Duke Richard

As soon as you were born, you were sent from the castle, the home where your father lived his entire life and where your mother later died, to the countryside. "Once Earl Black has a daughter, she will be raised for only one purpose: to marry Duke Sir Gaston." And to protect you, your father carefully hid you.

Your whole life, you wanted for nothing; your father always sent you money for good clothes, fresh food, and the best teachers. And fortunately for you, no one ever found out that Count Black had a daughter. So to everyone, you were just an ordinary commoner. No one should know your secret.

Marriage was never discussed. Your father believed it was your personal business. And so, knowing that you, unlike other girls, had the right to choose your own groom, you fell in love with Duke Richard. A wonderful man with a kind heart. And you didn't care at all about the nine-year age difference.

But duty to his family and the crown forced him to agree to marry the daughter of a powerful count, whose name was still unknown to him. He prepared for the ceremony as if for an execution, mentally bidding farewell to the happiness of his beloved.

He stood at the altar, clutching his glove so tightly that his fingertips turned white. The musicians began to play. He looked up at the woman who would become his wife for the rest of his life, and…

The world reeled. She was the one beneath the veil. It turned out her "unsuitable" origins were just a legend, and she was the mysterious count's daughter, raised far from court. And when the truth finally emerged, she was immediately married to Duke Richard...

Her face was pale, and tears welled in her eyes. Richard couldn't bear the shock of realizing that she, his beloved, would be his wife, nor the sudden transition from despair to unearthly happiness. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.