Oh my goodness, young masters! Did you run away again today?”

“You need to change your clothes first!”

Just as the maids were about to approach, Agnes quietly raised a hand to stop them.

If she left the children in the maids’ care, they would obviously hide somewhere inside the mansion this time.

“Just bring us some towels.”

“Surely you’re not going to hold the lesson like this?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, understood.”

Holding the twins’ hands, Agnes headed toward their study room.

Behind her, she could hear the maids whispering.

“Lady Agnes must be twenty now, right?”

“Isn’t she going to get married? Oh, right. Her family was completely ruined, wasn’t it?”

“What good is being a noble? Isn’t she worse off than us? We only have to take care of the household, but as for the young lady…”

That was where the twins had learned those cruel words.

It had already been more than two years since the maids of the Valdemar household had been gossiping like that.

Agnes sighed out of habit.

They’re not exactly wrong. I’m a noble lady, yet instead of participating in society, I’m working as a governess.

But so what?

Today, more than ever, Agnes struggled to pull herself together, feeling as though she might collapse at any moment.

Five years ago.

Everything had begun when her mother passed away while giving birth to her youngest child.

Her grief-stricken father had fallen into drinking and gambling, leaving the family buried under enormous debts.

Agnes had been fifteen at the time.

She had three younger siblings, including a newborn baby.

They had no relatives on either side of the family, so Agnes was the only one left to take responsibility for the estate and manage their lands.

The rent collected from the estate was barely enough to cover even the interest on their debts, and even after selling everything in the household, they still didn’t have enough money.

That was when the Valdemar family offered her a position as a governess.

They said that because their family had a connection with House Laverose, they wanted to help during their time of hardship.

Agnes had no reason to hesitate.

She had tearfully torn herself away from her youngest sibling, who clung to her and cried because they didn’t want her to leave, and headed straight to the Count’s estate.

She thought she only had to endure until her younger siblings were old enough to support themselves.

Then, one day—

Rifts appeared across the entire continent.

With a thunderous roar, the earth split open, and an unknown darkness surged upward like lava.

Amy…!

That day, Agnes had taken a rare day off and returned to the Laverose estate.

Even as she watched Amy and Rupert disappear into the horrifying rift, Agnes could do nothing.

After hurriedly finishing her lessons and returning to her room, Agnes leaned weakly against the wall.

“Hoo… Huh…”

Once she was alone, the emotions she had kept tightly suppressed for so long came flooding out.

Desperately trying to calm herself, Agnes pressed her palms against her burning eyes.

Pull yourself together, Agnes.

You still have two siblings left.

You have to endure, at least until both of them are grown.

But how much longer?

What would she do when the twins grew older and stopped listening to her altogether?

Just then—

As if breaking through Agnes’s thoughts, someone knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“W-Who is it?”

She asked in surprise, and a familiar voice answered.

“It’s me. Agnes.”

Agnes hurriedly opened the door.

Standing there was the Countess of Valdemar.

She was an elegant noblewoman with neatly tied-up hair and a gentle expression, accentuated by slightly drooping eyes.

She was the mother of the mischievous twins.

“Is something wrong, Madam?”

Agnes asked anxiously.

Normally, the Countess would call her over during meals or tea time to speak with her, but this was the first time she had personally come all the way to Agnes’s room.

Furthermore, the Countess even looked Agnes up and down as though she found something suspicious.

Agnes had a bad feeling about this.

“Did something happen to Leonard and Cedric?”

While the Countess remained silent for a moment, countless thoughts flashed through Agnes’s mind.

Did the children catch a cold?

Or were they upset about what happened today and ask for their governess to be dismissed?

What if she tells me I’m fired?

If Agnes lost this job, she would truly have no choice but to sell the entire estate and their lands.

Despite holding a noble title, she might end up living a life worse than that of a serf.

Her mouth went dry from the tension.

Her fingers tightened around the hem of her dress.

With no power of her own, Agnes could do nothing but wait for the Countess’s next words.

Perhaps noticing Agnes’s anxiety, the Countess smiled gently as if to reassure her.

“Lady Agnes.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“We have a guest. Do you happen to know the Marquess of Celesta?”

Of course she knew him.

House Celesta ruled the northern part of the Empire and was a prestigious family that had produced outstanding mages for generations.

Moreover, the Marquess of Celesta was the master of Celestial, the greatest magic tower in the world.

But Agnes had no personal acquaintance with him, so she shook her head.

“No, not at all…”

“The Marquess of Celesta came here on a night like this and said that he wished to meet you. Are you certain you’ve never met him before?”

At last, Agnes understood why the Countess had been looking at her suspiciously.

She had suspected that Agnes, despite living under the protection of the Count’s family, might secretly be meeting some man.

Agnes vigorously shook her head.

“Yes. I truly have never met him even once.”

“Then why would he ask to meet you alone?”

There was no way Agnes could possibly know the answer.

Leaving the suspicious Countess behind, Agnes headed toward the drawing room.

When she opened the door, a man was sitting inside.

The moment Agnes saw him, she drew a short breath.

Purple—

No. Was it black?

It was a mysterious color.

Depending on the angle at which the light struck his eyes, the color of his irises seemed to change like a gemstone.

Jewel eyes.

According to what Agnes had read in books, they appeared only in mages who had reached an exceptionally high level.

His jet-black hair fell all the way below his waist, spreading across the sofa.

He was a handsome man with the pale skin characteristic of people from the north and sharply defined features.

The man, who had been studying Agnes as though assessing her, soon rose from his seat and bowed his head.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Are you Lady Agnes?”

“Yes. I am.”

“I apologize for coming so late at night. Something urgent came up, so I had to come as quickly as possible.”

As soon as Agnes sat down opposite him, the man handed her a box that he had placed beside him.

“This is something Amy sent.”

“Amy?”

“Isn’t she your younger sister?”

“She is, but my sister disappeared after being caught in a Rift a year ago.”

“Then there can be no mistake. She told me exactly the same thing.”

“Could it be… Is our Amy alive?!”