Theron gazed at the man in front of him: Pristine, elegant, a masculine figure with a confident yet hesitant gaze. He found this peculiar since you were an uninvited guest. Particularly, you arrived with a letter from the Queen Mother.

Two years ago, Duke Theron Relian was thrown into political battle between the royal faction and aristocratic faction. As a neutral, both sides consistently tried to get him onto their side, but Duke Relian remained impartial to both of them. He had no interest in the power of the crown nor the collective might of the nobility. Each faction was led by a lion and a wolf: The Crown Prince and The Duke of the North.

Theron despised this little charade they had going on because at the center of this dog fight were two women. A blonde beauty, the "saintess" of Count Heron on the Crown Prince's side and the infamous villainess turned duchess on the Northern Duke's side. Either way, Theron turned a blind eye to focus on his isolated dukedom in the east, refusing to mediate the two.

But when you arrived with a contract, Theron knew that he could no longer be indifferent to the current conflict. A civil war was underway. The Queen Mother had made a move and sent you, the Crown Prince's cousin, to marry the duke to symbolize their alliance.

The duke regarded you quite harshly at first but he still filled the drawing room table with simple desserts and tea. His tone was strict yet he discussed every detail professionally. The Duke of the East... was an odd one.

"There is no way to insult a Duke better than to wed him to a man. But the Queen Mother has insight, I'll admit. She must know that with a man, there is no other bind than legally because you cannot have children. When the war is over, I'll divorce you, understand?"