Chapter 4. Failed Work 

Naturally, those with such power became the first royal family.

From then on, those with power inherited the throne, and being an heir of the Golden Rule became evidence of noble blood.

However, over time, the power weakened. Moreover, as technology began to surpass the power of the Golden Rule, the methods of using its power were quickly forgotten.

Naturally, the prestige of the Golden Rule also lost its strength compared to the past.

Nevertheless, there were still people who clung to the fact that they possessed that power.

Those people were the nobles of Denertum. And among them, Ael’s father had a particular obsession with the Golden Rule.

Until the previous generation, the Viscount Aradis family was faintly born with the Golden Rule. But by the time of Ael’s grandfather, that power had completely disappeared. Also, it was from then that the family rapidly declined.

Of course, the reason for the decline was because both her grandfather and father were incompetent people who fell into gambling.

Naturally, Ael’s father didn’t want to admit his incompetence, so he thought the family’s downfall was due to not having an heir of the Golden Rule.

That thought soon turned into an obsession. He believed that if the Golden Rule flowed again in the bloodline of the Viscount family, the family would also revive.

There was only one way to bring the power of the Golden Rule back to the family. That was to marry someone with a strong power of the Golden Rule and have descendants.

But throughout the continent, the Golden Rule had long since lost its power. Recently, even most of the royal family were born without the Golden Rule.

The few remaining strong owners of the Golden Rule were people from families that the Viscount Aradis couldn’t dare to covet.

Viscount Aradis did not give up.

After continuously searching, he finally found the person he wanted. A woman from a noble family poorer than himself, who had the Golden Rule.

Usually, such a person would be secretly offered money by a great noble family and taken as a wife for their second or third sons.

But the woman had a fatal weakness. Her body was too weak to bear children.

〈It’s not completely impossible. I don’t need many. If I can have just one, that would be enough.〉

Viscount Aradis sold the remaining estate and gave the money to the woman’s father, then married her.

A year later, Ael was born.

Although not a boy, Viscount Aradis was pleased to have a child and requested the Academy to verify how much of the Golden Rule the child possessed.

〈There is none.〉

“What do you mean? That can’t be! Her mother has strong power, so why doesn’t the child…!”

〈Even if a child is born to parents with the Golden Rule, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will have the power. You know this, Viscount. In any case, this child is not an heir of the Golden Rule. Of course, since the manifestation period of power varies, you should watch until the child is three years old, but there have only been three cases in history where it manifested after the age of three. So don’t have high expectations.〉

The Academy representative left as if there was nothing more to see. The Viscount was greatly disappointed.

‘How much money did I spend, and all I got was a failed work!’

Not to mention, he had boasted loudly among other nobles even before the child was born.

Because of that, the child was given the name Aelfrieda, after the strongest heir in mythology, and was already registered in the noble list before being born.

And yet, she was not an heir of the Golden Rule.

The issue didn’t end there. After giving birth, his wife passed away shortly after.

The Viscount was furious.

“That ungrateful wench. If she had any decency, shouldn’t she have given birth to at least one child with the Golden Rule?”

He wanted to abandon the child as well, but he couldn’t.

If a child registered in the noble list dies before reaching adulthood, the parents are punished. Besides, there was a chance the Golden Rule might manifest just before she turned three.

Viscount Aradis left the child with a wet nurse he found and waited three years. But each hopeful expectation ended in disappointment.

Eventually, Ael did not manifest the power of the Golden Rule by the age of three.

And that year, Viscount Aradis went on a trip to a rural estate of a lower noble with whom he gambled and brought back a woman he fell in love with at first sight to be his wife. She was Ael’s stepmother.

Ael grew up struggling under a father who was ashamed of her and a stepmother who saw her as the enemy who squandered her husband’s wealth.

The only reason Ael received minimal treatment was because her name was on the noble list.

Noble women could be married off for a large sum of money.

‘I didn’t think it would be this hard to sell her.’

Recalling her reputation in society, Ael shook her head and absentmindedly touched the spine of the book titled Golden Rule.

“Could you move aside, please?”

Then, a library staff member spoke with a voice full of irritation from behind. It seemed Ael was in the way of organizing the books.

“I’m sorry.”

Ael bowed her head deeply and stepped aside. She was worried that the person might recognize her.

Because Viscount Aradis had boasted so much, people in society knew the purpose for which Ael was born.

So if it became known that she was interested in a book about the Golden Rule, it would only invite ridicule for not letting go of foolish hopes.

Fortunately, the staff didn’t pay any more attention to Ael and left after taking the book they wanted. Ael turned her gaze away from the Golden Rule book and looked at other books, picking one up and falling into thought.

It was a very thin and small book.

But as soon as she opened the cover, it was filled with dense text and complex formulas, as if to say not to be deceived by its appearance.

Ael checked the author of the book. As expected. The name of the author, who had caused her much trouble understanding a book last time, was clearly engraved.

After pondering a bit more, Ael decided and held it close to her chest.

She didn’t know when she would be able to visit the library again. In that case, it was better to choose a book that would take a long time to read.

That way, she would have less time to feel boredom until her next visit.

‘I’m glad the borrowing period is long.’

Even though it was hard for her to come out with the ID card like this, there would surely be an opportunity to return it during the several-month borrowing period.

Returning it didn’t even require an ID card.

Ael then wandered around the shelves and picked out a few more books. Once she had chosen ten books, she quickly turned around. It was really time to go back now.

Ael headed to the checkout counter. Then she suddenly remembered the first book she had seen. The thick book on the Golden Rule.

‘Should I borrow it?’

Hesitating, Ael shook her head. She felt pathetic. It wasn’t her father but herself who couldn’t let go of the attachment to the Golden Rule, even at the age of 27, far beyond three.

* * *

Ael hurriedly returned home and entered through the back door as quietly as possible. As she headed to the kitchen connected to the back door, Jenna, who had insisted on returning to the kitchen despite being told to rest, greeted her.

“Miss!”

“Shh. Are my parents awake?”

“No, they’re still sleeping.”

Ael finally breathed a sigh of relief at Jenna’s answer.

“Did you go to the library?”

“Yes. I’ll put the books down and be right back.”

Ael groaned as she carried her bag upstairs.

Usually, the family rooms in the mansion were on the second or third floor. However, Ael stayed on the top floor, the fourth floor, which was designated for the servants.

Her room used to be on the third floor.

Then Elise, who shared the third floor with her, sent Ael upstairs, claiming she needed more space for her wardrobe, and took Ael’s room for her clothes.

Once in her room, Ael immediately pushed the bag of books under the bed and changed her clothes. Then she took her father’s ID card and headed to the study.

After safely placing it back in its original spot and stepping into the hallway, she heard footsteps from around the corner. Before Ael could make her way down, the owner of the footsteps appeared.

“What is it?”

The person frowned as soon as they saw Ael, like she was looking at a bug.

“E, Elise…….”

The person who appeared was Elise, her younger sister by three years.

“Was it you, Rida?”

Far from calling her sister, Elise addressed Ael with annoyance, like she was speaking to a maid, calling her Rida instead of Ael.

Ael’s name registered in the noble list was Aelfrieda. The name of the strongest heir of the Golden Rule from mythology. A name her father had registered thoughtlessly.

But it was usually shortened to Ael because it was cumbersome and embarrassing to call her by her full name. However, Elise alone called her Rida.

Since her name was Aelfrieda, there was no particular problem with calling her Ael or Rida as a nickname.

But Ael remembered. Long ago, Viscount Aradis had bought a precious breed of dog for a large sum of money, and its name was Rida.