I am utterly in love with the Grand Duke

SHEBA'S Pov

I wasn't born into wealth.

In fact, I came from a pretty average family, the kind where you learned early that if you wanted something, you had to work for it. Nobody was waiting around to hand me opportunities, and I certainly wasn't born with the kind of connections that could open doors for me.

So I worked.....hard

I worked when I was tired. I worked when I was afraid. I worked when everyone around me thought I was aiming too high.

I learned very early not to expect anyone's help and that mindset stayed with me as I grew older. I stopped waiting for people to believe in me and started proving them wrong instead.

I built my career from the ground up, one decision at a time, one risk after another.

Years later, I had become the biggest woman in the industry.

Money was no longer something I worried about. Neither was recognition. My name was known, my face appeared in magazines, and people who once wouldn't have given me the time of day now fought for the chance to sit across from me at a table.

I had everything... money, fame and peace or at least, that was what I thought I wanted.

But once I finally got everything I had spent years chasing, I realized something really embarrassing.

I had no idea what I was supposed to do with my life anymore. There was no next mountain to climb. I didn't have the desperate need to prove myself.

There was no one left to impress, I was simply living.

Getting richer, going to meetings, making investments, coming home, sleeping and then doing it all over again.

It was comfortable and peaceful, but it was painfully boring.

That's how I got into books.

At first, it was just something to do when I was bored. I started with a few novels, then a few more. Eventually, reading became a habit.

I read during long flights, in waiting rooms, during quiet evenings when I didn't feel like working.

It was then that I found 'They Will Always Protect Me.'

That book truly pissed me off.

The story was about a naive, painfully stupid girl who somehow had the protection of a prince, a duke, and a high-ranking knight.

And somehow, every single one of them was obsessed with her.

I don't even know how she managed it.The girl got involved with every man who crossed her path and every time she found herself in trouble, one of her men appeared to save her. And every time she made another ridiculous decision, everyone around her bent over backward to protect her from the consequences.

It was so infuriating.

The worst part in all of this was the prince. That idiot , he was supposed to become king one day, which meant he had responsibilities far greater than chasing after some foolish girl.

Instead, he spent half his time running after her and somehow, the person who was treated like the villain was his wife.

His wife was a princess from a powerful nation, her marriage to the prince wasn't simply some romantic arrangement. Her country brought enormous advantages to his kingdom, and their union strengthened the relationship between the two nations.

She was doing exactly what a princess in her position was supposed to do.....but apparently, wanting her husband to act like a husband made her evil.

She tried to stop his escapades with that girl, she wanted his affection, his loyalty, she wanted her marriage to mean something. For just that alone, the story painted her as a jealous villainess.

Eventually, she was killed.

I absolutely hated that part, but strangely enough, I kept reading.

There was only one reason I didn't throw the book across my room.

The Grand Duke.

Ezra Dalio.

My Ezra.

He was the prince's uncle and one of the most powerful men in the kingdom.

A terrifying general.

A man whose name alone was enough to make enemies think twice.

He was second only to the king in power, and unlike most of the men in that ridiculous story, Ezra actually had a functioning brain.

He was loyal, disciplined and honorable, and, unfortunately for my sanity, ridiculously handsome.

He wasn't one of the heroine's lovers either. He didn't spend his days chasing after her or cleaning up her messes. He was a MAN.

He served his country, he protected his people, he remained loyal to the royal family.

He was everything I wanted a character to be.

Naturally, he became my favorite.

I read every chapter because of him. whenever he appeared, I was happy and every time he left, I wanted him back.

Then I reached the ending I truly I wish I hadn't.

Ezra died.

I stared at the page for several seconds, convinced I had somehow misunderstood what I was reading.

He was dead and so were half of the stupid girl's precious harem.

Their deaths came because of the mess she had created with another nation. Her actions eventually pushed the kingdoms toward war, and by then, there was no easy way out.

The villainess was already dead.

Her powerful father had refused to help the kingdom and without the support they desperately needed, they lost.

People died.

The kingdom suffered.

And Ezra...

Ezra died protecting them.

I remember sitting on my bed with the book open in my hands, staring at the final pages with disbelief.

I spent hours reading this story ,I tolerated that stupid heroine I even tolerated her ridiculous harem. I tolerated the prince's stupidity.

I tolerated EVERYTHING

But Ezra?

They killed Ezra.

I shut the book.......Hard.

"That stupid girl killed my Ezra."

I was genuinely angry, so angry and I knew it was ridiculous. He was just a fictional character but I didn't care. He deserved better, he deserved to live. He deserved someone who actually appreciated him instead of watching him die because everyone was too busy protecting a foolish girl.

I leaned back against my pillows and stared at the ceiling, my anger refused to leave.

If I had been there....If I was somehow given the chance to change the story.....I would have protected Ezra.

From that stupid girl, from the prince, from the war. From everyone.

If I had the chance I would destroy that slut and protect Ezra with everything I have.