.

.

.

.

500CE

KINGDOM OF KAIZERIAN

"Some say a home is the warmest place one can ever know. To me, however, the word home has never coexisted with warmth. Every scar etched into my heart is a legacy of that very place—a cruel gift bestowed by the people who were supposed to love me."

"By all appearances, I am the eldest daughter of the prestigious House of Marquis Holbrook. My life should have been effortless, adorned with paintings, music, embroidery, archery lessons, elegant tea parties with the ladies of other noble households, and, in time, a respectable marriage befitting the daughter of a marquis. That was the life everyone expected me to live.Yet it remained nothing more than a distant dream."

"There was no warmth in my childhood. No carefree laughter echoing through the halls. No harmless quarrels or teasing between siblings. No whispered secrets shared beneath my mother's embrace. No comforting assurance that my father's name would shield me from the world's cruelty. I could never rely on it. Even as his own daughter, I possessed no authority to utter the name of Marquis Holbrook with pride, let alone use it to defend myself. I wasn't born cold. Life simply buried every warm piece of me beneath betrayal, neglect, and disappointment. "

"The cruelest thing about fate isn't that it breaks you—it's that it expects you to keep walking afterward. And so I did. The person standing before you isn't unbreakable. She is merely what's left after being broken too many times."

"And that man is my husband—at least, by name. The great General of the Kingdom of Kaizerian, Ambrosios Aberdeen. Why do I call him my nominal husband? Because the woman he truly loves has never been me. It has always been my younger sister. Yet even that is not the cruelest wound. The cruelest part is that my entire family silently accepted it, as though there were nothing shameful about a husband loving his wife's sister."

" Not once did they condemn him. Not once did they ask if it hurts me. Perhaps you wonder why. Because I was never meant to stand beside the General. I was merely a substitute. The bride chosen for him had always been my younger sister. When circumstances forced the marriage to fall through, I was placed in her stead—as though I were nothing more than a convenient replacement. Did I volunteer for this marriage? No. Was I given a choice? Never. Yet I was the one condemned. Everyone spoke as though I had stolen my sister's place, as though I had schemed my way into becoming the General's principal wife. No gathering was complete without someone reminding me that I was living a life that had never belonged to me."

"They say time heals every wound. They lied. Some wounds do not heal; they simply teach you how to smile without letting anyone see the blood beneath. I wasn't born cold. Life simply buried every warm piece of me beneath betrayal and disappointment."

"Thus this confinement to the mountains as a punishment from the General."

"A punishment? A confinement to a manor in the mountain without servants and the luxury of the capital city. Hardly any punishment for me and more like a break from all the scheming and disappointment. Because they all think I am jealous and materialistic woman and sending me to live without luxury is the biggest punishment they have thought of for now."

.

.

.

.

FROST VALLEY

"Yes, lady a wandering master seems to have resided in the temple in the mountains for a while. He is a learned wise Master famous to know the answer to everything. If you have time then you should sure go to see the master."

"After arriving here, I settled into the small manor that had been assigned to me. There were no servants, no maids—only silence to keep me company. They had expected loneliness to drive me into despair, to watch me wither away in isolation. Instead, for the first time in my life, I found peace. The quiet that wrapped around my heart felt unfamiliar, almost frightening in its gentleness. Yet it was also comforting, as though I had finally been allowed to breathe after years of suffocation. It has been four days since I came here, and today I heard of, a renowned master, said to possess extraordinary skills."

"A master, they say. A man renowned for his wisdom, one who seems to hold the answer to every question beneath the heavens. I wonder if that is true. If so, perhaps I should meet him. Perhaps he can tell me why some people spend their entire lives searching for love only to be met with indifference. Perhaps he can explain why a home can feel colder than a prison, or why fate delights in giving hope only to snatch it away. Then again, those are merely the complaints of an ordinary woman. Would a great master concern himself with such petty mortal thoughts?"

The master smiled faintly, his gaze calm and unfathomable.

"The days passed quietly as I continued my journey between the manor and the temple. Climbing those stone steps never felt tiresome; instead, each ascent brought an inexplicable sense of peace. The master was truly wise. People from every corner came seeking his guidance. His sermons were unlike any other. He never spoke of what one should or should not have done—only of the consequences that quietly awaited after every choice."

The master continued carving a wooden figurine, his eyes never leaving his work.

The master finally looked up.

Silence settled between them. The master picked up the unfinished bowl from her hands.

He crushed it gently, reducing it to a shapeless lump before placing it back in her palms.

Thea stared at the lump in her hand. After a long silence, she asked quietly,

.

.

.

.

CARRIAGE MOVING

"How could there be any grudges between us? The last flicker of hope in my heart—that he might one day see me as his wife, or at least acknowledge me as a human being—had already burned itself into ashes."

"He still needs time to come around? The words nearly drew a laugh from me. He was the Kingdom's greatest general—a man renowned for his brilliance on the battlefield, unmatched in strategy and foresight. Yet for all his wisdom, he could not see the truth that I, a woman confined to the inner court, had accepted long before him. Perhaps it is easier to read the enemy's intentions than to face the truth that has always stood before one's own eyes."

AFTER A WHILE

MAIN HALL

"An engagement to the Third Prince... What a fortunate woman she is, to be loved wherever she goes. After misunderstanding the General, Elinor fled the capital, only to meet the Third Prince traveling in disguise. In time, they fell in love, and he brought her back by his side."

"How fortunate. There was a time when I despised such favoritism. I would cry, wondering why I was never loved by my parents or protected by my elder brother. I was shattered when they forced me into a substitute marriage, and when Elinor returned, they would rather tarnish my name than allow even the slightest stain to fall upon hers. They let the rumors spread unchecked—that I had stolen my sister's husband, her dowry, and even driven her out of the capital. It hurt. But not anymore. Now I understand. Favoritism rarely needs a reason. People do not always love because someone deserves it, nor do they stop loving because someone is at fault."

"Sometimes...They simply love one person, and they simply do not love another. That is all. Blood ties do not automatically make someone fond of someone. I simply lack the fate to make one fond of me."

ENGAGEMENT DAY

LATER THAT NIGHT

STUDY OF GENERAL