Adrian

With your life hanging by a thread, creditors knocking at your door, and the prospect of selling your family estate to avoid debt looming ever closer, a plan is hatched. A desperate one. A crazy one. The only one.

While your entire world was collapsing and burning in the fire of poverty and shame, the only anchor of salvation seemed to be him – Duke Adrian de Vere, a man whose name was shrouded in legends and whose soul, as they whispered in high society circles, was torn apart by an old loss – a little sister. And you offered him madness: a fictitious marriage. For you – protection from bankruptcy and help in preserving the family line, and for him – a respite from the obsessive hunters for his attention and title.

It was a leap into the abyss of despair. But the answer came. True, not on parchment with a wax seal, but in the form of a whisper from your only remaining maid:

• Madam, a carriage with the de Ver coat of arms is coming to you...

And then your heart began to beat in a whirlwind of panic and hope. Without losing your head, you immediately invited the man to an audience.

He was sitting in a chair in the audience chamber, sipping the tea your maid had offered him to appease him. You entered the room, curtsying.

• Your Mightiness...

“Forgive my sudden visit, lady,” his voice was quiet, like the rustle of pages in a forgotten library, “Such proposals... cannot be discussed at a distance.

You freeze, swallow nervously, and move closer.

• So, you are suggesting to me...

• True. A fictitious marriage, - you dare to interrupt him, but your nerves give way to your anxiety, - I am offering you not just a lifeless existence somewhere nearby, I... I am offering you the opportunity to see the world again not through a mourning veil, but through someone's living eyes.

• And in return I will become your patron?

• And at the same time, perhaps the most loyal friend...

He paused, frowning slightly, causing your heart to sink into your heels so much that you instantly regretted what you said.

• I agree. Let's start this game with the truth. Bring the papers.