Chapter 1: Welcome to House Fiore

The loud noisy streets of the Golden City fell silent as soon as the sound of the horses’ hooves was heard. It wasn’t just one but almost ten horses were neatly aligned followed by the supplies and gifts that the unit received on their mission.

Everyone who saw the returning march of the empire’s delegates smiled with amazement. The looks of admiration and respect were all garnered to the man who led the unit towards the peace treaty with the neighborhood kingdoms.

Duke Alejandro von Fiore, the commander of the imperial knights, sat on his horse with honor and authority as he looked straight ahead, ignoring all the gazes he received. His gray uniform and the crest on the back of his cape were admired by most of the young boys that he passed by.

“I want to be one of the Gray Wolves when I grow up!” a young boy muttered as he looked at the knights that followed the Duke. The men looked confident and strong, just like their master who came from the Hero of the Empire’s lineage.

The widely-known crest of the gray wolf with crossed swords was owned by the owners of the western lands and known as the sword of the empire: Ducal House of Fiore. The household was known for its rich and glorious history and the excellent knights that it produced from generation to generation.

The family had been on the Imperial family’s side since the establishment of the empire and their relationship continued to be good until the present generation. Aside from the duke who was a close confidant of the emperor, the eldest son and the successor of the title was also the crown prince’s closest friend. Additionally, the second son was a promising knight who was expected to follow in the footsteps of his father and older brother. The third son of the family was also known to be a talented knight though he was more inclined with protecting the border. Because of this, everyone was expecting the youngest to be the protector of the border along with his eldest brother.

House Fiore would have been the perfect partner for the imperial family except for their one and only flaw—the household couldn’t produce a daughter that they could send to be the crown prince’s partner. It was an open secret that every daughter coming from that house was stillborn thus making the family even more famous as an all-male family.

“Greetings to the sun of the empire.” The Duke kneeled with his right foot and bowed. “The empire’s delegates for the Continental Treaty has returned with good news and gifts from the other kingdoms, your majesty.”

“You must be tired from the journey.” The emperor of the Driesch Kingdom looked at the Duke with a friendly smile. “Why don’t you go home first and I’ll receive your report tomorrow after you are well-rested?”

“I receive your orders.” Alejandro bowed his head once more before he stood up and turned his back on the emperor. His knights who were waiting for him outside quickly mounted their horses when they realized that they were finally coming home.

It should’ve been a good day for Alejandro. He just returned to his hometown after a month of being a delegate to a peace treaty in their continent and he was about to return home and meet his sons and his wife. It should’ve been a sweet family reunion after a month of being away and exhausted because of work.

However, his supposed to be sweet reunion changed when he saw her at the entrance of the manor. She was a little girl, probably at the age of ten, wearing a dirty and ragged dress and her hair was also a mess. Everyone would notice immediately that the child grew from the slums, but what caught the other knight’s attention was her silver-gray hair and gray eyes.

“My lord…” Matthew Paves, the vice commander of the Order of the Gray Wolf, looked at the duke with confusion.

The girl had pale skin and they could easily tell that she was also undernourished. She had deep sunken cheeks and thin hands with skin that almost kissed her bones. But despite her pitiful appearance, the child had bright gray eyes that sparkled gold under the setting sun.

Though the first reaction should be chasing the child away because she blocked the duke’s path, no one dared to move and scold her. They were all waiting for their master to make the first move or give out instructions since they didn’t know if the child was related to the duke.

Though it was messy and dirty, there was no doubt that her hair was silver-gray. It was the same color as the duke’s hair and the people who could inherit that trait were the people from the Fiore bloodline. Their gray hairs and gray eyes were the distinct traits that made them recognizable in the entire empire.

“Who are you, child?” The duke’s tone was cold like usual.

Though the knights didn’t expect him to be warm, they felt disappointed that their master treated the child coldly. Even if the little girl wasn’t his, she could be his relative. Aside from that, they felt sorry for the child who flinched in fear when she heard the duke’s voice.

“Are you the gray wolves?” The child asked. She looked down when she couldn’t meet the duke’s piercing glare.

“Don’t give me another question, child.” The duke’s voice sounded stern and louder than the child trembled in fear of him.

“Seraphina. That’s the name my mother gave me.” The girl’s voice cracked and she started sobbing when she couldn’t hide her fear. She pulled something from the pocket of her dress and showed it to the duke without lifting her head. “My mother said that this is something that my father gave for me before she was kicked out of the house.”

Everyone fell silent when they saw what the child was holding. It was a necklace made of white gold and the pendant was the crest of Fiore House. It was a necklace gifted to the Fiore direct descendants as soon as they were conceived so it would be in the care of their mothers until they were born. It was known that only the children of the duke would receive such a necklace.

But the biggest question came to mind. If she was truly a Fiore descendant, how was she able to survive?

The girl sat quietly in the receiving room of the duke’s manor. As soon as she showed them her necklace, the duke asked the maids to bring her to that room. At first, she looked around at the luxurious house with awe. It was the first time she went inside a noble family’s house and it proved the stories about how luxurious it was being true. However, when she saw how the maid looked at her with an annoyed expression, she chose to stay put and wait for the duke without causing any trouble.

She just went there to know who her father was. Her mother told her that her father was a knight from the Gray Wolves so she went to the duke’s house to inquire about him. She wasn’t expecting anything since she knew that was abandoned, she just wanted to let him know that her mother passed away and that she just wanted to know how he looks like before she cut ties with him.

“Your grace…” the maid said hesitantly when the duke entered the receiving room after greeting his wife.

“Leave us alone.” The duke’s tone was cold as usual when he ordered the maids to leave.

A long silence prevailed as soon as the door was closed and Seraphina couldn’t find the right words to say. She wasn’t planning on staying so it would be better for her to finish what she went for.

“Who is your mother?”

Even before Sera could open her mouth, the duke’s question echoed in the room.

“My mother is Serena, your grace,” she answered politely without even meeting his eyes. “I’m just here because my mother said that my father was a knight here. I just want to inform him that my mother passed away last week.”

“Are you here for your father’s support?”

Sera immediately shook her head. “I just want to know his face then I’ll leave quietly as if I never existed.”

The duke stared at her for a few minutes before he rang the bell on the table. A maid entered the room and bowed to the duke, waiting for his orders.

“Take this child to the annex and assign maids that would take care of her.” Even the maid froze for a moment after hearing the duke’s instructions.

“I’m not planning on staying long, your grace.” Sera moved out of the couch and kneeled. “I apologize if I bothered you, so please let me just go. I wouldn’t dare meet my father if that’s what you want.”

She heard stories about unwanted children being confined in the annex of a noble family’s house and it said that they were starved and beaten to death. His father must be a close aide to the duke for him to treat her that way.

“Child, you already met your father.” A sarcastic smile crept on the Duke’s face. “Seraphina von Fiore, welcome to your father’s house.”