With no surname of her own, Rosalie was raised as a nobody among the commoners in the orphanage. She pushed herself to become a genius guild master in the backstreets of her kingdom and achieve one goal: find her family and reunite with them. Her efforts finally bore fruit when her informants discovered a young lady who looked exactly like Rosalie and had the same rare pink hair. That girl was Elara Highmore, the sole heiress of Count Highmore. The revelation was a blow that shattered Rosalie. Not only did she have a twin sister, but the Count family — who had the means to find their lost daughter if they wanted to — had purposefully abandoned Rosalie in the orphanage. She was heartlessly replaced by her own twin, an heiress living a blissful life a few blocks away from the information guild. "Why did I have to live a life of poverty when I am a true heiress to the Count’s family?" Rosalie’s voice shook with betrayal as she asked her gathered informants. But none of them had any more information to give her. Determined to make a comeback and seek revenge on those who wronged her, Rosalie decided to kidnap Elara Highmore and blackmail the Count. Never could she have imagined that when she finally entered Elara’s room, her twin would be dying all alone with nobody around her. “Elara!” Even with the firm lock on her heart, Rosa was deeply shaken by the loss of her twin. She regretted coveting Elara’s life and decided to punish whoever it was that murdered her. Assuming that the culprit was someone in the Count’s manor, Rosa held her breath and waited for someone to knock on her sister’s door. Soon enough, someone did. “My Lady, you must come out and meet your guest this time. I assure you it is not your fiancé, the Marquess, so you do not have to pretend to be sick! We can’t dismiss a Duke from seeing you, after all, can we?” The maid giggled shamelessly on the other side of the door. A fiancé her twin sister didn’t want to meet, a maid who looked down on the Count’s sole heiress, and the only Duke in the kingdom coming unannounced and seeking an audience with Elara while her parents were not present. Rosalie was certain that one of them was the murderer. “…Tell him that Elara Highmore will be right there to meet with him,” she declared. Not long after, the entire kingdom fell into chaos with the scandals that swamped most of the noble houses. And Lady Elara Highmore — who was in the middle of all those scandals — vowed to destroy everyone who came her way. There was one exception to that rule: Duke Kael Dragomir who had a revenge plan of his own. Can mortal rivals become trusted allies? Will two people driven down the same dark path be able to gain each other’s trust and find the keys to unlock each other’s hearts?
"...I understand, Your Highness. And I do appreciate your offer."
The princess looked at Rosa with a calculating smile. "I am an incredibly busy person, especially with the demands on the dresses for the new summer season. However, if Lady Elara ever decides to become a hero and save herself, she should let me know she's ready to take up my offer next week when she is invited to the royal palace."
As if I'd ever go to that snake hole!
The rustling sound from behind drew Rosa's attention towards the gate. Her mouth almost fell open as she saw Duke Kael striding into the garden. Seeing him in person while his sister sat nearby made Rosa realize another facet about him—his striking good looks must have come from his mother's side.
Dressed in his customary dark attire that suited him all too well and complemented the unusual shade of his hair, Kael smiled broadly, though it struck Rosa as utterly insincere.