Episode 01
“Marry, Charlotte.”
The words, spoken from the head of the Noah family’s dining table, froze every piece of cutlery midair.
An unnatural, desolate silence spread across the hall.
For a dinner shared by only three family members, the atmosphere was anything but warm. The one to finally break that suffocating stillness was the dark-haired young man seated to the patriarch’s right.
Clink. Setting down his utensils, Quincy Noah curved his lips into a strained smile.
“…It’s true Charlotte is of age, Father, but this is rather sudden. It’s only been a week since she collapsed and woke again. Surely she needs more time to recover—”
“There is no time to waste on such trivialities.”
Dominic Noah, head of the family, cut his son off without hesitation.
“Alfonso Linus Eduard. Word has reached me that he has submitted a prenuptial contract to the Temple.”
At those words, Quincy’s expression faltered.
“…The Duke Eduard intends to marry?”
“Yes. The news came almost immediately after the document was delivered yesterday.”
On the continent, all marriages were sanctioned by the Temple. The submission of a prenuptial contract was the first and most undeniable sign of an impending union.
“There are no families with whom Eduard has exchanged significant ties. That means he’s finally searching for a bride. And once word spreads that the contract has been filed, countless houses will rush to present their daughters.”
Dominic’s tone remained calm, but the intent beneath was sharp and unmistakable.
“We must secure him before they do. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. Charlotte will marry Alfonso Linus Eduard.”
“That’s absurd.”
The words left Quincy’s lips before Charlotte could respond. His laughter was cold, almost mocking.
“Do you honestly believe Eduard would accept a proposal from Noah? That man is a stone wall—he wouldn’t so much as turn his head toward us.”
Alfonso Linus Eduard—the emperor’s cousin and heir to one of the most illustrious noble houses in the realm. The very embodiment of honor and integrity.
Noah, by contrast, was everything Eduard despised. A family infamous for corruption, for crimes cloaked in wealth and the Temple’s protection, for a legacy of ruthless cruelty. The world had long since branded them villains.
And now Dominic dared to speak of binding Eduard to Noah by marriage? It was beyond outrageous.
“He would never agree. Even if we forced a proposal upon him, he’d reject it outright.”
“Then we will make it impossible for him to refuse.”
Dominic’s reply was unruffled, as if he had anticipated his son’s resistance.
Thud. His fist struck the table with startling force.
The gleam in his green eyes was sharp and venomous, like a serpent’s.
“We’ve already lost part of our southern trade monopoly to the emperor. He’s tightening the noose around us. But Eduard choosing to marry now—this is providence.”
“If we bind ourselves to him through marriage, not even the emperor will be able to touch us. This union must be secured. At any cost.”
“Father, but—”
“Enough. Hold your tongue, Quincy. You may be heir apparent, but do not mistake yourself for the master of this house.”
Dominic’s oppressive authority pressed down like a blade. Quincy’s smile cracked at last.
Before the tension could sharpen further, however, a quiet voice cut through from the other side of the table.
“I’ll do it. That’s enough.”
“Charlotte!”
“There’s no need to fuss, Brother. If this is what Noah requires, then I’ll see it done. That’s what it means to be Noah, isn’t it?”
Dominic’s expression softened with satisfaction.
“So you understand. Do you believe you can make Eduard yours?”
Charlotte’s green eyes curved as she smiled sweetly.
“Of course. It will be easy.”
And it would be.
She had once made Alfonso kneel at her feet and kiss the ground before her. She knew exactly how to break him.
The only difference now was that her goal was not obedience—but survival.
‘In the past, I obeyed blindly. This time… no.’
Charlotte pressed a napkin to her lips, coughing softly. Crimson bloomed against the white cloth, but her fingers curled to hide the stain before anyone noticed.
Then, with a flawless smile, she murmured—
“Just watch me.”
Because in this life, she would save Alfonso.
***
At times, love is tragedy. Perhaps this is always true, but for Charlotte Noah it was especially so.
The reason was simple: she had never seen happiness born from loving ruin.
And she was ruin.
Charlotte Noah, the woman who consumed all she loved in flames.
She had realized this on the day she lost the man she loved most.
“…Why?”
Her parched lips cracked as the word escaped.
Her emerald eyes, usually sharp or cruelly alluring, had lost their focus. Her mask of cynicism, long unbroken, fractured at last.
Charlotte Noah—the infamous villainess whispered about for her beauty as much as her brutality—stood pale as death and asked her brother:
“Why did you kill my husband, Quincy Noah?”
Quincy, whose features so resembled hers, finally turned to meet her gaze. His smile was gentle, his voice smooth.
“My dear sister, you’ve grown rather sharp-tongued since last we spoke.”
“Answer me!”
Charlotte’s voice was ragged, almost torn from her throat. Standing still, she could hardly force the words out.
She had only just returned from her husband’s corpse.
Alfonso Linus Eduard.
The man who had never once smiled at her, yet to whom she had surrendered her heart completely. The man who shattered her belief that she could never love.
—Even if we marry, I will never love you.
And so came Charlotte’s first taste of regret.
Three years after becoming Duchess Eduard, she loathed her marriage.
Because she had fallen in love with a man who despised her.
Their union had always been a transaction—Noah’s design, not hers.
The moment rumors spread that Alfonso sought a bride, Noah had forced their hand, flinging a proposal at Eduard.
The outrage had been fierce. For the emperor’s right hand to be bound to a family who defied him and consorted with the Temple? It was scandalous, contemptible.
Yet Noah—and Charlotte herself—had pressed on.
Because it was the family’s command.
She sabotaged Alfonso’s courtships, ensnared him in scandal, orchestrated compromising rumors until society whispered that the two were already lovers.
Eventually, with his house demanding he marry and no family daring to offer their daughters, Alfonso was cornered.
And so he was forced to stand before the altar with the woman he detested most.
That he loathed her was inevitable.
That he loved another, unavoidable.
