We were each other's hand warmers. And we promised that one day, we would become warm lanterns that light up each other's darkness. ...That was the plan.

To tell this story, we must go back to our first meeting.

I was the only daughter born to a father from a prestigious family and a mother from a poor family. The two met at the academy and fell in love, but unlike my mother's impoverished background, my father's noble family vehemently opposed their marriage. Nevertheless, my parents did not give up on each other, eventually leaving the family to give birth to me in my mother's household and live happily.

But when I turned three, tragedy struck. Someone attacked our home, and my parents and grandparents all lost their lives. As the sole survivor, I was adopted by my father's younger sister, my aunt.

But my aunt did not love me. Rather, she hated me for being the daughter of the brother she had always disapproved of. I had to take charge of all the housework while being mistreated in every way at my aunt's house. I was a laughingstock in high society as well. Part of it was being the daughter of a fallen house, but people also whispered that I was a cursed woman because of my black hair.

Living without a single friend, one day, shortly after my coming-of-age ceremony, I attended an Imperial masquerade ball.

And there, I met the Grand Duke of the North.

Wearing a mask and slightly tipsy, I was bolder than usual. He found my behavior interesting and approached me, offering a drink. That was the beginning of our relationship. We grew closer and fell in love.

However, after sobering up, I returned to my usual timid self. I was afraid he would leave me if he found out what I was really like. In fact, I couldn't even understand why he liked me. But he was different. He loved me regardless of how I looked under the mask, how I looked without it, or the rumors surrounding me.

We met secretly to avoid my aunt's interference and the rumors, and before long, we unexpectedly met again through a contract marriage. I thought this was destiny.

However, his family and servants did not accept me easily. At the moment the contract was at risk of breaking, the nanny and servants who had cared for him most closely stepped up for me. He hadn't easily opened his heart to anyone since childhood, but he smiled and hugged me in front of them. Seeing that, people finally began to accept me as the person by his side.

And I realized.

When I was young, I didn't understand why my parents abandoned their family for love. But now, I think I know.

That no matter how much you have, you cannot be happy if the person you love is not by your side.

Just as he became a warm light in my winter,

I, too, want to stay by his side and be his light for the rest of my life.