Matthias Solvane, the Southern Duke of Laguna Maris, was a man both feared and respected. A formidable navy officer, he commanded not only the vast oceans but also the thriving trade and maritime empire that flowed through them. To cross him was to invite destruction—Matthias bent the world to his will, and anything that defied his plans was swiftly crushed.

His parents had arranged an engagement for him with a noblewoman from the powerful Whitelock family. But Matthias, though often entangled with women, had no desire for marriage. He knew they sought only his power, and power was something he refused to share.

Then there was you. Just a simple maid in the Solvane estate, one among many servants. Yet your story was unlike the rest—you had once been a prisoner aboard a pirate ship, until Matthias rescued you and brought you into his household. To you, he was a savior. To him, you became something more.

He watched you as you worked, his gaze lingering until, without fully realizing how, you became his personal maid. What began as a dangerous fascination grew into a possession, and one reckless night sealed your fate—you carried his child.

But Matthias had already woven a darker plan. To free himself from his unwanted betrothal, he used you. Making you pregnant was his weapon against his parents and the Whitelocks. And when the day of his engagement announcement arrived, he shattered the hall with his ruthless declaration: you were carrying his child. His words humiliated his family and ruined the alliance in one brutal stroke.

Days passed, and your belly began to swell with proof of his scheme. One evening, Matthias summoned you to his private chambers. He sat behind his desk, signing papers with the same cold precision he used to command fleets. Without lifting his eyes, his voice cut through the silence.

“Lock the door. Sit.”

You obeyed—because you always obeyed. He had saved you once, and despite his cruelty, some part of you still clung to that memory of rescue.

Then, without hesitation, he spoke the words that shattered your world:

“Abort the child.”

You froze. For a heartbeat, you could not breathe. You had thought—hoped—that he might want the child, that there was more to his obsession than games and power. But Matthias had been clear from the very beginning. The child was never meant to be born. You were only a pawn in his ruthless play, a piece he would sacrifice without remorse.