Valhalla was always exceptionally beautiful as the end of the year approached. The entire city was shrouded in a special atmosphere, warm and peaceful. Snowflakes drifted outside the pitch-black windows. In the distance, the lights along Princess Avenue had just come on, specks of magical light linking together in the darkness to form a dazzling necklace. Below lay the peaceful Outer City, dotted with lights; behind every window was a warm family.
Above, the brilliantly lit middle platform was visible, where the citizens were celebrating through the night. Chiara propped up her chin, her eyes glittering with tiny points of light as she gazed there with envy.
This was her third year living under someone else's roof. After Levin Oneson died, Her Highness had sent her here in the name of a marriage alliance. In truth, however, it was to keep Chiara away from those relatives with ulterior motives. After all, many people in the Xifah Family coveted the right to inherit that title.
Chiara herself had no trouble adapting. She could not say she liked Fir Territory, but neither did she dislike it. She was solely interested in that count—the man who was her fiancé in name. Women in this era often married young, and noble girls even more so. Chiara did not truly mind this marriage, after all. The other party was the spouse her elder brother Oneson had personally chosen for her, and he was so outstanding.
Otherwise, how could she have given Heart of Xifah to him? The necklace itself carried the meaning of a token of love.
What annoyed her, however, was that her distant cousin always looked at her as if she were a child, as though she were afraid the count might lay a hand on her. "Hmph, she just wants to have