Erica day begins before dawn.
Maseranti daughter has to do many things every day, the most important of which is learning etiquette.
Their family is an aristocratic family with a long history. It has existed behind the empire and supported the Western world since the Second Empire.
When the Second Empire collapsed, they immediately transitioned to the Horizon Federation. Although this emerging nation, less than a hundred years old, ostensibly has no aristocratic class, high-ranking bureaucrats and wealthy business tycoons are the true power behind the scenes. They are the "aristocrats" of this era. In fact, the Federation did not abolish the privileges and institutions of the old nobility but rather transformed them into a different form.
As aristocrats of a defeated country, the Maseranti family carries a stain. They cannot penetrate the core of power in the Federation or even the New World, and can only control peripheral resources after many years of effort.
The head of the family changed ten years ago, and the current head, Rommel Maslanti, is a complete layman. He loves gold coins, adores beautiful women, and despises anyone who disobeys him, yet he manages to endure and survive in critical moments. Known as a "cunning man" by his family, he is also considered the least suitable person to be the head of the family. However, at that time, due to certain changes, he was the only heir left. The family could not afford to be selective. Even if he were missing arms and legs, he had to step up to the role.
"Father, I heard you wanted to see me?"
Erica knocked on her father's door before entering the room.
Rommel's room was expansive, divided into a main reception area and an adjoining personal bedroom. Erica entered the living room and settled upright on the sofa. A black-clad servant promptly brought a cup of hot tea.
At that moment, the door to the adjoining hall creaked open, revealing a young woman. She hastily draped herself in a sheet, locking eyes with Erica who had turned around. An awkward smile escaped her as she hurriedly gathered the clothes strewn on the floor and darted away like a startled rabbit.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see what had happened in that room, but Erica remained aloof and unaware.
She had long grown accustomed to her father bringing a different woman home every night, spending the night together only to part ways immediately after. What struck her the most was the sight of her senior sister, whom she had discussed academic matters with just the day before, walking out of that very room.
After a brief wait, the door to the adjoining hall opened once more, and a sturdy man emerged. He had short, wavy brown hair, exuding an air of elegance and maturity. Notably, there was a mole at the right corner of his eye. Though clearly forty years old, at first glance, he still possessed the youthful appearance of a man scarcely thirty.
And it's because of this charm that he can deceive so many women, Erica thought.
"Did Erica miss Dad, coming here so early?" Rommel asked with a shrug.
Erica didn't answer, her eyes cooling noticeably
"Or is Erica jealous? Although that woman is very cute too, you're the cutest. You've perfectly inherited Sharon's looks."
When Erica heard that name, her brows furrowed slightly. She knew she was nothing like her mother, yet he still said this. Could this man be intentionally trying to disgust her?
"If you don't address the key point, I'll leave."
Erica stood up from her seat, suppressing the anger that threatened to overwhelm her.
"Okay, okay, don't be so impatient."
Rommel said, winking at the waiter, and moments later, a folder was delivered to the table.
"What is this?" Erica asked.
"I helped you choose your fiancé." Rommel replied.
"Fiancé? You're not kidding me, are you? How can I get married?"
Erica couldn't figure out what this man's motives were.
"Of course I'm not joking." Rommel paused. The frivolity in his tone immediately disappeared, and his face took on the serious expression befitting the head of the Maseranti family. "Elves disease is not an excuse. You are from the Maseranti family. Such days are destined for us. You've known this for a long time, haven't you?"
Erica pressed her lips together and suppressed her reluctance.
Five years ago, she was diagnosed with elves disease, a rare genetic condition with cytotoxic effects that is nearly incurable. Symptoms include hair turning blonde or silver, eyes changing to blue or emerald green, and ears becoming pointed and elongated, resembling the appearance of elves in fantasy stories, hence the name.
But the change in the patient's appearance is secondary. The most critical aspect is that this disease significantly delays the patient's growth and development. Erica is 18 years old this year, yet she still resembles a young girl of under 14 years. She lacks secondary sexual characteristics, and her body is experiencing extremely slow growth.
