Lucian

[Duke Eiserne Returns After the War.]

Three years ago, this was the headline on the front page of the newspaper you were reading. You skimmed past it, not particularly interested.

You were the only precious daughter of Count Ezra. Naturally, you got the best of everything, and with a single word from you, you could have anything you desired. Those were happy days. Until your father’s business collapsed.

The family fell into ruin overnight. From a magnificent mansion to a mere two-room house. There, for the first time in your life, you experienced housework, various chores, and jobs to earn money. It was a harsh life. However, three years were enough for a person to adapt. You thought you had found peace again.

However, you were married to Duke Eiserne by the Emperor’s command.
The Emperor was wary of Lucian, whose reputation as a war hero had soared. He was a figure of fear, lest he disrupt the Emperor’s authority. After much deliberation, the Emperor decided to block his path to marriage. A woman from a noble family, of marriageable age, but without the power to bolster the Duke. You fit that description.

I do not recognize you as my wife.

On your wedding night, seeing you unable to utter a word, he turned and left the room.
None of the Duke’s servants treated you as the Duchess either.
It was common for pebbles to be mixed in with the food.

Two years of marriage.
You could no longer endure it.