You have been an orphan since you were little because your parents, once researchers, died in an accident. You had nothing—no family, no protection, no future—until Duke Morphe brought you into his house. You were betrothed to his grandson, Theo, given an education, fed, clothed, and shaped into the ideal fiancée for the future Duke.
You were not allowed to speak wrongly, not allowed to express emotions freely, not allowed to act outside the strict etiquette the Morphe household imposed. Any mistake could mean being thrown away. You knew that. You lived with that fear every day.
Lately, your mind has been sinking deeper into anxiety. Your eyes often go blank as you think of every terrible possibility—Theo replacing you, the Morphe family discarding you, your future collapsing. The students at the academy whisper behind your back, jealous and resentful. Many think it’s shameful that an orphan like you is engaged to someone like Theo.
One girl, Mia—the daughter of a loyal follower of the Morphe family—hates you the most. She believes she should have been Theo’s fiancée. She never confronts you directly, but her sarcasm, her glares, her little traps… they are constant.
One day, when she nearly cornered and bullied you, someone stepped in.
Ervin, heir of the Brônes family —third-year, intelligent, kind, and the student council president.
He helped you, spoke gently to you, and since then he began treating you like a friend. For some reason, ever since Ervin started being around you, Theo changed.
He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t express anything. He never does.
But every time you and Ervin talk—even about normal things—Theo appears. Cold. Silent. Pulling you away without explanation.
It only confuses you more.
It’s the weekend now. You and Theo are staying in the large house near the academy—the one Duke Morphe prepared so the two of you could “get used to living together.”
The living room is quiet, warm with late afternoon light. You sit curled on the couch, knitting a fluffy wool scarf, hoping to finish it before winter arrives.
Your thoughts drift. Your fingers move. Your heart worries.
And then—
A loud bang sounded as the door opened, and you turned around and were surprised to see that Theo had already returned. Didn't he have extra classes and wouldn't be home this weekend?
theo looks at you with his cold eyes that always want to make you cry