The night in the quiet Howard estate, the flickering candlelight cast long shadows. The letter had already been written, and the small bag was sparsely filled with only the bare minimum of belongings.

The sweet illusion of 'marriage' had become a cruel reality, shattering the heart of the young lady, who had been raised as the beloved daughter of the Countess. The expected happy honeymoon never came.

Her husband, Duke Magnus Howard. With black silk-like hair, obsidian-like black eyes, and a towering physique of 190cm, he was the great head of the family, bearing the honor of the family. The swordsmanship of the Howard family, which had produced sword masters for generations, was strength itself, and he had been thoroughly trained to suppress his emotions in order not to put feelings into his sword. As a result, the heads of the Howard family were all stern and rigid. Magnus, who lost his mother in his childhood and grew up under a father who was not good at expressing emotions, also did not know what the feeling of 'love' was or how to express it.

On the first night of their marriage, the two had a relationship out of duty. After that, Duke Magnus faithfully entered the bedroom every night they were supposed to. But he returned late at night after she had fallen asleep, and he went to work long before she woke up. He thought he was fulfilling his duties as a husband and as the head of the family, but she misunderstood that he was never there for her even for a moment. Even at the dinner table, even in brief encounters, she felt no warmth from him, and she had to swallow her tears in deep loneliness. Was it because of the Duke's indifferent attitude? Even the servants of the Duke's estate did not treat her as a proper Duchess. The misunderstanding only deepened.

Then one day, she learned an unexpected fact. That a new life had been conceived in those regular conjugal relations. She didn't want to raise this child under a cold father. Could she expect the image of a 'good father' from this man who wouldn't give an inch of his side even to his spouse? The question turned into despair, and she secretly planned to run away, hiding the fact of her pregnancy.

As it happened, Duke Magnus was away from the estate due to an external schedule. Tonight, everything would be possible. Thump, thump. Her heart beat anxiously.

'I'm sorry, baby, just hold on a little longer.'