Due to developmental defects, no patients with this condition live past the age of 20. Erica is now three months away from her 19th birthday, which means she has just over a year left to live.
For an aristocratic family whose duty is to carry on the family line, Erica, as a daughter, is extremely unsuitable and holds no value even for a political marriage. She cannot bear children nor live long enough to maintain family ties.
But her father actually asked her to get married? There must be a limit to jokes.
But Erica saw there was no smile in Rommel's eyes, and she knew her father was serious.
"Why now? What role can I, a useless person, play?" Erica asked self-deprecatingly.
"You'll understand once you've seen the contents of the folder."
After Rommel finished speaking, he picked up his tea cup and took a sip.
Erica, intrigued, picked up the folder and opened it. Inside, she found detailed archival information about a certain individual.
"The Black Scythe of Death."
Erica was familiar with this figure. He was a survivor of a tragedy in Capital City eight years ago, later adopted as a son by the "Dark God of Death of the Trial Bureau."
Subsequently, "The Reaper" and "The Black Scythe" eradicated numerous heinous crimes and even quashed rebel factions within the federal government. Their ascent in the political sphere was swift, yet it also earned them many enemies. They became fixtures at major social gatherings among the nobility.
Legend depicted the black-haired youth as cold and merciless, granting no reprieve to adversaries, regardless of pleas for mercy. Some believed "The Black Scythe" transcended mere humanity, morphing into a monstrous entity born from the "God of Death's" scythe, its blood as cold as frost.
However, three years ago, the undefeated "God of Death" perished, and "The Black Scythe" vanished from Capital City, fading into obscurity. Erica had assumed him dead in some forgotten alley.
"'The Black Scythe' is still alive," Rommel countered, seemingly anticipating her thoughts. "We've recently uncovered traces of him in the border city of Black Bill. Though his purpose there remains unclear, isn't this an opportunity?"
"Could this be the chance my father mentioned to infiltrate the heart of federal power?"
"As expected of my daughter," Rommel smiled proudly. "The Maseranti family is eager to penetrate the Federation's seat of power. He'll serve as the sharp blade that breaches the defenses, and you'll be the hand wielding that blade."
Erica pored over the information in the folder and sighed heavily.
"However, this document only contains his mission report. From what I can gather, he's merely an executioner who kills without hesitation. Perhaps he's skilled at ending lives, but what influence can an executioner wield in the political arena?"
"Erica, whether he's an executioner or a trash collector, even if he's paralyzed or disabled, he's still someone who has been at the center of power. He must have his connections and acquaintances. What we need are not his skills, but his connections."
"But what do you expect from me, a 'defective' person with a short lifespan?"
"This is the decision of the family. They suspect something suspicious about the 'Black Scythe of Death' reappearing in the border city after disappearing. Perhaps he has become compromised. The family has sent other girls before, but all in vain. Those elders believe that if two 'defective' individuals meet, they might appreciate each other and create some synergy."
Rommel explained coldly, openly referring to Erica as a defective individual according to the family's judgment.
After hearing this, Erica understood her father's intentions.
"I understand everything, but father, why do you think I can become his partner? Or even bring him into the Maseranti family?"
Rommel looked at Erica with interest and chuckled.
"Are you implying that he might use you against the Maseranti family?"
"That's exactly what I mean. Don't forget, I despise the Maseranti family, I despise those elders, I despise the mansion where my mother died, and most importantly—I despise you!"
In response to Erica's warning, Rommel simply smiled.
"If you can achieve that, then so be it. It would be an honor for me as a father if my daughter became the catastrophe that dismantles an entire family."
"Don't call yourself a father at a time like this. You're not worthy!"
Erica stood up, ready to leave the room. She couldn't bear to be in the presence of this man any longer. Disgusting!
But at that moment, Rommel called out to her, his voice eerily calm.
"Remember, as long as you're alive, you can never escape the family. You must leave for the border city of Hebier next week. Be prepared."
With that, Rommel finished speaking, and the door slammed shut.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Once Erica returned to her room, she could no longer hold back her tears. She threw herself onto the bed, burying her head in the pillow as she cried silently. Gradually, tears stained the pillow, and her eyes became red and swollen.
