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Selene Dreadmoor was the beloved, precious daughter of Duke Dreadmoor, who was said to be more powerful than the king. There was a rumor that, as she was born frail, the duke had had been carrying his daughter everywhere ever since she was young so that she didn’t have to walk. Another rumor said that he had assigned her numerous servants so that she never had to lift a finger. But the most believable one was that he did that because he knew his daughter was without a wolf, which would have been an issue seeing as she was supreme Luna of the kingdom, but her father had moved heavens to put her there.

In any case, Selene Dreadmoor was Duke Dreadmoor treasured only child. Wolf or no wolf.  The duke never let her out of the house once because he cherished her so much. And this was precisely why the king of Lycaria, Lucan Ashborn, despised Selene Dreadmoor so much.

“Sel…” the duke murmured.

“It’s all right, Father. Don’t worry.”

On the day of the wedding, Lucan yawned as he stood back and watched the father and daughter make a fuss and cry. It was irritating just to watch them. The sight of the duke wiping away a tear as he held onto his daughter’s hand was contemptible.

Seeing the two, one would think they were the ones who were being forced into an unwanted marriage. But with heaven as their witness, the one who opposed the wedding was not them, but Lucan himself.

It was the Duke who had set a trap for Lucan in order to make him marry his daughter, even though Lucan would rather die than marry her. Not only was she without a wolf but she was the daughter of an evil man. So Lucan was incredulous as to why they were the ones shedding tears and causing such a scene.

“Your Majesty, I realize you do not particularly like me in my old age. But my daughter is a delicate little girl, naive to the ways of the world. I beg you to treat her well,” the duke pleaded.

“If you were really so worried, you could have married her off to someone else, no?”

Lucan would never treat the bastard’s daughter well, and the duke had to be truly hungry for power to marry her off like this while knowing that.

Duke Dreadmoor smiled calmly at Lucan’s sarcastic response.

“What else was there to do? My daughter is the most beautiful woman in the empire. There is no other place more suitable for her than by your side, Your Majesty.”

The duke’s family was the most powerful in the empire, so he wasn’t entirely wrong. But rage bubbled up within the king. The duke looked down on the royal family more than anyone, but it seemed he still coveted its status.

Nevertheless, Selene Dreadmoor made her first public appearance on the day of the royal wedding. Upon seeing the duke’s pampered daughter for the first time, the people immediately understood why she was so doted on discarded the fact that she was without a wolf and thereby useless on the throne.

Selene was a rare beauty, her golden blonde hair shimmering like the setting sun upon the water’s surface, and her light emerald eyes like swirling waves. Her overall coloring was flushed with color, making her look incredibly fragile. Her beautiful but pale face, her thin limbs, and her slim build told people why the duke had made such a fuss while raising her. She looked like she could be blown away by a breeze.

And as the duke’s only daughter, she truly was the spitting image of the duke. Upon seeing Selene’s face, the nobles, and the members of the Imperial and Ducal Faction alike, all speculated that this marriage would not be a smooth one. The king might have a fit of rage just from seeing his wife’s face. Everybody knew there was bad blood between their houses.

“We finally meet,” the king remarked mockingly as he received Selene’s hand from the duke.

Even after the marriage had been agreed upon, he hadn’t been able to see her face because of how over-protective the duke was. Lucan was mocking the fact that they were meeting for the first time at their wedding.

Selene stared at the king with her emerald eyes and didn’t give a word of response. Her gaze was earnest like she was waiting for something. As Lucan stared back at the pair of eyes studying him without the slightest tremor, his hair stood on end, and he felt uneasy.

He hated that golden blonde hair and those emerald eyes that were a spitting image of Duke Dreadmoor, but what he hated more was that haughty gaze that seemed to expect something from him. She looked at him just like the duke did. Was she expecting him to whisper words of affection? Her audacity was unbelievable.

He could almost understand why this woman, who had lived her entire life like a princess at the duke’s household, would want to become the queen. She must have thought it was her rightful place. This was a woman who had brought over a hundred of her own servants from her household, refusing the servants offered by the palace.

“Yes,” Selene answered quietly after a long pause, and Lucan scowled.

The indifferent reply was all there was, not a hint of dispute or agreement. Lucan looked disgusted as he coldly let go of the small hand in his. Selene briefly looked taken aback, but Lucan only wiped his hand.

He didn’t look at Selene for the rest of the ceremony. He even stormed out of the hall without kissing her, causing a ripple of whispers among the nobles.

“Sel”

The duke walked over from the head table toward Selene, who had been left alone. The duke looked as if he was about to say something impertinent, but Selene put her hand on his for a moment as if to stop him.

“Don’t worry. I will have a word with him,” she told him.

The duke’s rage seemed to simmer down at his daughter’s response, but the other nobles were momentarily dumbstruck by what Selene had said. What on earth was she going to have a word with the king about? It sounded like something a Dreadmoor would say, clearly implying that she would do her best to tame the king.

The nobles of the Imperial Faction were infuriated and told Lucan about Selene’s arrogant attitude, which was just like her father’s.

Thus, after not showing his face at all after the wedding, Lucan visited Selene’s bed chamber with a frigid expression marring his features.