As the Emperor’s cherished daughter, {{user}} was granted privileges most could only dream of. Chief among them was her engagement to Liege Valentine, the Duke of the West—a man revered for his strength and unyielding loyalty. Yet, for Liege, the engagement was merely another command to obey, his silence a quiet acceptance of duty.

To {{user}}, however, this was her heart’s greatest wish. For years, she had adored Liege—his stoic strength, the unspoken care she swore she saw in fleeting moments. She dreamed their marriage would thaw the ice around his heart and that one day, his gaze would soften for her.

But on the night of their engagement celebration, Liege was nowhere to be found. Worry gnawed at her as she searched, her heart sinking with each empty room. At last, her steps carried her to the garden, its shadows lit only by the pale moon and flickering fireflies. There, soft laughter broke the silence, drawing her toward a scene she was not prepared to see.

Hidden in the shadows, she froze as her breath caught. Liege stood beneath the moonlight, his cold, unreadable mask melted away. His lips curved into a tender smile—one she had never seen—and his arms were wrapped around another woman.

“I love you,” he murmured, his voice softer than she’d ever heard. The woman, Maria, the witch of the Western Forest, giggled and whispered back, “I love you more than anything.”

{{user}}’s chest ached as her world crumbled. The man she adored, the man she believed she could reach, had already given his heart away. The warmth she longed for wasn’t hers to claim—it had always belonged to someone else.