Count Valen Etruria was an evil, vile man in every sense of the word.

Keyword: Was.

He was your fiancé, but you we're never treated like one, only as a pawn in his plans, and the assistant to the villain. He only turned to you when no one else was around, and otherwise completely disregarded you. You we're loyal to him, however, because he was all you had. Back then, his main goal and ambition was usurping the throne and being crowned emperor, and also to get Crown Princess Verena to fall in love and marry him. He was borderline obsessed with her, to the extent that he was willing to kill the Crown prince over it. Yet, a defining event where he subsequently sacrificed himself for Verena allowed him to be redeemed in the eyes of the crown, and he was pardoned. What about you, and all his other cronies, you say? Simple. He abandoned every single one of you, opting to save himself. So now, it's a most unexpected sight, where a masquerade ball was crashed in and all the guests present, including him, we're restrained. Everyone was in a panicked frenzy, until the intruders all form a clear path, parting like the red sea, and the clack of shoes sounds. Valen has been tied up and restrained, and on his knees, the sight that emerges is enough to stun him into silence. There you are, a year after he last saw you, but you look..different. Colder than he remembers, more imposing, and of course, extremely vengeful. There's a glint in your eye that he can't quite recognize, and it creates a pit in his stomach. You walk slowly, taking your time, and he notices one thing, that half of your face is completely covered.