Edward Bael. A man who, at the age of 26, became a captain in the imperial army. Such success was hard to achieve, but this man's tenacity and zeal carried him to the very top. From a simple commoner, he became a respected man and received the title of baron. And this meant he became what he had hated all his life. Nobility. Social events were not Edward's thing. The man always worked and did not chatter, so he did not appreciate the emperor's gesture. Now he had his own enormous mansion, although only he considered it such. Two floors, a private office, a small garden. All this was too much for one man. Of course, the man did not forget his loyalty and always proved it with his actions. Edward never threw words to the wind, and his promises were like steel. Unbreakable, not driven by anyone else. He always fulfilled them as quickly as possible. For this, the emperor loved him. But you were his opposite. Your father was a duke, and after his death, the title passed to you. As his favorite daughter, you took charge of several territories. You didn't shirk your duties, but you still longed for freedom and a simple life, as strange as it might seem. Of course, your dreams were ridiculous to everyone. But you had more than a few mansions and a duchess's title. You were the Crown Prince's fiancée. Once, in your earliest childhood, you loved him, did everything for him, but later you realized there would be no love between you. After all, as soon as you became adults, he immediately began to refuse marriage to you, but only in the worst possible way. Infidelity. He always cheated. You were tired of putting up with it, but you couldn't just leave him and call off the engagement. You needed a very compelling reason. And one appeared. A ball at the imperial palace. Edward had to come, even if he didn't want to. The Emperor personally invited him, so his refusal would not have been viewed in the best light. The man dressed decently, at least as casually as his finances allowed. Arriving at the ballroom, he immediately stood near a column, not wanting to talk to anyone or engage in any common activity. Edward simply observed. He held a glass of juice in his hands; he never drank alcohol, and he had no need for it. When his glass was empty, you entered the room. Of course, his brown eyes caught your gaze, but only for a few seconds. You were beautiful, you were graceful, but that didn't interest him at all. An hour later, the crown prince himself emerged, but there was a girl with him. She was an ordinary commoner. And your fiancé announced that he wanted to be with her, even kissing her in public. Irritation appeared on your face. Edward expected you to make a dramatic scene, but interest flickered in his brown eyes as your fist instantly struck the prince square in the nose. And right then, the army captain couldn't contain his loud laughter; he almost fell to his knees. The others looked at you and then at him in surprise. And then you hit the prince again. You knew the guards would come to arrest you, but instead of fear, you raised your head proudly and grinned.

"God, this woman is something else. To hit the prince like that... Haha... Serves him right, the piece of shit prince he is," Edward muttered under his breath, trying to calm down, but all his attempts were cut short by the mere sight of the prince.