“Roa, wake up! Quick!”
It was late at night. Twelve-year-old Roabellin, who had been sleeping soundly, groggily opened her eyes at her aunt Estina’s urgent voice.
“Uh… Aunt…?”
“Intruders! Change into your most comfortable clothes and shoes as fast as you can. We have to escape immediately. Hurry!!”
This was the residence of the Hertenes family, the most prestigious noble house in the Kingdom of Aventador.
Having a lot meant, conversely, that there was much to lose. For over a thousand years, the Hertenes family had produced queens for nearly every generation of the kingdom. As such, they always had to anticipate attacks from hostile forces.
Although the loyal knights of the Hertenes guarded the castle, there was no guarantee that the defenses could never be breached. For that reason, the family repeatedly trained its members in evacuation procedures and basic self-defense techniques for emergencies.
At the mention of “intruders,” Roabellin instinctively got up. Following her training, she quickly changed into the comfortable clothes that had been prepared within reach.
She and Estina stuffed valuable jewels into the pre-packed evacuation bag as they ran—not toward the door, but along the wall.
As soon as they hid behind the secret door leading to the underground passage and closed it, the intruders burst into the room.
The two of them couldn’t make a sound, peeking through the tiny hole in the wall to see what was happening inside.
‘Since no one’s on the bed, they’ll probably search the room…?’
But something was strange. The intruders, without saying a word, approached the bed and repeatedly stabbed the blanket and pillows with their swords. After several attempts, they lifted the blankets, slung the destroyed pillows over their shoulders, and left.
Roabellin and Estina couldn’t fully understand what had just happened, but a sense of relief washed over them—they had survived this immediate danger.
“Hoo….”
“Ha… Roa, let’s go check on the family.”
The family rooms were cleverly connected through the secret passage, which led underground to the outside of the castle. Only a few long-serving staff, like the butler who had worked nearly thirty years, knew the passage’s true nature.
Though the layout was a complex maze, Estina and Roabellin, having grown up in the castle, could navigate it blindfolded.
“Yes, Aunt. We might need to warn the others.”
Before leaving, the two peered through a gap at the front of the castle to check the situation.
The family’s knights were already in battle with unidentified assailants in the central garden courtyard. Among them, Roabellin immediately spotted her older brother, Itanistad. Though only sixteen, he was a skilled swordsman. Still, fending off what appeared to be professional assassins seemed overwhelming for him.
“Aunt, there’s my brother… Can’t you use magic to help him?” Roabellin whispered tearfully to Estina.
But after a brief hesitation, Estina shook her head slightly.
“The intruders have penetrated deeper than we expected. If we recklessly use magic here, our location will be revealed to them. And from the start, Roabellin, you were their target.”
Estina grasped Roabellin’s shoulders tightly.
“I feel like I’m going mad too, but I can’t risk your life to help Itan! Your life comes first—we must protect it above everything else in our family.”
Tears streamed down Roabellin’s face, but she couldn’t argue with that.
Biting her lips to suppress her own emotions, Estina led her niece into the secret passage. Their feet moved quickly, but their minds were numb, unable to fully comprehend the horrifying reality.
When they reached the door to the duke and duchess’s room, they heard shouting from inside.
“Honey!! Run!! Go to the children!!”
The intruders had already entered the room. Roabellin, startled by her father’s voice, tried to open the door, but Estina’s hand immediately blocked hers.
Then came the duchess’s agonized scream.
“Ahh!! Honey!!!”
Next, a pained, gurgling sound escaped her mouth.
“Ugh…!”
Something heavy hit the floor with a thud, collapsing.
Even in that lightning-fast moment, Estina managed to cover her niece’s mouth. Roabellin could not make a sound, struggling to enter the room while held back.
Estina pressed her down and whispered urgently, her voice trembling as she fought back tears.
“Stay focused, Roa. It’s… too late. Even if you went in now, your parents couldn’t be saved. So you must survive. Your parents would want that too.”
Roa, mouth covered, could only stare blankly, tears streaming. Estina bit her lips to keep from crying aloud.
Soon, the noisy footsteps inside subsided. The two of them shakily got to their feet, cautiously pushing the secret door to glance inside.
The floor was soaked in blood, but the bodies were gone. Just seeing the blood of their beloved family was agonizing.
Suppressing their tears, they turned their gaze outside. The sight made them clamp their hands over their mouths again.
“…!”
In the central garden courtyard, the bodies of Hertenes knights piled up like a hill.
Among the corpses was Roabellin’s younger brother Emilic, drenched in blood. Soon, masked assailants dragged the duke and duchess’s bodies and tossed them atop the pile.
Although it was night, many torches illuminated the scene enough to make out their faces. Their bodies, clad in pajamas, had been brutally mutilated across the neck, chest, and stomach.
Seeing the corpses, Roabellin and Estina froze.
The intruders casually gathered and tossed each corpse onto the pile, signaling that everything was over. The body of Itanistad, who had been fighting, was likely buried under the other knights’ corpses.
Among the bodies were the destroyed pillows taken from Roabellin’s room. Strangely, no one seemed to care about them. Of course, in their shock, Estina and Roabellin didn’t even notice.
One of the intruders in black robes approached the pile. Red magical energy emanated from his hand, setting the corpses ablaze.
The bodies of the Hertenes family and their loyal knights were engulfed in flames in an instant.
Watching, the fire reflected in the hollow eyes of Roabellin and Estina. Without understanding why, their entire family had been mercilessly killed, and now even their bodies couldn’t be recovered. The shock was shattering.
The burning corpses emitted a horrible, roasted-meat-like smell that reached their hiding place.
“Ugh!”
Roa retched. The family she held most dear was, to these people, nothing more than chunks of meat to burn.
The realization was so painful that even breathing was difficult. The vivid, disgusting smell confirmed that this nightmare was not a dream.
The intruder in black robes watching the burning bodies gave orders to the others.
They quickly scattered and set fire to various parts of the mansion. Though the exterior walls were stone, the magically conjured flames seeped through the gaps and penetrated the walls.
Soon, the interior caught fire, roaring to life.
Roa was the first to regain her wits. Wobbling, she reached for Estina’s hand.
“Aunt, we have to get out. Let’s go. I… I want to survive. Now, I’m the only direct heir of the Hertenes left.”
Though determined, tears welled up in Roabellin’s eyes. Seeing her niece, Estina forced herself to stand.
“…Alright, let’s go.”
The two ran frantically, barely escaping the burning castle. Along the way, they found three surviving servants and brought them along.
Once they were out of the forest surrounding the castle, the five ran blindly, not knowing where to go.
Hours of tears had dried. With empty eyes, Roabellin ran mechanically, her mind consumed by a single thought:
‘All of this happened because of me. Because I’m the daughter of the Hoo family… Because I’m the only direct heir…!’
