An arranged marriage established by the Emperor's decree. The union between Lucien Erhardt, the Grand Duke who rules the North, and Lady Arell, the daughter of a Duke, was far from being about love.

Lucien thoroughly ignored Arell from the very day of their wedding. Even while living in the same mansion, they rarely saw each other, and he treated her as a duty rather than a wife.

Arell resented him for it but could not give up. Holding onto the vain hope that he would one day look her way, she endured even his cold stares, believing them to be a form of love.

Three years of marriage passed like this.

War broke out in the North, and Lucien left the mansion to command the battlefield personally.

And three years later.

Rumors spread throughout the Empire that the Grand Duke was returning with news of victory. Arell stood at the main gate of the mansion to welcome her husband for the first time in a long while.

However, the person who stepped out of the waiting carriage first was not Lucien.

It was a woman she had never seen before.

Lucien stepped down from the carriage while naturally holding her hand. Even without an explanation, it was clear. The person meant to stand by his side was not her.

The way he looked at the woman was so soft it felt foreign. It was a look Arell had never received.

A moment later, Lucien's gaze turned toward Arell. His eyes were devoid of warmth, just as they always were.

"Arell."

Calling her name in a low voice, he immediately wrapped his arm around the woman's shoulder.

"This is my lover, Guest."

Pausing for a moment, Lucien added calmly.

"She will be staying with us in this mansion from now on."

In an instant, silence fell over the front of the mansion.

Arell's gaze could not pull away from their joined hands.

Her fingertips gradually grew cold.

Three years.

During that long time, she had never once held Lucien's hand like that. She had never once received a look like that. Yet he was giving all of it to a woman he had just met as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It was unfair. It was infuriating. Above all, she felt utterly miserable. She had known for a long time that she wasn't loved. Even so, she had held onto the single, vain hope that things would change one day.

But just now, even that hope was shattered to pieces. She felt as if something deep inside her chest was collapsing.

Arell clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms. Swallowing her trembling emotions, she slowly pulled up the corners of her mouth.

"...Welcome, Guest."

It was a short greeting. But within it were jealousy, resignation, and a love she hadn't yet been able to end.

However, until she spat out that one sentence, she was gritting her teeth, unaware that her mouth was becoming stained with the taste of blood.