INSDL| Chaapter 1

Episode 1

The Empress of the Empire had opened the grand Oranda Hall in the palace for this year’s debutante ball, welcoming the most eligible young men and women of the season. That night, the hall, the front courtyard, and even the famous maze garden of the palace were glowing with lights until late into the night.

But among all the nobles desperate to attend the glamorous ball, one man walked away without a second thought—none other than Duke Cullen Lorvant, the Empire’s most sought-after bachelor.

Stepping out onto the balcony, he grabbed the railing and jumped down into the garden below. Without a moment’s hesitation, he slipped into the tall-hedged maze before anyone could notice. After turning a few corners, the music and chatter faded away, leaving only quiet air around him. He leaned against the hedge and sighed in relief.

“Young ladies are the scariest creatures alive,” he muttered under his breath.

From his coat pocket, he pulled out a cigarette and a match, lit it with a scratch, and took a long drag, his cheeks hollowing slightly. Smoke curled into the night as he tilted his head back lazily.

In the dim moonlight, his sharp features stood out—black hair, noble brow, piercing gray eyes, and a strong jaw. With his tall, lean frame relaxed against the hedge and his fingers running through his perfectly combed hair, he looked effortlessly sinful. Even the shadows under his lashes added to his charm.

No wonder he was called the Empire’s most eligible man. Women would probably line up around the entire palace just to see him like this—rumpled and careless.

Unfortunately, that same handsome face and cold manner made him impossible to approach, which somehow only made him more attractive. Tonight, he had barely survived being surrounded by eager young debutantes at the ball, practically torn apart at the cellular level—before making his daring escape.

The cigarette had never tasted sweeter.

“I’m never coming to one of those again,” he grumbled under his breath.

He could still hear his aide, Harry’s teasing voice echoing in his head:

“Come now, my lord, attending will strengthen the ties between the ducal and marquis houses!”

Cullen clenched his fist unconsciously—and the cigarette snapped clean in half.

“Tsk. What a waste…”

As he brushed away the ashes, faint laughter and voices drifted through the hedges.

“Great. Just what I needed,” he muttered, scowling.

Someone else was in the maze.

‘If it’s more young ladies, I swear I’ll—’

He quickly dropped the cigarette and crushed it under his boot, then moved quietly toward the sound.

After a few turns, he spotted dim light and shadows of several people. Hiding behind a hedge, he saw a small group of young noblemen cornering a girl in a white dress.

Cullen’s brows knitted in irritation. Clearly, a few arrogant brats had dragged one of the debutantes to a quiet spot.

‘Unbelievable. Trash like that never disappears,’ he thought bitterly. ‘You drive them off, and more appear. Maybe the gods decided idiots should always exist in fixed numbers.’

While he was silently cursing them, the group started talking—mocking her.

“Hey, bastard’s daughter, where are you gonna run now?”

“Didn’t know peasants could look this fresh. Kinda cute.”

“Fresh? You mean she doesn’t smell like cow dung, that’s all.”

They snickered among themselves, clearly enjoying their own pathetic jokes.

Cullen shook his head. He should step in and get the girl out. But before he could move.

“If you think I ran away because I was scared of you,” the girl said calmly, “you’re wrong.”

Her voice was steady—shockingly so for someone her age.

The men scoffed.

“What, you weren’t running away? Then what were you doing, trying to seduce us?”

“No. I was just looking for a straight path.”

“…What?”

None of them understood what she meant. Cullen didn’t either—at first. Then it hit him.

‘This maze… only allows one-on-one movement in narrow paths.’

Strategically, that meant you could only fight one opponent at a time. But surely this little noble lady hadn’t actually planned that?

And then—WHACK!

A heavy sound echoed.

Cullen blinked.

One of the guys was already on the ground, groaning in pain.

The girl stood there, arm bent neatly at a right angle—like she’d just thrown a perfect punch.

‘Did she just hit him?’

Everyone froze in disbelief. The girl casually rolled her shoulder, looked up at the cloudy sky, and murmured—

“Good thing it’s a dark night. Perfect for hiding evidence.”

Cullen’s eyes widened. Oh, this was interesting.

Then she raised a hand, crooked a finger at the rest of them, and said with complete confidence:

“Come on, you bastards. I’ll make sure you never harass a woman again.”

Cullen’s jaw dropped.

The men charged at her, shouting in rage—and within seconds, it was over.

Before he could even move, she’d already finished them off.

Later, at the Lorvant Ducal Office, Harry Jules, Cullen’s aide, kept sneaking glances at his boss while working.

Normally, by now, the Duke would’ve insulted him at least five times. “Do it again.”

“You call that work?”

“A donkey could do better.”

“Why do you even have a head? Decoration?”

But today?

Nothing. Not a word.

‘Something’s definitely wrong,’

Harry thought, rubbing his chin. Maybe the Duke was sick—or worse, cursed.

Of course, magic had been banned for centuries. But still— ‘If it is a spell, I owe that wizard a thank-you.’

For the first time in years, Harry was enjoying a quiet, insult-free morning.

‘I should write to my mother tonight. Tell her the world still has miracles.’

Just as he was happily planning that, Cullen finally spoke.

“Harry.”

“Yes, my lord! The daily reports are on your right, the extradition request is on your left, and next year’s budget is in the center, as always!”

Cullen just stared at him. Slowly. In silence.

Harry’s grin faded. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Finally, Cullen sighed.

“Did you become a mind reader while I wasn’t looking? I didn’t ask about the papers. You sure you’re that good at guessing what I want?”

He leaned back in his chair.

“If you ever consider fortune-telling as a career, don’t. You’d end up paying them.”

Harry blinked, then suddenly looked touched.

“Wait, my lord—does that mean you’d give me severance pay?”

“No. It means you can quit now.”

“Ah, so the longer I work, the more I get? I’ll stay forever!”

“No, start by cleaning your ears.”

Cullen clicked his tongue and pushed a pile of newspapers aside.

“Bring me the rest.”

“Uh… that is all of them, sir. I bought every morning paper today.”

“You’re telling me there’s nothing else?”

He frowned.

“Are you looking for a specific article?”

“Yeah. But it’s not there.”

“Might be something the nobles covered up, sir. Sensitive stories often disappear before printing.”

“Makes sense. It is something extremely embarrassing—so shameful I can’t even show my face.”

Cullen leaned back, staring at the ceiling, remembering last night.

“One hit each,” he murmured with a faint grin.

“And she took them all down.”