A childhood shattered by the weight of a forbidden love. Declan had taken the rage born from his father’s neglect and turned it entirely toward Hayden. He had made the Crown Prince his target, and he had chosen Vanessa as the perfect weapon to strike him down. He knew that Hayden loved her. He knew that "love" was the very thing that could drag a man to his knees and destroy him. [Vanessa] "You never loved me." Since her rebirth, Vanessa had often told herself that he didn't

She turned away with cold indifference. His feelings meant nothing to her. A moment later, the ranks of knights began to disperse. Hayden emerged from his tent, following a servant’s guidance toward the inner arena. She stood up immediately to follow him. The roar of the crowd faded behind her as she hurried away. She was walking quickly through the arena’s underground hallway with Dina when a sudden, firm grip tightened around her wrist. She let out a sharp cry of alarm. How

If this were real, the scandal was of such a magnitude that it required the full weight of the Imperial family to bury it. No wonder the current Emperor had been so strict about his orders for silence. Vanessa was so stunned by the revelation that she barely remembered how she had even ended the conversation. She turned away, her mind a tangled web of heavy thoughts. The tea party had lasted for several hours. By the time she stepped outside, the sky was already bathed in the

The celebratory atmosphere that followed the victory stalled , replaced by a thick, palpable tension. All eyes were fixed on the man who dominated the arena—the Master of the Grand Duchy himself. At this moment, the most pressing question on everyone's mind was to whom this handsome man, who rivaled Hayden in stature, would present his rose. Declan gazed down at the rose in his hand. Though his expression remained cold and distant, his striking features made the sight look li

Helia bit her lip as if chewing over Vanessa’s words. Her small head seemed busy, frantically checking if there was any logic to what she had just heard. [Vanessa] "You are a guest of the Grand Duke, are you not?" When she asked, watching her closely, Helia’s eyes snapped up in surprise. She caught a fleeting glimpse of anxiety in her gaze. It seemed Helia was suddenly afraid she might be scolded for her earlier discourtesy—approaching a stranger so abruptly and prying with s

The tournament was only a few days away. Vanessa had taken up residence in the Imperial Palace for the duration of the event. Under normal circumstances, she would have had to travel back and forth by carriage, but Hayden—who attended to her every need—would never allow such a burden. He formally invited her as a ‘Guest of the Imperial House’ and arranged for her to stay in a private wing of the palace. She saw no reason to refuse. The mere thought of entering the palace ever

[Attendant] "I shall fetch an umbrella at once!" The attendant who had been waiting with her scrambled back inside the palace. Vanessa stood leaning against a gilded pillar, staring blankly ahead. She had grown accustomed to the rain that had fallen for days on end, yet the memories that resurfaced with each downpour remained hauntingly foreign. ‘Why do you say that?’ It was a memory of her conversation with Declan on the balcony the night of the play. ‘Why… are you so certai

[Vanessa] "Oh, it seems it has only just finished." By the time Vanessa returned to her seat, the play had already swept past its climax and the actors were taking their curtain calls. Her mind was in such disarray that the performance had been the furthest thing from her thoughts. How had it ended? That tragic romance that mirrored the twisted bond between herself and Declan? Rather than curiosity about the finale, she felt a profound sense of relief that she had missed it.

[Vanessa] "I think you are mistaken about something." Vanessa was, by nature, a gentle soul. She was soft-hearted. Growing up in a world where everyone showed her nothing but affection, she’d never had a reason to harden her resolve. Had she not possessed such a malleable spirit, she would have turned the dagger on him instead of herself in her previous life. Fuelled by layers of resentment and hatred, she would have wished for his death rather than her own. Yet, because of t

Vanessa wanted to sit at the end of the row, but Declan, anticipating her move, acted first. [Declan] "The center seat offers the finest view. You should take it, My Lady. Hayden, you don't mind, do you?" [Hayden] "Of course not." Hayden, oblivious to Declan’s dark intentions, readily agreed. She attempted to decline several times, but it was futile. It would have looked absurd to stubbornly refuse a seat they were so graciously offering. In the end, she was forced to sit bet

Just as Vanessa had grown up watching the Count as her father, the Count knew his only daughter just as well. Strangely, as she spoke of the man who was to be her husband, he saw no trace of love in her eyes. Her gaze felt even more hollow than when she looked at him, and he couldn't help but ask the question. His words pierced her heart like a dagger. It ruthlessly exposed the guilt she had been trying to ignore—the fact that she was using Hayden. Vanessa set her teacup down

The realization struck her with a violent clarity. Declan viewed her current struggle—the life she was desperately trying to navigate after her return—as nothing more than a passing whim. It was evident in the way he still treated her like a wife he had safely locked away in a gilded cage. The resentment that had been simmering in her gut boiled over instantly. She shoved him away with all her might. Taking advantage of the moment he was caught off balance, she scrambled to h

[Hayden] "Declan?" Hayden rose halfway from his seat, startled by the unexpected guest. Declan, looking far more composed than he had at the recent banquet, shifted his gaze between the pair sitting intimately together. A crooked, mocking smile played on his lips. [Declan] "I heard you were enjoying luncheon, so I thought I would stop by." [Hayden] "When did you return from the Duchy?" [Declan] "Just a moment ago." The two men spoke with an easy familiarity. Declan answered w

[Hayden] "I was a bit surprised to hear you were looking for me, My Lady." Hayden scratched his cheek, his expression clearly reflecting his bewilderment. Vanessa understood his confusion completely. In the life before her return, she and Hayden had been nothing more than acquaintances who exchanged formal greetings at this time of year. In short, this was the first time they had ever been alone together. [Vanessa] "Thank you for agreeing to speak with me. Actually... there i

Though she had spoken the words herself, she found it hard to believe. Like a prisoner on death row awaiting sentencing, she had been unable to escape her anxiety for the past three days, dreading the very reunion that was happening now. She had been plagued by the fear that this dreamlike situation would vanish the moment she closed and opened her eyes. Would she be forced to return to Declan’s side, suppressing her emotions just to survive? Or worse, would she fall into an