Tragedy struck without any warning. It began with the sudden illness of Ephelia’s grandfather—the former duke. Having already passed his title to his eldest son and granted an earldom to his second, he had retired peacefully to a distant estate.
The old duke adored Ephelia. He cherished her far more than even his eldest grandson, Meristo. He had no daughters—only two sons. And both of those sons had only ever had sons themselves. So when his first granddaughter was finally born, it was no surprise that he doted on her beyond measure.
Even after his second son gave him another granddaughter, his affection for Ephelia never waned. If anything, his love for her grew stronger. So when word came that the old duke had suddenly collapsed, everyone was shocked.
“My lord! The former duke is in critical condition!”
“Father?”
The former duke had been living in the duchy far from the imperial capital. Upon hearing of his sudden illness, the family and close relatives had to depart immediately for the estate. But then, a difficult problem arose.
Ephelia, of all times, had fallen gravely ill the night before.
The family physician said there was no way she could endure a long journey. The ducal family had been staying at their townhouse in the capital, and the trip to the estate would take several days by carriage.
“Ephelia is so sick—what should we do?”
“G-grandpa…”
Even through her fever and pounding head, Ephelia had caught the news that her beloved grandfather was ill. Of everyone she knew, he was the kindest soul.
Unlike her sometimes strict parents, he only ever gave her love. While he might scold her older brothers from time to time, his wrinkled face always broke into a smile whenever he saw Ephelia.
“Ephelia, can you hear me?”
Her mother, the duchess, touched her cheek gently as she spoke. Ephelia began to sob.
“Are you in pain, my dear?”
Ephelia shook her head. The tears weren’t from the fever or the aches. The thought of never seeing her grandfather again made her chest hurt unbearably.
She didn’t fully understand what “death” meant yet—but she knew she didn’t want to lose the man who loved her most.
“I… I want to go too.”
Ephelia was not a stubborn child, but this time she refused to back down.
“I want to see Grandpa…”
“He’ll be fine, Ephelia. But if he sees you like this—so sick—his heart will hurt even more.”
“Nooo… Grandpa…”
“I’ll stay with Ephelia,” said one of her older brothers. “Father, Mother—please go see Grandfather.”
“We can’t leave the younger ones alone. I’ll stay,” said the second son.
Ephelia could sense that her illness was causing everyone trouble. She also knew she was far too weak to travel.
“I-I’m sorry. I can stay alone. The nanny’s here too…”
“We’ll be back soon,” her father said, holding her right hand tightly.
“I’m sorry for leaving you,” said her mother, gripping her left.
“Our little one. Don’t be sick,” murmured her mischievous brother Keyran, brushing her forehead.
“Our baby,” added Meristo gently.
And with that, her family left Ephelia behind in the capital and departed for the duchy.
But they never arrived.
Before they could reach the estate, the old duke passed away, unable to hold on long enough to see his eldest son’s family again. Worse still, tragedy compounded upon tragedy. On their journey, the carriage overturned during a violent storm. The road had been dark, and the driver failed to notice a large stone in time.
The crash killed everyone inside—the duke, the duchess, and both of their sons.
The family gathering meant to bid farewell to the old duke became a double funeral. Father, mother, and sons were buried together in a joint ceremony.
Even the most gossip-hungry nobles could not bring themselves to speak of such a devastating event. The ducal house had been close to the imperial family; even the royals publicly mourned their loss. No one dared to speak lightly of it.
And so, Ephelia became an orphan.
She was far too young to inherit the title—and barely clinging to life herself. Thus, the dukedom passed instead to her uncle, Denold, the former duke’s younger son. He inherited not only the title but all the estates and wealth. Taking Ephelia in as his ward was seen as the natural course of action.
When Ephelia finally regained consciousness, she was too late even for the funeral. By the time she could get out of bed, everything was already over.
She couldn’t understand what had happened. Her parents and brothers were gone, and her uncle and aunt now roamed the ducal mansion as though they owned it.
And in fact—they did. They were sleeping in her parents’ room. Her cousin was living in Meristo’s chamber.
“Where’s Daddy? Where’s Mommy? Where are my brothers? Is Grandpa all right?”
No one would answer. They only turned away, eyes brimming with tears.
“Where did they go? Why did they leave me?”
The little duchess’s voice trembled, but no one could bring themselves to respond.
Ephelia awoke one morning to find her entire world gone—and in its place stood her uncle, aunt, and cousins.
“I’m the young lord now,” said her older cousin Hexi, sounding proud.
“Then I’m the young lady too!” squealed his sister, Seluna.
“No!”
“What do you mean, no?”
Ephelia didn’t know why, but those words made her angry.
“No. The young lords of the duchy are Meristo and Keyran!”
That remark offended Hexi. Now that his family had taken the title, he saw himself as the rightful heir—and everyone else treated him as such. Only the emperor outranked him. And yet this little girl, alone and powerless, dared to deny him.
“Stupid girl! I am the young lord now. Your father, mother, and brothers are all dead!”
It was Hexi who told her first.
“D-dead?”
“Yeah! They all died in that accident on the way to see Grandpa! You’re an orphan now—no family, no one!”
Cruel words, even for a child.
“That’s not true! Where are they? Stop lying!”
“You don’t even know what ‘dead’ means? It means you’ll never see them again! Not your grandpa, not anyone—they’re all gone!”
“Liar! Tell me where they are! Tell me!”
Her cries filled the room.
The servants heard, but none dared intervene. Hexi’s family now ruled the duchy. To defend Ephelia would be to defy their new masters.
Then, someone stepped in between them—the new duke, Denold.
“That’s enough, Hexi. Don’t talk that way to your little sister.”
“Uncle… Hexi said… he said Mommy and Daddy are gone… and my brothers too…”
“Uncle? You mean Father.”
Her uncle corrected her sharply. He and his wife now insisted that Ephelia call them Father and Mother. Her cousins were to be her brother and sister.
“But… you’re not my daddy…”
“It seems your late father failed to raise you properly,” he said coldly. “But this father won’t tolerate such insolence. The ducal house will not be shamed.”
Something had changed in him. Gone was the uncle who once gifted her ribbons and dresses. His voice, his gaze—everything felt colder now.
Seluna giggled. Ephelia realized why a moment later. Under the guise of “discipline,” she was locked away in an attic she hadn’t even known existed.
