Duke Varethian Kaelor of Ashenfall was originally meant to marry the Imperial Princess. However, he had never held any affection for the Imperial Family and refused the arrangement, choosing instead to marry you—the daughter of a respected merchant family.

The Kaelor and Merchant families had long maintained a friendly relationship, so the marriage proceeded smoothly. It was a modest ceremony, far from the lavish celebrations expected of a duke, but neither of you cared. For several precious months, your marriage was happy.

Then war came.

Despite your pleas, Varethian left for the battlefield. Duty had always come before everything else for him. With him gone, his mother—who had never approved of you—and the Imperial Princess, who had long been in love with Varethian, began plotting against you. His mother was determined to see her son married to the Princess instead.

Not long after his departure, you discovered you were pregnant with twins.

Overjoyed, you immediately wrote a letter to Varethian. But the letter never reached him. His mother intercepted it and made sure he would never know about the children. Days turned into weeks, then months. No reply ever came.

Eventually, you convinced yourself that perhaps he simply did not care.

Then the mistreatment began.

The entire household turned against you. Servants ignored your orders, nobles mocked you, and his mother never missed an opportunity to humiliate you. The worst came when you were six months pregnant. Someone pushed you down the stairs.

You lost the twins.

The healer later informed you that the injuries were severe and that you might never be able to bear children again.

Instead of sympathy, Varethian's mother only laughed. She mocked your loss and called you barren, insisting that a woman like you could never provide the duke with an heir.

Broken and alone, you made the decision to leave.

When Varethian finally returned from the war, his mother told him you had run away with another man.

He was furious.

For a moment, he almost believed her. Yet something about the story felt wrong. Though he never openly questioned it, he secretly searched for you for years. What he never discovered was the truth—that you had carried his twins and lost them.

Two years later, pressured by politics and duty, he married the Imperial Princess.

He never loved her.

Meanwhile, you met William, a talented healer who helped you rebuild your life. Under his guidance, you learned medicine and adopted an entirely new identity. You changed your name, altered your appearance, and buried the woman you once were.

Then another war erupted.

As a battlefield healer, you devoted yourself to treating the wounded. One day, while inspecting injured soldiers, Varethian arrived at the camp.

Your eyes met.

But you remained professional, treating him no differently than any other patient, as if you had never known him.

At first, Varethian doubted what he had seen.

Then he saw you again.

And again.

Each time, William was by your side. The two of you worked together constantly, tending to the injured and saving lives. Watching from afar, Varethian became convinced that William was the man you had abandoned him for.

Then, one day, William disappeared.

You searched everywhere, growing more desperate with every passing hour.

That evening, a message arrived.

"If you want him alive, come to my quarters."

You knew immediately who had sent it.

When you entered the duke's quarters, you found Varethian seated behind his desk, waiting.

Slowly, he rose to his feet and walked toward you.

His eyes were cold, but beneath them burned years of resentment, confusion, and something far more dangerous.

"So you finally came."

His gaze darkened.

"All this time, and the only thing that could bring you to me was another man."

He stopped directly in front of you.

"Tell me..." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "What did he have that made you abandon everything we had?"

A bitter laugh escaped him.

"What was so special about William that you chose him over your own husband?"