Chapter 1: I Am the Only One Beside the Fallen Grand Duke's Daughter

Free Poisoned Holy Grail, Anyone? (1)

The Ducal House of Vitagarte is the northern shield that defends the Empire.

Sure, people like to mock them, calling them turnip-munching boars—

But even the arrogant Empire acknowledges them as their “shield.”

That says enough about their strength.

It’s no surprise, then, that every heir who has taken the mantle of House Vitagarte was a monster in their own right.

They were strong.

With transcendent might that could bend armor like snapping a twig.

With frost magic so powerful it could freeze even the bones of flaming giants.

And when someone can wield both of those forces at will?

They dominate the battlefield.

Thanks to that, the barbarians and monsters constantly eyeing the North never know a day without war.

Only a day closer to losing their heads.

Lady Karalin, even compared to past heirs, is someone whose talents bloomed early.

Though she’s still too young to step onto a real battlefield,

Countless tutors speak with one voice when they say: ‘She’s a once-in-a-generation talent.’

And yet, despite such praise, the Lady never lets it get to her head.

She strives to become not just strong in battle, but also a virtuous and wise ruler.

A rare gem of both brain and brawn.

To make it all the more remarkable—

She’s the only precious daughter of the current Grand Duke, who had long struggled to produce an heir.

So yes, no one could possibly dispute that she would one day inherit the North.

“It’s the Lady’s procession!”

See?

Even when it’s not some planned parade, the moment she appears, people fall to their knees to pay their respects.

“Yohan, they’re just showing me their respect. Don’t be so flustered. Stand tall with your chest out.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“No matter what anyone says, you’re my retainer.”

It was in the past—

When I was dying in the cold—that Lady Karalin took me in.

A few days passed.

When my condition improved, she asked me whether I would prefer to stay at the castle a bit longer, or return to find my family.

But as I said, I had no real choice.

I wanted to repay her kindness.

More than that, I already knew her fate.

Though now she carries herself with grace and poise as the sole heir of Vitagarte, the future waiting for her is a cruel one.

A fate riddled with unjust suffering, where she falls into corruption, becomes a witch, and descends into hell.

Even knowing that hideous future, how could I turn a blind eye to the first person in this world who ever showed me kindness?

I wanted to save her.

That’s why I chose to stay in the castle.

I had nowhere lower to fall, after all.

So I simply wished to remain by her side, doing the lowest of jobs from the lowest of places.

Then one day—

As usual, the Lady was in the garden practicing horseback riding.

But then, for reasons I couldn’t quite grasp, the horse suddenly became agitated and went completely berserk.

‘Neighhh—!’

‘W-What’s happening?! Kyaahh!’

The horse, frantically trying to throw off the Lady clinging to its back, charged straight into the thorned iron fence at the edge of the garden.

Thud—

Now tangled in sharp metal thorns, the horse panicked even more and went into a full-blown frenzy.

Looking back now, with the Lady’s strength, she probably could have yanked the reins hard and stopped it by force.

But if she had done that, the horse’s neck would have snapped.

Whether she didn’t want that—or simply panicked and couldn’t think straight—

At the time, all she could do was cling desperately to its back.

And at that point, it was nearly impossible to stop the beast without throwing her off first.

Meanwhile, I had been a short distance away, cleaning up the horse droppings from its earlier pass through the garden.

That was my job at the time.

But the moment I saw that dangerous scene unfold—

‘My Lady!’

—I leapt forward without thinking.

Fear of the rampaging horse?

That didn’t matter.

What mattered was saving her.

Thankfully, I wasn’t too late.

Barely, by a hair’s breadth, I managed to catch the Lady as she was falling.

‘Kyaa—! Yohan?!’

‘My Lady! Are you hurt?!’

‘T-Thanks to you, I’m fine…’

‘Please wait here just a moment. I’ll take care of this!’

On top of that—

I managed to grab the horse’s reins and pushed forward, right into the heart of its frenzy.

I won’t lie.

It was insane.

A crazy move, as if I had a death wish.

But I wasn’t acting without a plan.

The key was to remove the reason why the horse was still going berserk.

So I clutched the barbed wire tangled around its body with both hands tightly.

Clang—!!

And just like that, the barbed iron thorns crumbled into nothing.

Disintegrated completely.

It was only possible because of the Epic Skill I had held ever since the moment I fell into this world:

‘Ghost That Devours Iron.’

With the iron thorns gone and no one left riding it, the horse quickly calmed down.

Thankfully, not a single scratch was left on the Lady’s body.

‘Yohan, you…’

‘Yes, My Lady?’

‘Thank you. That was incredible courage. If it hadn’t been for you—no, if you weren’t here—I might have been seriously injured just now.’

‘It was nothing, My Lady. I only did what needed to be done.’

Of course, since I had to grab the barbed wire to destroy it, my hands were completely covered in blood…

‘…Oh my god. Your hands, what happened? Here, give them to me.’

The Lady personally treated my wounds.

And that's how I became her retainer.

Since I became her retainer, the Lady has always kept me by her side like this.

