Chapter One: I Need to Make a Living

In the end, I decided to head back to my family’s home. Having lived at the Grand Basilica from age five until now, I had nowhere else to turn.

Not that I actually remembered how to get there.

I know I’m from House Safka, but...

It had been twenty-three years since I’d last lived with my birth family. I’d been brought to the temple in a carriage with the curtains drawn, so I had absolutely no idea how to make my way through town to the estate.

I can barely even remember my parents’ faces.

Over the past twenty-three years, my parents had never once come to visit me. When Mary visited to flirt with Prince Alex, she occasionally told me about them—mainly to brag about how they doted on her—but...all I could think wasGood for you.

Um, I take a right here, I guess?

I started walking at random. With no money for a carriage, I had no choice but to try to make it to the estate on foot.

No clue if I’ll actually get there, though!

Laster, capital of the Holy Kingdom of Snasile, was a bustling city boasting a large population. It housed many buildings that drew crowds: the royal palace, where His Majesty resided; the Grand Basilica, which served as the symbol of the holy kingdom; the Knights’ Academy; the Nobles’ Academy; and more. As a child, I’d likely wandered these streets often, but after more than two decades—perhaps because the districts and roads had changed—nothing I saw anywhere looked the least bit familiar. It made me a little sad.

When finally I reached the main street of the royal capital, one thing became abundantly clear.

This is impossible!<