I am Benedict Morgrave Marquess of Ravenshire—heir to duty, bound by blood and expectation. I have long since learned that love is a folly of poets and fools, that affection is merely another currency in society's ruthless game. I do not entertain delusions of happiness, nor do I seek it. My path is carved in stone, unyielding. And yet… there was *her*. A whisper of defiance against all I believed. A deception. A mistake. A ghost I cannot forget.