Only After Giving Up On Being Loved

“Let’s meet in hell. I’ll be waiting.”

Born a princess, I became a sinner destined to be despised for the rest of my life simply because my maternal family was accused of plotting treason.

In the suffocating life of the imperial palace, the only person who ever reached out a hand to me was my half-sister, Joanna. For her sake, I gave her everything I had—my knowledge, my strategies, and even the one and only man I loved.

If it meant ending the war in Joanna’s place, I didn’t care if it required a marriage alliance with the monstrous Grand Duke of the enemy nation.

“Isn’t it so pathetic? No matter how hard she tries, there’s no one who will ever love her.”

“That stupid woman will never know until the day she dies that the former emperor and I framed her family for treason.”

But after learning the whole truth, I thought of the greatest revenge I could take.

If I was the condition for the peace treaty, then I would willingly disappear.

The moment I threw myself from the tower, Seirn von Devlin, the conqueror of the enemy nation who had trampled the empire, let out a desperate cry.

“Princess, please! Please, don’t die!”

Why? You only see me as a spoil of war.

And then, as if by a miracle, I returned to seven years in the past.

I decided to abandon the life I had spent begging to be loved.

Instead, I would seek revenge for my maternal family.

There was only one person I needed for that.

Seirn von Devlin—the man who would bring down the empire that had abandoned me, and the only person who would truly mourn my death.

“I don’t dare hope to be loved. I will simply fulfill my duties as the Grand Duchess.”

This marriage was the perfect contract.

Or so I thought.

“Protecting you is more important to me than some damned contract.”

That was, until Seirn began to desire me.

“Just holding your hand isn’t enough. We need more intimate contact.”

I couldn’t understand it.

I couldn’t understand why you desired me.

Especially after I had given up on being loved.