"Why do you want me to do this?"
My voice sounded steadier than I felt, but inside my chest my heart pounded like it wanted to escape.
The man sitting across from me didn't even blink.
"That is none of your business," he said coldly. "If you ever want to see your brother again, you will make Duke Edward fall head over heels in love with you."
For a moment, I thought I misheard him.
"You want me to… what?"
"Make him fall in love with you," he repeated, his sharp eyes fixed on me. "Then leave him."
My hands curled into fists.
"And how am I supposed to even meet a duke?" I asked bitterly. "I'm not from a noble family."
"You won't meet him," he replied calmly. "You'll work for him. As a maid. I've already submitted your application."
A dry laugh escaped me.
"Wow… how generous of you."
He ignored my sarcasm.
"Do this, and your brother lives."
Those words settled like ice in my stomach.
I was born into a humble life — and for a long time, I never minded.
It was always just the three of us: my mother, my younger brother Luke, and me. My father had disappeared long ago, and eventually I stopped asking where he had gone.
My mother always warned us about nobles.
"Never trust them," she would say, her voice filled with a fear I never understood. "They smile while they ruin lives."
I used to think she was paranoid.
We lived in the countryside, far from noble estates and grand mansions. Their world felt distant from ours — like a different life entirely.
For a while, our life was peaceful.
Until the day my mother got sick.
At first it was just a cough. Then fever. Then weakness so bad she couldn't leave her bed.
I ran from clinic to clinic, begging doctors to see her.
"I'll pay," I promised. "I'll work day and night. Please, just treat her."
But they wouldn't even let us inside.
"Lower-class patients bring trouble," one doctor said coldly. "If nobles hear we treat people like you, our reputation will suffer."
I begged.
I cried.
I fell to my knees.
It didn't matter.
In the end, I took her to a public hospital.
They didn't have enough medicine. Not enough equipment. Not enough staff.
And soon after…
she was gone.
Something inside me shattered that day.
From that moment on, I swore I would never trust a noble again.
After my mother's death, I had to find work to support Luke and myself.
Finding a job as a sixteen-year-old girl was harder than I expected.
Not because people refused me — but because they pitied me.
Many offered money instead.
I refused every time.
Until an old man who owned a small flower shop agreed to hire me.
His name was Mr. Bernard, and he never asked questions.
For three years, our life was stable.
Simple.
Peaceful.
Or at least… I thought it was.
The day everything changed started like any other.
When I returned home from work, the house was quiet.
Too quiet.
"Luke?" I called.
No answer.
"Luke!"
My voice echoed through the empty rooms.
A strange unease settled in my chest.
Then something caught my eye — a letter lying on the table.
It hadn't been there that morning.
My hands trembled as I opened it.
Dear Ophelia,
I have your brother.
If you want to see him again, come to this address.
The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
I ran.
My thoughts raced with every terrible possibility.
By the time I reached the address, I could barely breathe.
A man with a sharp expression opened the door.
"Come in," he said.
Every instinct told me to run.
But Luke was inside.
So I stepped in anyway.
We sat across from each other in silence.
"I don't want to hurt you or your brother," the man said at last. "I just need a favor."
"What favor?"
"I want you to make Duke Edward fall in love with you."
"What?! Why would you want that?"
"That is none of your business."
I swallowed my anger.
"Why me?"
The man smiled faintly.
"Look at you," he said. "Those green eyes alone could make any man fall in love."
Disgust twisted in my stomach.
My mother used to make me wear plain clothes so no one would look at me twice.
Now my face had become a weapon.
"I want to see my brother first," I said.
The man sighed as if I had asked for something unreasonable.
Then he stood.
"Fine."
He led me down a narrow hallway to a small dark room.
The door opened.
Luke sat inside.
"Luke!"
I ran to him and pulled him into a tight hug.
He was warm.
Alive.
Relief hit me so hard my knees nearly gave out.
I held him tighter.
No matter what happened…
I would save him.
Even if it meant destroying someone else.