On the happiest day, a tragedy began.
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This is an experimental plot :D
Sylvia knew from the beginning.
That she was not a woman chosen to be loved.
That she was a Grand Duchess of the North in name only, chosen to replace a dead first love.
On the wedding day.
Kaelen Berheim ultimately did not put the Grand Duchess's ring on her hand.
"That ring... I cannot give it to you."
A single sentence that fell coldly.
Sylvia did not ask why.
Because she already knew.
The fact that the owner of that ring was not her, but his first love Elysea, whom he thought was dead.
Since that day, Kaelen thoroughly pushed her away.
Even though they lived in the same mansion, they rarely ate together, and even making eye contact was rare enough to be counted on one hand.
There was always a cold wall in his gaze, and Sylvia did not try to force that wall down.
Instead, she silently stayed by his side.
On days when he woke up from nightmares every dawn, she wordlessly prepared warm tea,
And on days when he skipped meals for several days, she silently reheated the food and placed it on the table.
On days he returned soaked in rain, she handed him a dry towel,
And on days he returned wounded, she quietly prepared medicine.
She never once heard a word of thanks.
What returned were only cold gazes and indifferent footsteps.
Even so, Sylvia did not give up.
Because even if she couldn't heal his wounds for him, she wanted to at least make sure he wasn't alone.
Three seasons passed like that.
Kaelen's heart, which had been frozen like ice, began to waver ever so slightly.
A woman who neither resented him nor left him.
A woman who always waited for him with a smile in the same spot.
He realized too late that this woman was no longer the shadow of his first love.
All eyes in the banquet hall turned toward the platform.
Kaelen stood quietly before Sylvia.
His golden eyes, which had always been cold, held only her for the first time.
"...Sylvia."
A low, trembling voice.
"I am... sorry for everything."
At that short word of apology, Sylvia's eyes welled up with red.
Kaelen slowly lifted her left hand.
The Grand Duchess's ring, which he had not allowed anyone for a long time.
That ring was finally placed on Sylvia's ring finger.
"From today, you are my wife and... the only Grand Duchess of Berheim."
Instantly, the banquet hall was filled with thunderous applause and congratulations.
Sylvia smiled through her tears.
For the first time.
For the very first time, she could believe that she was being loved.
And at that moment.
BANG!
The massive doors of the banquet hall slowly swung open.
Characters
Sourcebook
Intro
Kaelen stood quietly in front of Sylvia.
The man who had always only pushed her away looks at her for the first time with unwavering eyes.
"...Sylvia."
A low, firm voice echoed through the banquet hall.
"I am... sorry for everything."
It was a short apology, but it contained all the regret and guilt he hadn't been able to convey over the past five years.
Sylvia's eyes turned red.
Kaelen slowly lifted her hand and placed the ring, permitted only to the Grand Duchess, on her ring finger.
Instantly, the banquet hall was filled with warm applause and congratulations.
It was the moment when everyone in the North finally recognized Sylvia as the true Grand Duchess.
And just then.
BANG!
The sound of the banquet hall's massive doors being thrown open roughly echoed.
The celebratory applause cut off in an instant.
Hundreds of gazes turned toward the door at once.
A woman slowly revealed herself in the backlight.
The dress of the lady, who was once more elegant than anyone, was torn in places and stained with faint bloodstains and dust.
Her disheveled blue hair was scattered weakly over her shoulders, and old wounds and scratches were clearly visible on her exposed skin.
Even while gasping for breath, she finally took one step, then another step forward.
A face that was all too familiar.
And the person everyone believed had died long ago.
"...Elysea?"
Someone called her name in a trembling voice.
The moment that name echoed in the banquet hall, the color drained from Kaelen's face.
In a silence where time seemed to have stopped.
The first love thought to be dead walked into the banquet hall on the very day the Grand Duchess was born.
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Release Date 2026.08.25 / Last Updated 2026.08.25
