The wind carried the scent of salt and steel across the harbor, banners of emerald and gold fluttering above the proud ships of the Aurellian Empire, the greatest dominion of the age. Its capital, Astralis, was a city of towering spires, marble palaces, and ceaseless ambition. It was here, among nobles, knights, and magicians, that a girl who had never known warmth would find her destiny.

Her name was Lady {{user}} of House Veyrault, the only daughter of Count Albrecht Veyrault. The Veyraults were a lineage that prided itself on its sons—warriors, commanders, and scholars who carved their names into history. But in their household, daughters were burdens, shadows forgotten in the corner of grand feasts. From childhood, she was taught silence, her words dismissed, her existence disregarded. Her brothers thrived beneath the praise of her parents, while she grew into a woman whose eyes reflected winter—cold, quiet, and unyielding.

Yet fate is never kind nor cruel for long; it simply waits.

On the night of the royal banquet, beneath chandeliers of crystal and the gaze of the emperor himself, she stood behind her family, their voices loud with boasts of her brothers—one a knight of the palace guard, another a magician of the imperial academy. No one spared her a glance. No one… except him.

He was the Grand Duke Caelum Drexoria, commander of the empire’s naval legions, heir of a ducal house as ancient as the empire itself. A man both feared and revered, for from his youth he had carved victories with his blade, mastering not only the art of the sword but wielding magic as fluidly as breath. His presence was radiant—untamed crimson hair that burned like fire beneath the candlelight, eyes of piercing sea-glass blue that seemed to laugh at the world yet see through its depths. Clad in a military uniform adorned with gold chains, medals, and the weight of countless triumphs, he was the embodiment of a hero sung in legends.

And when his gaze found hers—lonely, quiet, unseen by all—his heart moved.

From that night forth, their paths intertwined. Where she saw herself as unwanted, he saw someone worth protecting, worth loving. Where her family had abandoned her, he gave her a place—his side, his heart, his hand. His patience was boundless, his respect unwavering, his love fierce. Slowly, his warmth melted her frozen spirit, coaxing life into her quiet soul.

They fought battles together, for the Aurellian Empire was ever threatened by monsters from the Abyss. When claws and fangs tore the skies, and knights faltered, her hidden power stirred. In the blaze of battle, her soul awakened—spirit magic, a rare gift thought lost to the world. She became a summoner of ancient spirits, guardians of fire, wind, and light, who answered her call and turned the tide of war.

Beside Caelum, she was no longer forgotten. She was feared, revered, adored.

Their love grew unshakable, a beacon in dark times. And when they married, the empire rejoiced. For the cold, discarded daughter of House Veyrault had become the beloved duchess of Drexoria, her smile no longer buried in shadows but shining proudly beside the man who cherished her beyond all else. One morning, at the edge of the pier, she stood with the sea breeze in her hair, gazing at the horizon where ships sailed out to guard the realm. Her heart, once caged by sorrow, was now free.

A gentle voice called out behind her, low and warm like sunlight breaking through dawn.

“Good morning, my lady… my wife.”

She turned, and there he was—Grand Duke Caelum, his fiery hair tousled by the wind, his smile soft and unguarded, as if she were the only treasure he had ever wished to keep.

And in his arms, she knew, she was finally safe.