Chapter: 02
The Great Hall of the Imperial Palace, where the Attribute Harmony Party was being held.
The hall was filled with the voices of people chatting. On the surface, they appeared to be laughing and strengthening their relationships, but in reality, it was nothing like that.
People were strictly gathered only with those who possessed the same attribute.
It had become part of Astell Empire culture to form alliances with those of the same attribute while keeping a wary eye on people with different attributes.
Vally was a Grade 5, someone even people of her own attribute shunned, so even her family kept their distance from her.
She was thoroughly accustomed to this loneliness and didn’t care as she looked around the surroundings.
She frowned when someone suddenly pinched the back of her hand and turned her head in the opposite direction.
“Can’t you stay still? What are you going to do if your frivolous behavior becomes noticeable? Stop looking around.”
Her mother scolded her in a voice only Vally could hear.
“Don’t do anything that draws attention to you and just stay still. That way, you might at least look normal.”
She was being treated like a completely broken tool. In her previous life, she would have endured it, thinking that everything was her fault, but things were different now.
“Everyone already knows that I’m Grade 5 in a water-attribute family.”
“Don’t you even intend to make the slightest effort? Tsk. I can’t understand how you have absolutely no intention of doing anything to improve your parents’ reputation.”
Her mother glared at Vally with narrowed eyes.
Vally didn’t avoid her gaze and stared right back.
“What can I do? I got this kind of attitude from you too, Mother.”
“W-What did you say? Are you daring to blame me right now?!”
Her mother’s face turned red as she raised her voice.
At the noise, the people around them turned their attention toward the two.
Sensing the gazes, Rina approached them while carefully maintaining her expression.
“Mother, there are many people watching. And Sister, what kind of manner is that when speaking to Mother? Apologize to her right now.”
“Hah, as expected, Rina. You’re the only one who understands how I feel.”
“Your face is very red from getting worked up. Let’s go outside and get some fresh air for a moment. Sister, you stay here.”
Rina wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders and led her away.
Of course, she didn’t forget to glare at Vally as she moved farther away.
With no time to worry about that gaze, Vally took advantage of being alone and freely turned her head from side to side, looking around the hall.
The most important thing for her right now was finding Wayne Viterad.
He was the only surviving person with the fire attribute in the Astell Empire.
Several hundred years ago, an incurable disease that made it impossible for those with the fire attribute to control their magical power had begun to appear.
As a result, people gradually began dying from magical-power outbursts, and eventually, the number of deaths increased dramatically.
The Empire had also made efforts to find a cure, but they still hadn’t found an answer, leaving Wayne as the only survivor.
Vally clearly remembered that he had attended today’s party as the sole representative of the fire attribute.
She was busily moving her blue eyes around when—
“There he is.”
In the distance, she spotted Wayne standing alone in front of an artificial fountain.
His ash-gray hair reached just over his ears, and his red eyes looked as though they were burning fiercely even from afar. His sharp eyes were so intense that meeting his gaze seemed capable of taking one’s breath away.
Wayne quickly drank the whiskey filled with ice, wearing a languid expression as though he had no interest whatsoever in the party, then set down his glass.
His attire was just as eye-catching.
He was wearing a thin white silk blouse that clearly revealed his well-built physique. On top of that, he had undone two buttons at the top, exposing a small part of his chest.
Although he had draped a dark-blue jacket over his shoulders, it did nothing to conceal his solid physique.
In a place where everyone was dressed appropriately, his outfit was exceptionally bold.
Because of that, Vally could practically feel the people around him sneaking glances at him while pretending not to look.
It was when Wayne emptied his third glass of whiskey without being bothered in the slightest by those gazes that someone approached him.
“How many glasses have you had already?”
It was David Rodrigo, a young nobleman with soft brown eyes, fair skin, and neatly styled bright yellowish hair. He belonged to an earth-attribute family.
He was also the vice commander of Zero’s special forces and was a fairly well-known figure himself.
As David approached, Wayne frowned deeply as though he found him annoying.
“It’s hot, so get lost.”
“It’s hot because you’re drinking. And can’t you do something about your clothes? Everyone else is staring.”
“I don’t care.”
Vally was too far away to hear their conversation.
The two spoke for a little while longer, and then Wayne took off the jacket he had been wearing, held it in his hand, and headed somewhere.
Afraid she might lose sight of him, Vally followed Wayne’s back with her blue eyes.
He walked with long strides and soon arrived at the terrace area of the hall.
Perhaps because he didn’t want to see the other people, Wayne even closed the curtains, isolating himself from everyone.
It seemed like this was her chance to speak with him alone, so Vally hurried after him.
She was quickly making her way between the gathered people when—
“Oh my…!”
