Mina and Ethan were childhood sweethearts who once promised to marry each other when they came of age. After distinguishing himself on the battlefield and conquering three cities, Ethan returned home, hoping to ask the emperor for Mina's hand as his reward for military service. But the emperor had other plans. He threatened Mina's entire family, forcing her to marry Ethan's younger brother Asher and sever all ties with Ethan forever. With no other choice, Mina obeyed. Watching the woman he loved marry his own brother, Ethan was consumed by humiliation and rage. That fury drove him to stage a coup. On the very day of the wedding, he abducted Mina, using threats and coercion to keep her by his side. Mina suffered endlessly but kept the emperor's threat a secret. She could not bear to let Ethan resent his own father. Meanwhile, Asher, who was also deeply in love with Mina, conspired with an enemy nation to launch another coup. It was only when Mina was gravely wounded while protecting Ethan that he finally understood the truth. She had loved him all along.
