After losing her parents, Countess Claris is left with nothing—her inheritance seized by her uncle’s family. Her only hope lies in reclaiming a precious heirloom: a magical stone now in the hands of the infamous Duke Albert, known for using even children as weapons of war. Expecting a heartless tyrant, Claris instead finds the feared Duke tenderly raising a sickly infant, Theodore. When she learns that only she can save the child, the Duke offers her a deal: become Theo’s mother figure, and he will return the heirloom. Though Claris believed she no longer needed a family, she soon finds herself surrounded by people who refuse to let her go… and a new life she never expected.