The Northern Territory and the Kingdom of Sera would soon be united through marriage, with Crown Prince Ludwig set to wed Princess Selina of Sera.

Prince Leon's mission was to escort the betrothed princess safely back to the Northern Territory.


What a convenient coincidence.

The King of Sera, reluctant to send his beloved daughter to a distant land, had chosen the eldest daughter of the Montréal family as a substitute bride.

Golden sunset light spilled across the Grand Duke's troubled face as he stood by the window, a letter from the North clutched in his trembling hand.


"No, there must be another way," the Grand Duke muttered, his eyes drifting to the deliberately obscured figure in the family portrait hanging on the wall.

Night shadows crept across the study as he paced for hours before reaching his decision. With one sharp tug on the bell cord, he summoned his elderly butler.


"What are your orders, my lord?" The butler bowed at the threshold.

The Grand Duke kept his back turned, his voice deep and resolute. "Bring Frelis back from the border monastery."

Surprise flickered across the butler's weathered face before he quickly masked it. "As you command, my lord."

Three days later, Frelis stood in the center of the Grand Duke's great hall, the marble floor cold beneath her feet.

"Father, you sent for me?" Her voice carried precisely the right balance of gentleness and reverence—a perfect performance.

The Grand Duke sat rigid in his ornate chair, looking down at the daughter he had conveniently forgotten for nearly two decades.

"Frelis," the Grand Duke's voice echoed coldly through the hall, "the Northern Prince seeks a marriage alliance with our family."

Frelis tilted her chin up slightly, her face a careful mask as she waited for her father to continue.

The Grand Duke cleared his throat with a harsh sound. "You will replace Selina. You will marry into the Northern territory as our offering for this alliance."

A heavy silence blanketed the hall. Frelis lowered her eyes, allowing a single perfect tear to trace down her cheek and splash onto the polished marble.

"I am willing to sacrifice for the family." Her voice broke beautifully, a masterpiece of apparent pain and helplessness.

The Grand Duke exhaled heavily, relief washing over his features. He nodded, waving his hand in dismissal. As Frelis rose to leave, he missed the icy calculation that flashed through her eyes.

"Father," Frelis said suddenly, halting mid-step. "Do you remember the prophecy?"

She raised her head, her tear-stained face now showing not a hint of submission.

"Eighteen years ago, the prophet foretold that a daughter born at noon in the Duke's mansion would bring supreme glory to the family."

Her voice rang clear through the vast hall, each word cutting like a blade.

The Grand Duke's breath caught in his throat.

"You were ecstatic then, weren't you? Everyone predicted sister Selina would be born at noon." The corner of Frelis's mouth curved upward—a smile hovering between mockery and sorrow. "But fate had other plans. I was born instead."

She paused, allowing her words to settle like stones in still water.

"A child born to a mistress you couldn't publicly acknowledge. An inconvenient daughter arriving at the prophesied moment—a moment that should have belonged to my sister."

"The Duchess flew into a rage, calling me an ominous star of disaster. And so you discarded me and my mother like refuse, banishing us to the countryside."

"Eighteen years have passed, Father."

She pronounced each syllable with deliberate precision, her quiet voice somehow filling every corner of the hall.

"You abandoned us for eighteen years, and now you summon me—this 'disaster star'—to replace your precious Selina in a marriage to the North?"

The hall fell into a silence so complete it seemed to swallow sound itself.

The Grand Duke's lips pressed into a thin line as the full weight of her accusation landed. With a heavy sigh, he motioned to the butler.

"Go. Have them prepare two additional sets of jewels," the Grand Duke's voice carried a new weariness. "As compensation for all these years."

"My daughter..." Frelis's lowered eyelashes trembled in the flickering candlelight as a fleeting smile crossed her lips. "...must keep this secret."