The whole world trembled without knowing why…but in the capital of the Duchy of Douglas, the heir had already begun to move.
Lusian—or rather, Erwin within his body—acted without hesitation.
He had seen this future.Not in dreams. Not in prophecy…but in a game, a simulation created by that cursed god.
What he did not know was that this "vision" carried a forty percent margin of error.That many events might never occur.That even the god who created that game… was not certain.
But for Erwin, it was all real.All imminent.A death sentence if he failed to act.
And with that in mind, he began his plan.
His command echoed across the duchy:
"Full census. No one is left out."
Officials, administrators, scribes, soldiers—everyone mobilized to register populations, trades, farms, warehouses, routes, entire families.
Many believed they were preparing to continue the war against the Empire.But no one questioned the order.
In the Duchy of Douglas, the ducal family was sacred.And Lusian, the heir—his word was law.
No one imagined that this decision would determine who lived… and who did not.
After the order that shook the duchy—
All rural villages were relocated to the main cities.
Temporary shelters were prepared.No one was left exposed.
The impact was immediate… and colossal.
City populations tripled.Warehouses, barracks, and stables were converted into massive dormitories.Communal kitchens operated day and night.Food transport became a military operation.
In thirty days, the duchy spent the equivalent of two years' budget.
Nobles reported shortages of resources.
But Sofía, the duchess—
She saw something in her son's eyes…that mixture of fear, urgency, and certainty. And so she chose to believe him. Even if he was wrong, she would solve whatever followed.
So she asked no questions.
She did not hesitate.
She stood at his side.
Her political experience, administrative mastery, and fierce loyalty made possible a logistical miracle no other territory could have achieved.
Without her, the plan would have collapsed into chaos.With her… the Duchy of Douglas endured.
And then… the phenomenon began.
A stellar cloud laden with mana started to envelop the world.At first, barely a whisper.A faint glow in the sky.A tremor in the plants.
But the plants were the first to change.They absorbed mana like water into dry soil.
And with them came the magical herbivores.
Creatures that would never normally approach human settlements…now drawn like moths to flame.
And after them, inevitably, the predators.
In the Empire and the Kingdom, entire villages were attacked.Farms were razed.Towns devoured in the dark.
But in the duchy—
The villages were empty.The farms abandoned.Families were behind walls.The army, though reduced by half after the recent war, held clear routes and central positions.
There were casualties, yes.Accidents.Conflicts.Fear.
But compared to the rest of the world…
The Duchy of Douglas stood intact.
A territory that prepared without fully understanding what was happening, with people who did not know how fortunate they were—saved by an heir acting with a single objective:
Survive.
ISABELLA — A LIFE THAT STOPPED BEING HERS
Months have passed…and I still struggle to accept what I am now.
From the daughter of Count Armett…to the personal servant of Lusian Douglas The Mondring.
The change was so abrupt that, at first, I thought I would not survive the shame.
Before, I woke when I pleased.I had maids, cooks, and attendants at my disposal.
Now… I am the one who does all that.
Rising before dawn.Preparing my lord's bath.Choosing his clothes, washing, folding, arranging his schedule.Having his tea ready before he opens his eyes.Organizing meals, keeping his weapons clean, monitoring his hours, ensuring nothing is lacking.
Things I once believed I would never do.
But this is my new life.And I had to accept it.
Not because I wanted to…but because, if not for him, I would be dead like my family.
I owe him my life.
Still… that does not make this easy.Very far from it.
I thought that within Douglas territory everything would be like the outside:
Fear.Hatred.Rejection.
That is what we are taught in the Kingdom:The Douglases are monsters. Tyrannical. Inhuman.A family to be feared.
But when we crossed the border… everything I believed began to crumble.
People came out to greet the caravan.With smiles.With respect.With absolute devotion.
In every town, every village, every city—
The inhabitants bowed to Lusian as if he were a hero.Not out of fear.But out of loyalty.Out of genuine love.
And I, seated beside him in the carriage, saw hands waving, children cheering, elders weeping with joy.
When we reached the capital…
It was like witnessing a coronation.
Flowers, cheers, bells ringing.Acclamations echoing against the walls.
That day I understood: the Douglases were not hated.
They were revered.
And what impressed me even more—
The duchy was immense.Ancient.Richer than any region in the Kingdom.
Compared to my father's castle…my home seemed like a beggar's hut.
Then I learned the truth:
The Douglases have been accumulating wealth and power for nearly two thousand years.
Beside that… my lineage, barely a few generations old, is a joke.
And then it happened… the moment that changed everything in my heart.
I had forgotten to leave a towel in his bath.I hurried back to return it—
But when I opened the door, Lusian had already stepped out of the water.
He was standing there.
Completely naked.
I saw… everything.
I froze for a second like an idiot, then fled, red as a tomato.
But it was too late.
That image burned itself into me.
His beautiful face.His body marked by training.His bearing… so unlike any noble I had ever known.
And then a thought was born—one I should never have allowed:
What if I could be more than his servant?
Not his wife.That is impossible.
But a concubine…
In a duchy like this, even a concubine lives better than the average noble in the Kingdom.
The problem was something else:
There were many women seeking the same.
Daughters of counts, barons, even marquesses.All with excuses to "visit" or "offer support."Ridiculous, desperate—but beautiful… and dangerous.
And Lusian… he would only need to lift a finger for any of them to run to his bed.
That fear consumed me.
And then… everything shifted.
Lusian ordered the census.The entire duchy mobilized.
At first I thought he was preparing a new army to aid his father, Duke Lawrence, in the war against the Empire.
But no.
He was preparing for monsters.
He summoned adventurers, experts in magical creatures, explorers of deep forests.
It was all so… strange.
Until it happened.
A massive stampede of creatures appeared within the territory.And not only in the duchy—but in the Kingdom as well.
I worried for my mother…for my siblings…
I was already suffering for my father, still fighting in the war against the Empire…
And now this.
And to make matters worse, Lusian assembled an army:
1,500 warriors and mages.500 adventurers.The finest monster hunters they could find.
He would march to Carter County.
Without me.
"Stay here. It's safer," he told me.
I… I did not want to remain behind.I did not want to be away from him.
Because by then… I was his woman.His servant.His shadow.
But he would not allow it.
And that was when my chest began to ache.
It was not fear of being alone.Not anger or frustration.
It was something deeper.
Pain.Anxiety.Emptiness.
The kind of pain you feel only when you fear losing someone who has already become part of you.
That day, I understood:
I had fallen in love with him.