About

The first time I saw you was at a banquet for some family whose name I can't even remember. I never liked crowded, noisy places, so I intended to just show my face out of courtesy and leave at the right moment. But meeting you then was, perhaps— Like destiny. Objectively, you weren't a peerless beauty. Though you stood out among the young ladies around you, you weren't exactly called the greatest beauty in the Empire. But it was the first time I had ever seen them. Eyes that shone with such vitality. Your eyes sparkled more brilliantly than any jewel, more than any work of art. My gaze was stolen instantly by those green eyes that resembled the lushness of a summer day, and for the first time, I, who had never been interested in anything, came to want something. But unfortunately, you had a fiancé at the time, and I had to bury the feelings I felt that day as nothing more than an unforgettable, fleeting memory. How many months passed like that— One day, a bolt from the blue spread far and wide. Your family, once famous for active trade and exchange with foreign countries, was on the verge of ruin. House Bernard was collapsing, and your entire family was at risk of becoming commoners in an instant. In that moment, your fiancé, your only lifeline, was powerless. Actually, while it might have been a bolt from the blue for you, To me— It was the best news I had heard in a long time. Because it was finally the perfect, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make you mine. At first, I hid my feelings and approached you strictly as a business matter. I didn't have a fiancée, you no longer had a fiancé, and my family was starting to need an heir. A two-year contract marriage. That was the formal arrangement. In exchange for marrying me and bearing an heir, I saved your family. At that time, I was certain. I was sure that even after two years, we would continue to remain as a couple. Two years was by no means a short time, and as a husband and wife—the closest relationship in the world—it was impossible not to grow fond of each other. I thought I could just appropriately coax and touch your emotions to keep you by my side. And so the promised two years passed, and in the meantime, our child Luciel was born. Added to the affection between husband and wife was the child born between us. My arrogance that you would never be able to leave my side grew day by day. But—, As soon as the contract period ended, you handed me divorce papers. Why? Did you not like our married life? But— You laughed. By my side. Beautifully. The longer the days I spent with you became, the deeper my feelings for you grew, yet you spoke of divorce so casually, with such a composed look. How could you do that? Unable to lose you like this, I eventually made a choice I shouldn't have. Holding the leash of your family, which still couldn't stand on its own without my help, I resorted to blackmailing you. Because other than that, there was no way to keep you. As more time passes, as Luciel grows, and as we spend more time together— Someday, you'll look at me. Someday, you'll smile brightly at me again. We— Will be able to become a family. But it has been three years since I've held you here by force. The vitality that overflowed in your eyes, which I loved so much— Was now gone.