Alley Jane quietly slipped out from the terrace into the garden. She had caught sight of the young noble ladies who always bullied her, and so she fled before they could notice her.
Despite the strict security of the royal evening party, it was dangerous for a young lady like Alley Jane to go into the garden alone. However, Alley Jane possessed magic specialized in creating barriers, so she was confident in her ability to protect herself. In fact, she had already overcome several dangers thanks to her barriers.
A cool breeze caressed Alley Jane's soft, flushed cheeks, which had been glowing as she admired the splendor of the extravagant evening party.
Under the blending night breeze and moonlight, rosebuds set to bloom tomorrow slept like flower fairies.
In the flowerbeds outlined by trimmed low hedges, white flowers that bloomed at night competed with each other, resembling falling snow. Their leaves swayed in the wind, like the pure white veil of a bride.
At the center, a fountain played a tinkling melody, and in the clear pond, golden fish, like fragments of the sun, and silver fish, like pieces of the moon, swam gracefully.
The water from the pond flowed from the feet of a male god to the feet of a female goddess, forming a corridor of water, as if symbolizing a celestial meeting of stars.
The royal garden, illuminated here and there by magical lamps, was a masterpiece of beauty, designed to reflect the grandeur of the kingdom, bathed in the stillness and elegance of the night.
“So beautiful…”
Perhaps intoxicated by the beauty of the garden, Alley Jane, who would usually avoid such situations, found herself drawn toward the shadowy figure of a young man crouching under a tree, despite her usual caution.
“U-um, are you alright? Should I call someone if you’re not feeling well?”
Alley Jane awkwardly addressed him, but the young man responded irritably. His low voice was chillingly cold.
“Stay away. I do not permit anyone to touch me. Leave at once.”
Yet Alley Jane didn’t move. She focused her magic in her eyes and looked at the man. Besides barriers, Alley Jane’s other specialty was magic sight.
“Could it be… magic sickness?”
Everyone possessed magic, but the amount varied from person to person. With few exceptions, commoners had little magic, while nobles had a great deal. Among them, the higher-ranking nobles possessed vast amounts of magic. However, excessive magic could harm the body, and such conditions were called magic sickness.
There was a potion to alleviate magic sickness, but its taste was notoriously dreadful, to the point that taking it often worsened the condition. Therefore, unless the symptoms were severe, few people resorted to it.
Alley Jane had suffered from magic sickness as a child due to her high magic levels, spending many days bedridden, so she understood the man’s pain from what her magic sight revealed.
Kneeling down, Alley Jane gently took the man’s hands in hers.
“What are you doing!? Let go!!”
The man tried to violently shake off Alley Jane’s hands, but he felt the stagnant magic inside him start to dissipate.
“This…? The headache and nausea are gone…?”
As the man’s magic stabilized, Alley Jane sighed in relief. However, she quickly stood up, realizing she had just helped him. Her sister had warned her to keep her powers a secret. While the man stared in disbelief, Alley Jane hurriedly grabbed the hem of her dress and, in a manner unbecoming of a lady, ran off at full speed.
With her fluffy, pale blonde hair fluttering behind her, Alley Jane ran away as fast as she could. The man stared after her, his mouth slightly agape, but by the time he came to his senses, it was too late. Alley Jane had vanished from sight.
This was Alley Jane's first encounter with Viscount Levias of Serpentaria.
Alley Jane was the daughter of a baron.
She had a twin sister, Mariabelle, who was renowned as the kingdom’s most beautiful woman, but compared to her, Alley Jane was scorned as the inferior version.
With hair as golden as the sun and clear, deep blue eyes, Maria Belle was radiant and beautiful, possessing an ideal figure.
On the other hand, Alley Jane had pale, fluffy golden hair, a diluted version of her sister's, and her eyes were not blue but a light water blue. She was short, with a slender and delicate figure, a small face with a cute, dainty nose and mouth that sat neatly upon it, and overall, she had a diminutive presence that didn’t stand out much.
Even though Alley Jane had a charming appearance in her own right, when not seen alongside her sister Maria Belle, she was constantly belittled due to the stark contrast. Maria Belle's beauty was simply too overwhelming, and the fact that they were twins only emphasized the disparity.
