I despised the smell of roses. I loathed the scent of crimson-red roses that reminded me of my bitter childhood. I remember my father looking at me with disgust. “Why did your mother bore a girl? Our lives would be better if you were born as a boy.” He said those words over and over again every time I made mistakes. A son would likely become an heir to his position, but a daughter would just be married off to some noble or another man who holds power in this hierarchy. I also remember my mother’s last words before she died, “Live your life silently and continue our bloodline.” As a kid, I never understood those words. I always thought ROSEWOOD was my father’s last name, but it turns out it was my mother’s. My parents got married under one condition, retain the family name ROSEWOOD and all the riches will be equally divided. But I will never forget that day when my father summoned me to his office and on his side was the old man that I've known for as long as I can remember.

“Sire, it is advisable that Sophie would marry off the Grand Duke. Imagine the power and riches your daughter could have!” the old advisor, Reagan, always wanted me to marry a rich nobleman rather than those men my father chose. Reagan always sided with me and protected me from my father. The men that my father always chose were old men with small territories in the Kingdom. Old and widowed men. I know he hated me but letting me marry those men felt like a curse he wished to give me before he threw Rosewood into ruins.

“Could the Grand Duke even look at that thing?” my father scoffed at me and laughed.

“It is said that the Emperor is gathering women all over the kingdom to let the Grand Duke choose as his wife. There will be a grand ball at the palace and a little competition to be held, whoever wins this competition shall win a hefty amount of gold and a seat as the Grand Duchess Griffith.” Reagan said.

“If father permits, I shall prepare myself for this competition and become the Grand Duchess,” I said.

“Do whatever you want, wench. I have nothing to do with you and this godforsaken family anymore. Here’s my will, I have given all of this to you.” He threw papers at me, which was his will. Instead of money, it was debts. He gave me his debts and left our home.

“Reagan, remember to keep these papers and let my father repay all of this,” I said as I looked at my father and his new family walking away from our estate.

“Yes, my lady.” Reagan bowed and gathered the papers on the floor.

I was 16 years old at that time when my father and Reagan decided my fate. I distinctly remember how I bowed my head the whole meeting, not because I was afraid of them, but rather because I was crying from losing my mother that day. The moment my mother died, my father decided to marry me off to someone and leave the Rosewood Estates with his mistress and illegitimate children. The Rosewood was losing all its riches because of his gambling addiction, and that made my mother bedridden because she was trying to save our funds and our territory. She neglected her health and her daughter to salvage all she could have just to save this family lineage. But in the end, her body didn’t take it. I witnessed her sacrifice, but I never thought of it as a noble sacrifice. She was foolish.

I sat in my new seat, which was the seat of the Rosewood’s heir should be. I looked at the office and tried to picture my mother. I looked at Reagan who was thoroughly arranging the papers in the office and was nonchalant about what just happened. He was an old man, but surprisingly he was energetic and moved like a middle-aged man. He always wears a black cloak that covers his whole body. He has a long grey beard that is always the same length.

“Reagan, why are you still serving me? Rosewood has lost everything; I am letting this lineage end with me. You can leave me here and let me rot.”

Reagan looked at me with a sad look in his eyes. I knew he was my mother’s advisor and a friend, but to me, he was my biological father. And I knew this because I heard them arguing about this when I was 5 years old.

“How could I leave you? You just lost your mother.” He said.

“And you just lost your lover,” I added.

He was surprised. The papers that were once arranged fell to the floor. His mouth gaped at me as he was trying to process the words I had said, but he immediately changed his expression.

He looked at me trying to put up a facade; “I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“I know who you are, Reagan. I know you’re disguising yourself as an old man.  Since that man left us with his debts, should I call you my father now?” I said sarcastically.

Instead of denying it, Reagan removed his cloak and indeed his appearance changed. He was a middle-aged man with no beard and I could see some resemblances between my face to his. I got his deep blue eyes and his nose structure, he was indeed my biological father.

“I am sorry, Sophie.”

“You don’t have to say sorry, Reagan. I have always understood my mother when I knew about this. But what I don’t understand is why she married that man?” I asked with tears falling from my eyes.

If she married Reagan who was more capable as the head of Rosewood, she wouldn’t have died and we would never have debts. I pictured how happy would our family be if she married Reagan.

Reagan embraced me and wiped my tears off my face. I sobbed again and buried my face in his embrace. I needed this. I always needed this kind of embrace, a father’s embrace, especially since we’ve lost mother.

“Your mother married that kind of man to protect you and I am currently in hiding from an organization.”

He explained his situation and my mother’s, he told me how marrying that man saved us from someone. The organization that my mom and he were hiding from was powerful and could eliminate anyone who could get in their way. He told me how he got on a mission in his mercenary guild and discovered something important that could save us from them.

“Before I knew it, I was holding a piece of evidence that could take down that organization. But no one would dare to go against them, not even the Emperor of this kingdom.” he went to my mother’s safe that was behind the bookshelf. He unlocked it and grabbed a wrapped box.

“That’s the evidence you’ve been protecting?” I asked, and he nodded.

“The only person who could help me take down that organization is you and the Grand Duke, Sophie.”

My eyebrows furrowed as he said those words, “Is that why you’re pushing me to marry him? How could he help us?”

“The Grand Duke is currently the powerful warrior and in power in this Kingdom, not even the current Emperor could stop that man. If he wishes to take over this Kingdom, he could. But,” he stopped mid-sentence and took another paper in my mother’s safe.

“But what?”

“But he doesn’t want to rule this Kingdom. He only wished to eliminate the organization that killed his parents. That’s why your role is to gain his trust and use him as a pawn to eliminate the organization. Work behind the sidelines and let him do the elimination, you must remain as a shadow in helping him. You must marry him to inherit his power and territory, and you can use those resources to regain Rosewood again.” He said as he gave me the paper that contained the article about the Late Grand Duke and Duchess Griffith’s death.

“What do I have to do to marry him? I am from a noble family who’s almost losing its significance.” I reminded him. He grabbed the files that were on my table and offered them to me.

“This is your ‘special weapon’ in the competition that could help you marry him.” He smiled.

I grabbed the ‘special weapon’ and read it. I smiled at him and laughed. It was a perfect secret weapon indeed! Even the Grand Duke couldn’t dare to miss this opportunity.

“Don’t worry, Reagan. I will not fail you and Mother’s death in vain. I, Sophia Grace Rosewood, swear to regain our family from its ruins.”