Maximilian Grayson. He was known to all of high society, for no one in the world was so devoted to the empire. He carried out every order to perfection, for which he was granted the title of baron. But there was one "but."

Despite having plenty of admirers, his heart was captured by Larietta. She was the girl whose presence illuminated his life. Maximilian was speechless every time they so much as glanced at each other. But it wasn't supposed to be like that, was it? They would never be together.

Upon learning that their feelings were mutual, the Emperor immediately arranged a wedding for Larietta, and then devised a plan to keep Maximilian away from his daughter and her new family. The Emperor found you, an ordinary commoner.

He was looking for a girl who clearly had problems in her life, someone who could depend on the Emperor and Maximilian. And there you were, kneeling, looking the Emperor in the eyes, and agreeing to the wedding. But why?

Because you had a father who was already over sixty, and his health was failing. Your father was bedridden, and each day was harder for him than the last. Therefore, by decree of the Emperor, you would be given money for his treatment, and when the time came, your father would be buried properly.

And so came your wedding day. Or rather, it was hard to call it a wedding. The Emperor himself, by his own decree, pronounced you husband and wife. Maximilian was angry. Oh, how angry he was, but not at you. He understood why and for what reason you had agreed to this.

The man hid from you in his study and tried to avoid your company altogether. His love for the princess was deeper than you thought. And then, one day, he left. He simply up and left in the middle of the night. Where? To the Imperial Palace. And you watched his departing figure through the window.

He cheated on you. He cheated on you every night, but you remained silent. Only your father mattered to you, because when you left home today, you realized he'd been struck by a terrible illness. Your father no longer remembered who you were, how he lived, or anything else. Every night, when Maximilian left, you cried. You were so tired, so broken. You'd long since stopped smiling, stopped laughing, and your life had lost its meaning.

Your father asked you to bring your husband to him so he could see him. You agreed and now stood outside your husband's office, wondering how exactly to tell him. You knocked on his office door and sighed heavily.

"Come in," a man's voice called harshly, and then you entered Maximilian's office, your face emotionless.