Of course, there were voices of dissatisfaction that she was far too generous to some lowborn child of unknown origin.

But as I said, the Lady is the sole heir of Vitagarte.

She had more than enough strength and authority to silence such complaints outright.

‘Well, lucky me.’

Just a few months from now, she probably wouldn’t have the power to dismiss such opinions, nor the freedom to keep a wretch like me close.

“My Lady. By the way, there’s quite a grand procession arriving in front of the castle.”

“Hmm...? That must be…”

“…Looks like the new Madam has finally arrived.”

“Ah, I see. A little earlier than expected, but since it’s not winter, the roads from the outer regions must’ve been easier to travel.”

“Shall we head back to the castle at once?”

“Yes. I can’t let my stepmother be greeted so quietly, not in my absence.”

If Shagallor, the Grand Duke’s new wife and Karalin’s stepmother, has truly arrived…

Then this is the beginning.

The moment when Lady Karalin begins to lose everything and fall from grace.

So in a way… it’s a relief.

Once that happens, she won’t be able to do as she pleases anymore, nor extend kindness so freely.

***

Shagallor is a bitch.

Not just any bitch, she’s a bitch among bitches.

A full-blown, Omega-class bitch.

Barely into her early twenties, she’s a stunning beauty with radiant blond hair, a woman whose charms no one would dare deny.

And worst of all, she knew exactly how powerful those charms were.

She had a clear understanding of the weapons she possessed and the ambition to use them.

So it probably wasn’t too hard for her to figure out the weak spot of the current Lord of House Vitagarte, the “Tiger of the North,” Rexas von Vitagarte.

That weakness? Women.

“Darling, your eyes are full of sorrow… but they’re so beautiful. Haven’t you forgotten something… something long buried deep inside you?”

“Oh, Shagallor…! My beautiful Shagallor…”

It was a political marriage, sure—

With nearly 40 years of age difference between them.

But she accepted his aging body without a hint of resistance, and little by little, she took control.

No doubt, it was her way of clawing toward what she wanted.

Knock knock—

“Father, it’s Karalin. I have something to talk about regarding state affairs…”

But there was no reply.

Only the unmistakable sounds of moaning behind the door.

“My Lady… let’s come back later.”

“…Yes. It seems Mother is in grave distress right now.”

“Mm… I doubt that’s quite the case…”

And so kind of life continued for several months.

With no one managing the affairs of state, the castle fell into disarray, and naturally, the outer territories’ defenses began to weaken.

But House Vitagarte didn’t come away empty-handed.

They gained something else:

That is, a new heir.

Considering the lust-drenched lifestyle the Grand Duke was now leading, it was only natural that a new life would be conceived.

Waaah—!!

A loud, healthy cry—the cry of a baby boy.

“Congratulations, Madam Shagallor. It’s a son!”

“Thank you, midwife...”

“Splendid, splendid, Shagallor! You’ve accomplished what even my late wife could not. This child’s name shall be… Abel. Yes, Abel it is.”

Abel von Vitagarte.

After decades of failed attempts, all Grand Duke Rexas had managed to produce was a single daughter.

So having a son—this time—must’ve meant the world to him.

As he himself declared, this was something even his first wife, Lady Karalin’s birth mother, couldn’t accomplish.

“Karalin, come here and hold your little brother. You’ll be seeing him for a long, long time… Ufufu.”

“……”

In other words, this was the moment the succession line of House Vitagarte was shaken at its roots.

And Lady Karalin knew it too.

From the beginning, Vitagarte followed the rule of primogeniture—inheritance by the eldest male heir.

Karalin had only become the heir because of her outstanding ability, yes—

But also because there simply wasn’t anyone else.

And now that Abel had been born, if Shagallor whispered sweet poison into the Grand Duke’s ears and steadily built Abel’s standing…

Then the boy inheriting the estate wouldn’t be some outrageous impossibility.

That had been Shagallor’s goal from the start.

Why else would a young and beautiful woman marry an old beast from the North?

“Don’t worry, Yohan. The heir won’t change. I don’t know how Father will decide, but… as long as I keep doing my best like I always have, it’ll be fine.”

That’s what Lady Karalin once told me.

But she was wrong.

This world—

It’s the exact same world as the game I used to played.

I had poured thousands of hours into that game.

Its lore, timelines, and hidden events were all burned into my memory.

So I dare say with full confidence:

Now that Shagallor had entered the estate, Karalin losing her title as heir was only a matter of time.

‘No… Abel will soon become the successor in your place, My Lady.’

But how could I ever bring myself to say something that cruel?

I had watched her strive with everything she had to fulfill her role.

I had stood by her side the whole time, watching her give her all.

Still…

‘It’s okay.’

At least in the picture I had in mind—

Even if Abel took the succession and Shagallor rose higher, it wouldn’t matter.

Not yet, anyway.

Because everything happening in this estate was still just their private little league—their own game.

So until that day comes, I was determined to hold my ground by the Lady’s side, even if it meant gritting my teeth until they shattered.

Let's see who laughs in the end.

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