PROLOGUE
Sigrdrífa had been alone since she was a child.
She was the daughter of the þjóðann—the one granted dominion over the world by the gods themselves.
Not only that, she had been born with hair and skin so white that it was hardly an exaggeration to say they were as white as snow—an eerie appearance that frightened those that saw her. Combined with her fragile constitution, everyone around her had walked on eggshells in her presence.
Unfortunately for her, that included her parents and siblings.
The presence of Fagrahvél, her milk-sister, had made her life bearable, but Fagrahvél’s serious personality meant she had been careful never to go beyond what was permitted of a loyal subject.
These things were probably why the memory of her short stay with the Wolf Clan was so precious to her.
Suoh-Yuuto was a fascinating young man. She had met a fair number of patriarchs from a wide range of regions, but most of them were only interested in her authority as þjóðann. They had little interest in Rífa as a person. While they treated her with outward respect, it was merely obligatory.
By comparison, Yuuto’s manners had been coarse and his way of speaking far too casual. It seemed, at first, to be the height of disrespect. But his words were always sincere. She felt that he viewed her not as the vessel for the title of þjóðann, but as just plain Rífa. It was the first time in her life she’d been treated that way.
Fagrahvél had always treated her well, but there was a certain pity in her kindness.
She who was a figurehead, she who had a weak constitution, she who would be forced to marry a man she didn’t want...
She knew Fagrahvél cared about her. She never took that for granted.
But at the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder if her situation truly was that tragic, that she herself was that pathetic. She was often mired in that sense of self-pity.
The fact that Fagrahvél was talented—was the very image of a great woman—only served to deepen her sense of inferiority.
He was the only one who would view her as she was—interact with her almost as an equal. It was probably inevitable that she’d fall in love with him.
It is said that a bird, upon hatching, believes the first thing it sees to be its parent. Perhaps it was something similar to that.
She’d been imprinted to feel that he could be the only one for her. She wanted to be with him forever. She wanted to do anything she could for him. As a woman, she wanted to bear his child.
The only thing she regretted—
Was that she probably didn’t have much time left.
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