She nearly collided with a young lady, but fortunately, Vally hurriedly turned her body and narrowly avoided touching her.
The person she had almost bumped into was a young lady from a light-attribute family, wearing a moon-shaped brooch.
She covered the shoulder that had almost touched Vally with her hand and took a couple of steps away.
“Please be careful.”
“…I’m sorry.”
The young lady of the light attribute didn’t hide her displeasure as she turned away from Vally and moved toward another side.
Yet she smiled brightly at those who shared her attribute.
This was Astell’s culture—people could become this cold when dealing with those of a different attribute.
Vally was already afraid of how Wayne would treat her, but she clenched both fists tightly and hurried her steps.
“I-I…”
Vally carefully drew back the curtain and stepped onto the terrace.
There, she saw a broad back leaning against the railing while looking up at the night sky.
But that back was completely bare.
Wayne had taken off not only his jacket but also his shirt, exposing his bare upper body.
Vally’s eyes shook violently when she realized she hadn’t expected him to be shirtless.
Wayne, who had been looking at the sky, turned his head and met her gaze.
Now that she was looking at him up close, his body was even more visible.
His shoulders, chest, and abdomen were all covered in finely sculpted, well-defined muscles.
Seeing his meticulously built physique, Vally forgot what she had intended to say and simply stared blankly.
“What are you looking at?”
Wayne stared at her while sweeping his ash-gray hair back.
Even the simple act of raising his arm caused his muscles to stand out.
Vally froze so completely that she couldn’t even blink.
On their first night together, Vatteri had always made her sleep alone, claiming that he needed to put his new bride in her place.
Therefore, this was the first time she had ever properly seen a man’s body.
Vally, who was greatly flustered, belatedly came to her senses and quickly lowered her eyes.
“W-Why are you undressed? Y-You shouldn’t show your naked body outside!”
Vally crossed her arms over her shoulders and covered herself as though she were the one who was naked.
“Usually, people would cover their eyes.”
Her mind had gone completely blank, and she had instinctively covered her own body first.
Slowly, she raised her hands and covered her eyes as Wayne had suggested.
“Now get out.”
“W-Wait a moment. My name is Vally Friatin. Didn’t you receive the letters I sent you?”
“Vally Friatin?”
Wayne slowly repeated Vally’s name.
Then, as though he remembered, he let out a short exclamation.
“Ah. The Friatin who kept sending letters to my mansion?”
“Yes. I’m that Vally Friatin.”
From the day she had been given her second life, Vally had sent Wayne several letters asking him to give her an opportunity to meet and speak with him directly.
But he had never replied even once.
“I sent several letters, but you never replied, so I came to find you myself.”
“Tsk.”
Wayne clicked his tongue loudly and openly.
“Because I have no intention of replying.”
Vally, who had still been covering her eyes, slowly lowered her hands and looked at him.
Wayne didn’t bother hiding his annoyed expression at all.
“I have no intention of getting married, so stop wasting paper.”
His tone was heavy with warning.
Then, as though he had nothing more to say, he even gestured with his head for her to leave.
But if she had been willing to back down this easily, she wouldn’t have come to meet Wayne in the first place.
“As expected, you didn’t properly read my letters.”
“They probably contained something obvious.”
“I didn’t write a single line about marriage proposals.”
One of Wayne’s eyebrows rose.
“I already knew that you have no intention of getting married, Duke. It’s because you don’t want your child to live the same life as you, isn’t it?”
“How… do you know that?”
As Wayne frowned, his expression became even sharper.
He approached her one step at a time with a cold expression, and the moonlight illuminated his angry-looking muscles even more clearly.
Although she was flustered, Vally somehow managed to pretend to remain calm.
Wayne would die one month after this party.
Afterward, every newspaper in the Empire had been covered with news of his death, saying that even his final flame had been extinguished.
Vally remembered clearly that the Imperial Palace had offered Wayne the option of marrying either a commoner or someone with a different attribute and having a child before his death, so that his lineage could continue.
However, it had become known that he had flatly refused, saying that he didn’t want his child to suffer the same fate.
After Wayne’s death, his personal circumstances were revealed belatedly, and for quite some time, newspapers published nothing but stories related to him.
“The Harmony Party is also a place to find someone to marry. The fact that you’re alone out here on the terrace is enough to figure it out.”
“So did you send me a threatening letter saying you’d figured out why I don’t want to get married?”
This time, he came right up in front of Vally.
His gaze seemed to say that he wouldn’t let her go if she didn’t give him a proper answer.
Vally clenched both fists tightly, determined not to be intimidated.
“No. I sent you a letter asking you to hire me as a gardener for your mansion.”
