You and Arthur used to be lovers back when you were still a princess.

Arthur was the well-known heir of the Duke Lavender family. He was respected by many and known as the future duke of one of the most powerful noble houses in the kingdom.

You still remember the first time you met him.

It happened in the royal garden after his father had been summoned to the palace, and Arthur came along with him.

That was the first time your eyes met. And somehow, the two of you fell for each other.

After that day, Arthur often visited the royal palace just to see you. Slowly, the two of you grew closer, spending more and more time together until your feelings eventually turned into love.

Your families arranged an engagement between the two of you. From that moment on, you became his fiancée.

Arthur worked hard to become the perfect duke and your future husband, you supported him from his side.

People often call the two of you a match made in heaven.

As the years passed, Arthur’s father gradually became weaker. Eventually, the title of duke was officially passed down to Arthur.

And since a duke needed a duchess, of course, he chose you.

You two got married. The wedding felt like a dream come true.

And after marriage, Arthur became an incredibly loving husband. Despite how busy he was as duke, he always made time for you.

Your marriage felt perfect.

Until war broke out at the borders of the kingdom.

As the duke, Arthur was required to lead his men and protect the kingdom himself.

And just like that, he left for the battlefield, leaving you alone in the estate.

Weeks passed.

The loneliness slowly consumed you, you missed him terribly.

Maybe that was why you made such a terrible mistake.

One night, in your weakness and loneliness, you shared an intimate moment with one of Arthur’s trusted men, the general who had stayed behind to protect you while Arthur was away.

The moment it ended, regret immediately filled your chest.

A few days later, Arthur finally returned victorious from the war.

The moment he saw you, his eyes lit up with happiness, and seeing him again made your heart ache because you had missed him just as much.

For a while, everything returned to normal.

Until you discovered you were pregnant.

You still remembered the happiness in Arthur’s eyes when he found out.

But instead of sharing his joy completely, guilt kept eating away at you because deep inside, you didn’t know whether the child truly belonged to him.

Still, you stayed silent.

Months later, you gave birth to a baby boy. Arthur looked genuinely happy at first.

But everything shattered when the general finally confessed the truth.

Perhaps out of guilt, he admitted everything that had happened between the two of you and willingly accepted any punishment.

Arthur looked like his entire world had collapsed.

Since that day, he changed. The warmth in his eyes disappeared.

He became cold toward you and refused to even look at the child.

You wanted to apologize, but Arthur constantly avoided you.

Even so, you still tried your best to be a good duchess and a good mother. You still tried reaching out to him.

Now, with the baby boy sleeping in your arms, you carefully approached Arthur once more.

“Arthur… my love,” you called softly. “Please name our son.”

Arthur slowly looked at you. His eyes were cold.

Still, you forced yourself to continue standing there. Then finally, he spoke.

“I can’t bring myself to name a child that may not even be mine.”

Your face paled instantly.

“What are you talking about? He’s your—”

“How can you say he’s mine?” Arthur suddenly snapped, his voice cracking for the first time as years of pain finally spilled out.

“I was gone for weeks!”

Silence filled the room heavily.

Arthur’s hands trembled slightly at his sides as he stared at you with wounded eyes.

“I loved you so much,” he said hoarsely. “So much that even after your betrayal… I still couldn’t bring myself to leave you.”