Milena’s eyes met the child’s.
Through the slightly open door, her nephew—who looked astonishingly like Kalion—was staring at her.
Ah, right. You were here.
It had already been five years.
For five long years, Milena had stayed in this castle, acting as a nursemaid to her late sister’s child without receiving so much as a single reward in return.
“Auntie.”
Ashdel Luxen.
The son born between her brother-in-law and her sister. He was seven years old now.
When her sister died—
No, when she disappeared—
he had been left neglected and alone.
“Aunt Milena? What happened to your hair?”
The child’s large eyes reflected her disheveled appearance: the hairpin that had been torn away and her tangled hair.
As he reached out his hand, Milena unconsciously lowered herself to his height.
“It’s nothing. Why are you here?”
“Did someone bully you, Auntie?”
A small hand carefully brushed through her tangled hair, as though trying to straighten it.
Milena let out a bitter chuckle.
She was infamous enough to be called the Witch of the North.
The nickname hadn’t appeared out of nowhere.
Just like her appearance, Milena’s personality was notoriously fierce.
The younger sister of the deceased Grand Duchess.
A pathetic woman who had dared to covet the Grand Duke.
The servants who had once tried to torment her had all paid a terrible price before fleeing in terror.
Who would dare bully her?
“Are you joking?”
“I’m serious.”
Good heavens.
Talking back so quickly.
He really wasn’t a baby anymore.
Perhaps it was because he carried the Grand Duke’s blood.
Despite being only seven years old, he was already surprisingly mature, almost like a young boy rather than a child.
But a child was still a child.
The first time Milena had met Ashdel, he had only just learned how to walk.
Lariette had returned after a long absence looking strangely frail, and she had entrusted the child to Milena.
Back then, Milena never imagined—
that it would be her sister’s final request.
No one found Lariette’s sudden death suspicious.
But now, looking back, it had all been a lie.
An act.
A deception.
What had Lariette’s funeral been like again?
Kalion had clung to her coffin for hours beneath a raging downpour.
In the end, her body was never buried.
Instead, the coffin was placed inside the memorial hall.
The child who should have been held in his parents’ arms had only clung to the hem of Milena’s skirt.
Ashdel had followed her everywhere.
And Kalion had simply left the boy in her care.
Back then, Milena had thought it was an opportunity.
Lariette was gone.
The place beside Kalion was empty.
If they lived together long enough, maybe one day he would finally notice her.
But Kalion never looked at her.
Not even once.
Hope became despair.
How foolish she had been.
To endure five years for the sake of a love she knew would never be returned.
She had always been lonely.
Always starving for affection.
From her parents.
From a man she could never have.
Begging for love from people who had no interest in her was always humiliating.
Consumed by an obsessive attachment, she had lived without caring about the ridicule of others.
How pathetic.
The realization brought a wave of shame.
The truth reflected her ugliness back at her like a mirror.
Only now, standing between the lies and truths Lariette had woven, could she clearly see her own actions.
Even the days she had lived until yesterday felt like an embarrassing stain on her past.
“Auntie?”
Just as she was about to sink into her thoughts again, a small warmth touched her fingertips.
Seeing her nephew staring at her with concern, Milena pulled herself together.
At least I know now.
Twenty-eight years old.
She had spent so much time clinging to one hopeless love that she had already passed the ideal age for marriage.
She had no money.
No power.
What exactly had she gained all this time?
At least if she had earned money, she wouldn’t feel so cheated.
“Auntie, are you sick?”
The child cautiously took her hand.
Milena ruffled his black hair.
It was fine.
What was the point of expecting compensation now?
“Ash.”
His black hair made him resemble Kalion overall, but the pink eyes inherited from Lariette were undeniably adorable.
“You too…”
“Hm?”
You probably love Lariette more, don’t you?
No matter how long we’ve spent together, there’s no way you’d love me more than your mother.
Milena couldn’t understand why her sister had faked her death.
But there was one thing she remembered.
Lariette had promised she would return.
Her sister had always gotten what she wanted.
The mere fact that Lariette was alive made Milena’s place in this castle unstable.
When Lariette returned, what would Kalion do with her?
Perhaps he would erase her like a stain ruining their perfect family reunion.
Blinded by love, she had forgotten what kind of man he truly was.
To Kalion, people were merely tools.
Everyone except Lariette.
Even his most loyal subordinates were discarded without hesitation once they outlived their usefulness.
When Lariette had “died,” he had executed all of her physicians and escort knights.
Officially, it was punishment for failing to protect her.
But in truth, he had simply needed someone to vent his rage upon.
No one had dared object.
Because the Grand Duke’s word was law.
If she wanted to survive, she had to leave.
Staying beside a madman obsessed with a single woman was dangerous.
Yes.
She needed to leave first.
“Why are you here? Don’t make me repeat myself.”
She snapped at him, but the child only smiled.
“Because today is a sad day for Auntie.”
Even on the anniversary of his own mother’s death, he was worrying about Milena first.
You really are…
She hadn’t even showered him with affection.
Yet he always followed her.
Deep down, he probably wanted love from Kalion, his only remaining parent.
And still, he stayed by Milena’s side.
Perhaps they were similar.
Neither of them were loved.
Strangely enough, the servants treated Ashdel with the same cautious distance they showed Milena.
And Kalion?
He didn’t even look at his own son.
Well, once Lariette returned, Ashdel’s position as heir would be secure.
“Don’t worry about it. This isn’t something a child should concern himself with. It’s late. Go back and sleep.”
Because I need to pack.
The memorial ceremony for the Grand Duchess would begin in the morning and continue until after midnight.
Kalion had never missed it once.
How romantic. I’m leaving, so you two can spend the rest of eternity in love.
With that sarcastic thought, she turned to gather her belongings.
Then a small hand grabbed her.
Milena frowned and sighed.
“Ash, I told you to go back.”
She tried to free her skirt from his grip.
Then—
“Auntie... I’m sorry.”
Before she could respond, Ashdel’s body suddenly swayed.
“What?”
Startled, Milena caught him.
“Ash!”
His body was burning hot.
Like a furnace.
Without hesitation, Milena scooped him into her arms and ran toward his bedroom.
But—
Not a single servant was in sight.
How could they send everyone to the memorial ceremony and leave no one to watch over the child?
Furious, she rushed to the physician’s office.
It was empty too.
She quickly grabbed fever medicine and painkillers from the cabinet.
“A man calling himself a father can’t even assign a personal maid? Ashdel is the heir of the Grand Ducal family! How is there not even a physician for him? Kalion, you cold-hearted bastard!”
As she strode through the dark corridors, curses poured from her mouth without pause.
What she didn’t know—
was that someone was watching her from within the empty castle.
“Milena Lastia…”
The man murmured.
“I heard she abused her nephew and spent all her time chasing after Kalion. They even say she tried to steal her sister’s place.”
Yet what he saw before him was completely different from the rumors.
The corner of his lips curled upward.
“How interesting.”
Sharp eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness.
His face was breathtakingly beautiful.
Cold.
Dangerously alluring.
Wearing a chilling smile, the man quietly disappeared into the night—
carrying with him a brand-new secret.