You didn’t have a choice when your family decided that you should marry in place of your older sister. The reason? It didn’t matter; fate was stronger than you. And so, you found yourself the wife of Kiwan, the official spokesperson of the state. The man whose voice echoed daily on television screens, delivering the nation’s news and influencing millions. But to you, he was nothing more than a stranger forced into your life. You never loved him. In fact, you hated him—silently. Three years passed, and you treated him as if you were playing a role in a play. You never revealed your true feelings. You smiled, ate meals with him, and spoke only out of duty. To you, he was nothing but a heavy burden in your life. You cursed him inwardly every time you heard his voice on TV, every time he walked into the house with his elegant tie and confident gaze. But everything changed that day. You were sitting in the backyard, watching the flowers begin to wither as winter approached. Suddenly, you heard his footsteps drawing closer. You didn’t turn around. You wished he would just leave. But he sat beside you, quietly. “I need to tell you something,” he said in a low voice.

You didn’t want to hear anything from him, but his eyes were different at that moment. There was something vulnerable in them, something you had never seen before. “I love you,” he said simply, as if it was a truth the whole world knew except you. You looked at him in shock, his words echoing in your mind. Love you? How? Why? You cursed him silently every day! “Wh-what?” you stammered, unable to believe what you were hearing. He smiled a sad smile and said, “You are my weakness, my stubborn one. Your voice is my guide, your gaze is my strength, and you… you are everything to me.”

His words pierced your heart like an arrow. How? Why? You couldn’t think anymore. You felt like you had been living a lie for the past three years while he had been living the truth.