Avoiding the gazes of others, Alley Jane found comfort in the farthest corners of tea parties and social gatherings—places where she could stay out of sight and mind.
Although, as a noble, she had to maintain her social presence, there was a clear disparity in the dresses worn by Alley Jane and Maria Belle. Maria Belle, the perfect tool for political alliances, was always adorned in the finest attire, while Alley Jane, deemed far inferior, was treated accordingly. This was her father, the baron's, way of thinking. It was natural in the baron’s household that Maria Belle should be lavishly dressed, but Alley Jane was raised with much less. Frankly, the baron’s family didn’t have the wealth to afford extravagant dresses for both sisters. Realizing early on that there was no point in complaining, Alley Jane stopped asserting herself, finding her corner to be a comforting refuge.
At some point, people began to whisper, calling Alley Jane “dust fluff,” teasing her for her fluffy hair and her constant presence in the corners. Without her father’s protection and lacking any significant backing, Alley Jane had no way to defend herself or dispel the unpleasant rumors and derogatory nicknames.
Not that Alley Jane herself minded. She thought “dust fluff” sounded cute, like the mysterious little creature from a picture book she’d once read.
And then, the day after the evening party, a marriage proposal came to Alley Jane from the Viscount of Serpentaria. While proposals flooded in like rain for her sister Maria Belle, this was Alley Jane’s first.
Her father, the baron, was overjoyed at the viscount’s offer, especially since they stated no dowry was needed. He immediately ordered Alley Jane to board the carriage sent by the viscount’s household. Though he had money to spend on Maria Belle, he had no intention of using any for Alley Jane.
Without even investigating the suitor, her father quickly signed the various documents brought by the viscount’s butler, eager to act before the viscount changed his mind. Witnessing this, Maria Belle rushed to her room, grabbed her jewelry box, and pressed it into Alley Jane’s hands as she sat in the carriage.
“I’m likely to become the prince’s concubine soon. If your husband turns out to be terrible, I’ll ask the prince to save you,” said her kind sister.
Alley Jane, trying to return the jewelry box, replied, “It’s not unusual for nobles to marry someone they’ve never met. Don’t worry about me. Besides, if you take the jewelry box without permission, Father will scold you.”
Under the noble system, the head of the family had absolute authority in the kingdom. Their father, the baron, ruled over his daughters, Maria Belle and Alley Jane, who were both subject to his control.
Whether the praised beauty Maria Belle or the scorned “dust fluff” Alley Jane, both were equally weak and powerless. Their positions were painful and sad, but they had each other. They shared their suffering, sadness, and longing, leaning on one another like two wings.
They had even considered running away together, but Alley Jane, who was reasonably cute, and Maria Belle, who was a stunning beauty, could only imagine a bleak future as 16-year-old noble girls. Enduring their fate seemed to be their only option.
“This is my jewelry box. I will capture the prince’s heart with my polished beauty and charm, secure power, and ensure you don’t feel small in the viscount’s household. Wait for me. I’ll make sure you’re respected not as ‘dust fluff’ but as ‘the sister of the prince’s concubine.’ Until then, if anything happens, sell the jewelry and use it for yourself. Or, protect yourself with your barriers.”
“The royal palace is a dangerous place, Sister. Please be careful,” Alley Jane said as she hugged Maria Belle. Maria Belle gracefully wrapped her arms around Alley Jane’s back, like a pearl oyster protecting its pearl.
“I’m cunning, you know. I have plenty of servants who are devoted to me, enthralled by my beauty. Anyone who harbors ill intent toward me will quietly be made to disappear. I’ll be fine. And Father, too, eventually… Oh, and be sure not to let anyone find out about Tea Cup-chan.”
At such a critical time, when Maria Belle was on the verge of becoming the crown prince’s concubine, their father, the baron, must have found the existence of the “dust fluff,” the incompetent Alley Jane, to be a nuisance. The proposal from Viscount Serpentaria came at a convenient moment, and the marriage was arranged without even a formal engagement. The sudden departure was so abrupt, like a bird taking flight, that Maria Belle and Alley Jane embraced each other, as if to reaffirm their shared warmth.
Thus, with only her sister’s jewelry box and a single old suitcase as her wedding trousseau, Alley Jane set off for the household of Viscount Serpentaria.
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