Chapter 1 …
The Stargazer’s Daughter and the Fate of Marriage
Once you are born in the Kingdom of Valdia, you cannot escape the role of a star reader.
And yet—
“…The star of ruin has appeared again.”
In the silent chamber of astrology, I quietly let my voice fall.
The crystal disc placed upon the altar reflected the starlight, scattering countless twinkles. Just like the starry sky I gaze upon each night, the glowing disc was a sacred heirloom passed down through generations of my family—the star readers. It projects the future and reveals the fate of the royal palace.
However, the more I divined, the more cold and merciless the stars became in showing the truth.
“The second candidate lady as well…?”
“Yes. The outcome remains unchanged.”
The question came from Lord Andrew, the kingdom’s chief magician. He was like an older brother to me. Though his expression didn’t change, his sigh carried a hint of resignation.
“…No matter how many times we divine His Highness’s marriage, the result is ruin. Have even the stars given up?”
He spoke in a joking tone, but I couldn’t bring myself to laugh.
My name is Serena Ernst.
Born as the youngest daughter of the Ernst family—a lineage destined to read the stars and moon—I spend my days performing divinations for the royal palace.
Normally, I would prefer not to speak prophecies that cast doubt on the kingdom’s future. But twisting the truth would be abandoning my duty as a star reader. Caught between those two weights, I could do nothing but deliver the stars’ message with trembling resolve.
“Lady Serena. You must be careful that His Majesty doesn’t begin to think that you’re the one hindering His Highness’s marriage.”
“M–me…? There’s no way…”
I already knew that such whispers had begun circulating through the court.
“That plain star-reading girl.”
“She’s the one standing between the prince and the noble ladies.”
Even in the supposedly empty astrology chamber, I felt those murmurs clinging to the air like a curse.
—I’m only speaking the truth.
As my chest tightened painfully, light footsteps approached from behind, accompanied by a bright, bell-like voice.
“Serena!”
I turned around to see a beautiful young woman in a pale lilac dress—Lady Isabella Lux, daughter of a marquis—standing there with a radiant smile.
“My, it must be terribly difficult for you. Every marriage candidate you divine ends in ruin… You must be so tired?”
“Yes… a little.”
When she spoke to me in such a gentle tone, I couldn’t hide my weariness. Lady Isabella was a brilliant figure in society and one of my few friends.
But that day, there was a glimmer of curiosity—and perhaps a hint of challenge—in her eyes.
“By the way, Serena. I came to ask you for a rather unusual favor today.”
“A… favor?”
“Yes. I’d like you to divine my love.”
Her words left me speechless.
Star reading is a sacred duty to support the kingdom. It’s for divining the royal family’s future and the course of politics. To divine something like personal romance—it felt far too frivolous.
“L–Lady Isabella… is that really appropriate? Something like that…”
“It’s quite all right. Love is also an important part of life. If the future where I’m joined to His Highness is closed, then I want to know the path my heart should follow.”
She smiled brightly at me, and I caught my breath.
Faced with her earnest, unwavering gaze, I found myself unable to refuse.
Once more, I peered into the disc and traced the arrangement of the constellations.
My heart began to race strangely fast.
—What if the result reveals something unexpected…?
“…This is…”
My lips trembled; my voice faltered.
The stars on the disc revealed a single fate.
“The course of that love… leads to His Highness the Prince—”
“My…!”
Lady Isabella’s eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
But my gaze was drawn further, to what lay beyond.
The rays of light from the disc projected another, entirely unexpected truth.
“…The stars show… that beside the Prince’s future… stands a star-reading maiden…”
The moment I spoke the words aloud, my heart leapt.
The star-reading maiden—I already knew exactly who that referred to.
“Fufu… Well. That doesn’t mean you, does it?”
“N–No! T–That must be… some sort of mistake!”
The more I tried to deny it, the hotter and tighter my chest became.
And then, suddenly, a shadow fell over us from behind.
I turned—
“Your divinations are always correct, aren’t they?”
Golden hair reflecting the night sky. Shimmering blue eyes.
There stood His Highness Leonhardt, the First Prince of the Kingdom of Valdia.
“Y–Your Highness…!”
I was struck speechless by his sudden appearance, while he approached me with calm grace.
“Only ruin awaits in every future. The stars’ prophecies… can be cruel indeed.”
“I–I’m merely… delivering the results—”
“I’m not blaming you. On the contrary, I believe in your readings.”
His voice was low and sincere.
When he looked straight at me like that, my heart felt unbearably weak.
“…Ah…”
It was as if I—the one who was supposed to read and decide the future—was the one being captured irrevocably by him.
I couldn’t speak.
—I’d thought love was something far away from me.
But this fluttering in my chest…
I didn’t want to acknowledge it, yet I was on the verge of realizing what it meant.
All I could do was lower my head and clench my trembling hands.
“…Serena.”
His voice wrapped gently around me.
Then, his fingertips brushed against my hand.
Startled, I looked up to see him smiling softly.
The warmth of his touch spread to my fingertips, and my chest suddenly filled with emotion.
—I mustn’t let him look at me any longer. This is dangerous.
And yet my legs wouldn’t move to run. All I could do was feel the heat rising to my cheeks.
