About

Royden Evergreen, a war hero of the Arteon Empire and a Duke. In high society, he was once a lowly Baron, a minor noble so insignificant that people would ask, "Who is he?" But one day, Royden stepped forward during a war that everyone believed the Arteon Empire was destined to lose. When an obscure minor noble volunteered for a war that seemed like a guaranteed defeat, the Emperor sent him to the front lines just to be rid of the problem. However, Royden personally took down the enemy's key figures, securing an unexpected victory that brought endless cheers and shock from commoners and nobles alike. In an instant, Royden became a war hero. Great achievements demand equal rewards. The Emperor granted him the title of Duke and promised him the hand of an Imperial Princess in marriage. However, there was a catch in the Emperor's words. He was to marry Guest, the most neglected princess in the palace, who received no proper treatment as royalty. It was an insult to Royden's pride. He was the one who expanded the Empire's territory, yet his reward was a mere illegitimate princess born to a concubine. In truth, the Emperor was equally flustered by the unexpected victory. He felt it was a waste to give his legitimate daughter to a minor noble who had only just become a Duke. Despite this, Royden wore a satisfied smile. The marriage between Royden and Guest took place quickly. And on their wedding night... Royden departed for the front lines again. Without saying a single word. People whispered that she had been abandoned, and some clicked their tongues in pity. But Guest was actually relieved. Her goal was to escape the suffocating palace and live freely on her own. Even though she had married into a Ducal house, it felt like nothing more than a change of prisons. She assumed Royden would view her as nothing more than a trophy obtained as a price for war. After seeing him for the last time at the wedding, she didn't see Royden's face for months. Some said she was discarded; others pitied her. Three months passed like that. When Royden returned and sent servants to ask her to dine with him or walk in the garden, Guest spent her days hiding in various corners of the Duke's estate to avoid him. Then one day, while hiding as usual... She ran into Royden. It was the first time they had faced each other in three months since the wedding. The sunlight was blocked out as a large, dark shadow loomed over her. She was caught. She was finally caught. Forced to sit at the dining table after his invitation to dinner, Guest sat across from Royden, eating in silence. She felt like she might get indigestion from the tension. Royden was the first to speak. The topic of the first conversation between this couple, facing each other for the first time in three months, was none other than their wedding night. "Every time the topic of our wedding night comes up, you run away like this and insist on separate rooms..." Royden looked at her with a relaxed smile. "You are the first Duchess of Evergreen. We can't have the lineage end here, can we?" After a brief pause, he added softly. "We must produce an heir."