The anger and resolve she had shown in front of her father moments ago had been a facade. Erica had never truly been angry with anyone before; she didn't know how. Her upbringing had only taught her how to smile and behave like a little princess.
But now, the little princess felt ready to wield a sword and confront her challenges, and naturally, she reacted with intense emotion.
To conceal her red and swollen eyes, Erica immediately requested ice cubes. She couldn't bear for her father to see this vulnerable side of her.
There was a time when her family had been happy. Her mother tended to a small garden with a smile, and her father unabashedly uttered sweet words of affection in front of her. Erica would sit in her mother's arms, playing with her teddy bear.
Until that night, she saw her father leading a group of men in black, helping her mother onto the bed, and cutting into her head with a knife. Those people handled her roughly, as if they were dealing with animals, and no matter how hard her mother struggled, they showed no mercy.
Afterward, her mother regressed. She became like a helpless child who knew nothing, crying loudly when she soiled herself. She couldn't speak; only moans and groans escaped her lips.
Erica had questioned the truth about that night several times, but her father never mentioned it and always said to her: 'You don't need to know.'
Perhaps she could have continued living like this, but a few years later, those men appeared before her father once again. Erica couldn't enter the room where they spoke and didn't know what was discussed. All she knew was that her mother died the day after those men returned.
Her mother passed away in the garden she tended, a sharp knife embedded in her chest. The light blue dance skirt she wore was stained bright red, resembling a dahlia blooming in the grass.
The father said that the mother committed suicide.
What a ridiculous reason! Erica would never believe this answer. How could that crazy woman be capable of picking up a knife and stabbing herself through the chest to kill herself? Let alone her, even if it were an adult man trying to pierce the chest with a blade, he wouldn't know how much force it would take.
She is ready to use her own power to investigate the truth. But then she was diagnosed with elven disease, and her status in the family plummeted.
After being diagnosed with elven disease, Erica no longer had to get up early every day, meet the nobles for blind dates, and say goodbye to those complicated etiquettes.
But Erica still practiced the dance and etiquette tirelessly. Not because she likes etiquette, but because it was the last thing her mother taught her personally, and she didn't want to forget it.
She still remembers a school teacher once saying that the human brain is the most unreliable medium in the world. The things stored inside will become distorted over time, and may even be deliberately beautified or uglified. Erica could no longer remember her mother's appearance, the warmth of being with her mother when she was a child, or her father's mood when he could still be called her father. So she could only keep repeating it to let her body remember the short dance and memories.
To this day, she is still using her own power to investigate the cause of her mother's death, but has found few results. With only one year left to live, she was about to give up.
However, when she was sitting at the table and re-reading the files of "The Black Scythe of Death", a strange symbol suddenly came into view. Her heart skipped a beat in vain.
It was a gilded plant totem, with three marigolds entwining each other, forming a trinity. Behind the marigolds is an Iron Throne, with upright marigolds growing quietly on the throne.
Erica knew the totem, having had brief interactions with the men who had visited her home. On the collars of their long trench coats were brand new Marigold Throne emblems.
Those people must be inextricably linked to my mother's death. Erica found that the clues that should have been disconnected were reconnected because of the sudden appearance of the boy's file. The boy's file has a large number of blacked-out areas, and every blacked-out page has the Marigold Throne mark printed on it. She flipped through page after page, and each page was a gilded totem.
No matter how ignorant she was of the world, Erica could still understand that the boy was inextricably linked to these men in black.
Maybe, maybe! He was also persecuted by these men in black just like himself! Erica thought.
Erica grabbed a big breath from her chest. She was very nervous and excited, and the emotions in her heart were almost bursting out.
No matter what her family thinks, she now has one more reason to go to the border city of Heibir to get in touch with this "Black Scythe of Death".
Thinking of this, she suddenly began to look forward to what tomorrow would bring. Lying on the bed, she tossed and turned, her mind filled with thoughts of the young man thousands of miles away.