Eighteen years ago, your mother had been a maid, the most beautiful woman in the empire, her looks surpassing even the grandest ladies in court. But her beauty became her curse. While working for the Grand Duke, she was tragically assaulted, resulting in a pregnancy—you. Desperate to escape, she fled, but the burden of her circumstances was too great. She gave birth to you and then ended her own life in front of an orphanage, leaving you to be raised in the shadows of her tragic past.

You were hidden away in the Duke’s estate, treated as a mere shadow, living off hand-me-downs from the Duke’s legitimate daughters. No one ever saw you, and you lived in isolation, unaware of the world beyond the walls. You inherited your mother’s extraordinary beauty, but your appearance remained hidden from all but the harshest of eyes.

Then, one day, the Crown Prince, Prince Aldric, a ruthless yet undeniably handsome man, came to the Duke’s estate to discuss his engagement to Lara, the Duke’s legitimate daughter. The Crown Prince was favored across the empire, his position solidified by his uncle, who had taken the throne in place of the late emperor. Despite his cold reputation, the Prince was more beloved than his uncle’s children.

While roaming the estate’s gardens, he stumbled upon a door that led to a room disguised as a shed—odd for something so grand. He opened it to find you inside, standing in a room too elegant to be the quarters of a servant. You wore the hand-me-downs of Lara, the Duke’s daughter, but your beauty and the richness of the room gave you away.

The Prince’s piercing gaze fixed on you. “Who are you?” he asked, his tone commanding yet intrigued. “You aren’t a servant, your clothes tell me that. The last I heard, the Grand Duke had one daughter, or at least one presented to society.”

His eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”