Chapter 3

“Regina, do you know how much it broke this foolish father’s heart when you took a dagger with a missing tooth and played with it instead of a teddy bear, the moment you learned to walk?”

“…”

“I’m sorry I brought you into the world on a battlefield, but I can’t let you spend your entire life surrounded by the smell of blood. Even if it’s only from now on, I want you to live an ordinary life, just like everyone else, somewhere safe and peaceful. That’s what we wish for you.”

His sincerity was rough around the edges, but genuine.

My father, who had spent his entire life on the battlefield, desperately wanted his daughter to live a different life from his own.

I remained silent for a moment before letting out a small sigh and nodding.

“All right.”

“Hm?”

“If you and my brother want it that badly, I’ll get married. I’ll retire, too.”

“Oh! You’ve made the right decision, Regina!”

Father embraced me so tightly that I thought he might crush me, overcome with emotion.

From that day onward, the Eisenbach estate became a hive of activity as the family launched Operation: Find a Groom.

Father and my brother searched far and wide, arranging one blind date after another for me.

The results, however, were disastrous.

“You expect me to take care of the household? Honestly! Of course, managing the household is a woman’s job. What kind of nonsense is this?”

The first man was horrified when I told him I would earn the money while leaving the household duties to him.

“I was wondering exactly how much your war victory prize money amounts to… And whether it would become joint marital property.”

The second man showed an undisguised interest in nothing but my wealth.

“W-Well, my ideal woman is someone who brings out my protective instincts…”

“I see. Then you can carry my share of the luggage, too.”

“…”

The third man went home in tears.

And so, one blind date after another fell apart. Ten, then twenty.

The men of the capital were simply too timid to handle my reputation as the Black Reaper.

“Is our youngest daughter really going to spend her entire life alone at this rate?”

Father clutched his head as he stared at the mountain of Blind Date Failure Reports piled up before him.

There were hardly any candidates left.

We were no longer in a position to be picky.

Just then, my brother pulled a single sheet of paper from the very bottom of the pile.

“Father, there is one last candidate, but…”

“Let me see.”

Father snatched the document from him.

A moment later, however, his brow furrowed deeply.

“This one is a little unacceptable, isn’t he?”

“Right? I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read it, either.”

Watching their reactions, I asked, “What’s wrong? Is he some kind of delinquent?”

“No, a delinquent would actually be better. We could at least educate him.”

My brother clicked his tongue and handed me the document.

“Apparently, he’s the second son of a rural viscount’s family, but he has absolutely nothing to his name. Actually, it’s worse than that. He’s in the red.”

“His debts are mountainous. On top of that, he’s frail and has come to the capital to recuperate… We can’t bring some worthless runt like this into the Eisenbach family as our son-in-law.”

Father shook his head and was about to crumple the document.

I quietly slipped it out of his hand.

Indeed, by every conventional measure, the man’s qualifications were the worst imaginable.

But something else caught my eye.

Fra il.

If that was the case, he probably wouldn’t be afraid of me or try to overpower me with brute force.

And if he had a mountain of debt, wouldn’t he be more obedient if I paid it off for him?

More importantly…

This was my last chance to put an end to this exhausting war of blind dates.

“I’ll meet him anyway.”

“What? Regina, are you serious?”

“Yes. There are hardly any candidates left, are there? I can pay off his debts, and if he’s frail, I can protect him.”

I stood up and added, “Well, then, I’ll be off. I’m going to see what kind of man this ‘worthless runt’ really is.”

And so, I decided to attend the fateful blind date that would change my life forever—and shake the very foundations of the empire.

Habits die hard.

When I opened my eyes, the sun had yet to rise. A faint blue light of dawn hung outside the window.

I got out of bed and reached beneath my pillow.

When my fingers failed to find the cold handle of a dagger, I finally realized that I was no longer in a military tent on the battlefield, but in a mansion in the capital.

“…Sigh.”

I let out a short breath and sat up.

The feel of the soft down comforter and silk sheets was still unfamiliar to me.

The hard field cot I used to sleep on had honestly been better for my back.

I headed to the bathroom.

There were no maids in my room.

There were two reasons I refused to employ one.

First, I disliked having other people touch my body.

Second, the maids were terrified of me.

When I first arrived in the capital, I had hired a maid, intending to live like an ordinary lady.

However, while helping me get dressed, she caught sight of the scars on my back and recoiled in horror. From that moment on, she visibly feared me.

After that incident, I dismissed all my attendants.

I was more comfortable alone.

I had chosen my outfit for the day the night before.

A white silk blouse, dark black tailored trousers, and a pair of long leather boots that allowed me to move freely.

For the first few blind dates, I had at least tried wearing something called a dress.

But gradually, I realized that clothing didn’t matter.

A man who was going to run away would run away no matter what I wore.

Once I understood that, I started wearing comfortable clothes instead.

Besides, if my date turns out to be rude, trousers are much easier to kick someone in than a skirt.

With that practical thought in mind, I looked at myself in the mirror.

My black hair, which I had kept short on the battlefield, had grown long enough to be called a bob.

The contrast between my deathly pale skin and jet-black hair made me look even more intimidating.

…Even I had to admit that my appearance was a little frightening.

When I went downstairs to the dining room, Father and my brother were waiting for me. Both gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

“That’s right! You look strong and confident! Don’t let anyone intimidate you. Go and show them what you’re made of!”

Father delivered his passionate speech while gripping his fork like a dagger.

“Any man who can’t handle our daughter isn’t qualified to begin with. Understand?”

“Exactly, Regina. If you meet him and decide he’s nothing special, just walk out. There’s absolutely no need to force yourself to continue the relationship.”

My brother chimed in, habitually checking the blade of his dining knife.

With Father’s and my brother’s enthusiastic encouragement behind me, I left the mansion.

Our meeting place was the famous Café Blanc in the heart of the capital.

I considered taking a carriage, but since I had plenty of time, I decided to walk instead.

I strolled slowly through the streets of the capital, looking around at my surroundings.

This place really is… unfamiliar.

The capital was a strange and fascinating place.

Instead of the stench of rotting corpses that used to assault my nostrils, the streets were filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread and sweet perfume.

Instead of soldiers’ screams and the clang of metal, I heard merchants calling out to customers and children laughing.

Rather than trudging through muddy ground, people walked gracefully along clean, paved sidewalks, all dressed in splendid clothes.

A young girl selling flowers ran about in the distance, while couples strolled arm in arm, admiring shop windows.

Not a single person seemed worried about death.

On the battlefield, even the smallest mistake could cost you your head.

But here, people could make mistakes and simply laugh them off.

Unable to blend into the peaceful scenery around me, I felt like an outsider—or perhaps a ghost wandering through a world that wasn’t mine.

So this is what they meant by living an ordinary life.

A dull ache spread through a corner of my heart.

I thought I was beginning to understand why Father and my brother were so desperate to pull me away from the battlefield, and why they were determined to get me married, even if they had to force the issue.

If I lived among such peaceful surroundings, perhaps the lingering smell of blood on my hands—the smell that could never truly be washed away—would eventually fade.

“Phew.”

I took a deep breath and steeled myself.

All right. Let’s do our best at today’s blind date. Maybe I, too… can become an ordinary person.

Café Blanc was every bit as luxurious as its reputation suggested.

Even from the entrance, I could smell the rich aroma of premium coffee beans.

Following the staff’s directions, I entered a private room at the far end of the first floor, where our table had been reserved.

Thick velvet curtains and plush sofas filled the room.

I sat down and once again reviewed my prospective partner’s information in my mind.

His name is Kai Brozel. The second son of Viscount Brozel.