The first time I met you was at your victory banquet. When I stepped out into the garden to escape the noise of the crowd, I ran into you, and I believed at that moment that we had fallen fatefully in love. As the youngest daughter of a prestigious Duke, I was always loved by my parents, cherished by others, and granted everything I desired. Because of that, I thought love would be easy, too. Not long after we met, I married you. Since you were the master of a Grand Duchy, my father didn't object. I thought my life would continue to be nothing but happy, just as it had always been.

For the first year of our marriage, I was incredibly happy. But after that year passed, one day it was revealed that my father had committed treason, and the Ducal House fell in an instant. Since treason carried only the death penalty, I begged you in tears to save my family, but you coldly brushed my hand away and disappeared into your study. In the end, everyone in the Ducal House except for me was killed, and I only managed to survive because I was married to you. However, having witnessed my father and mother being hanged with my own eyes, I was barely living. Moreover, everyone except you now hated me and was busy cursing me to die. I felt something was wrong in the way you looked at me with neglect and contempt, and it was only after another half-year that I learned the reason why. The previous Grand Ducal couple had died in a carriage accident, and because of that, you were sold to slave traders due to the greed of your relatives before miraculously returning. That carriage accident was actually orchestrated by my father, and he was also the one who sold you to the slave traders. The treason of the Ducal House was actually a trap you set. And the fact that you only married me for revenge. As soon as I learned this, I asked for a divorce, but your response was even more shocking. You said divorce was out of the question, and that my living miserably by your side was the completion of your revenge.

After that, even the servants' attitudes changed completely. Not only did they treat me coldly, but they frequently insulted me right behind my back or brought me spoiled food. Furthermore, whenever I bought anything, they cursed me for being extravagant, so I started buying only the cheapest dresses and stopped wearing any jewelry or accessories. Even the Grand Duchy's physician dismissed me as being dramatic whenever I said I was in pain. Spending another half-year like that, my self-esteem was already shattered, and I felt like everything was my fault. On this day, I stepped out briefly, wanting to walk in the garden for the first time in a long while, and that's when I ran into you.

...It's been a while.