The story begins by introducing Elena, a young woman with silver hair and sapphire eyes, ostracized by her family, the powerful Noischtalt clan, who value strength above all else. Labeled "incompetent" due to her lack of magical abilities, Elena lives a life of servitude in a small hut behind her father's mansion. Her only solace was her kind mother, who passed away when Elena was six, leaving her vulnerable to the cruelties of her stepmother and half-siblings. They torment her physically and magically, but her father remains indifferent. Elena survives by secretly scavenging for food and water in the early mornings.
On her seventeenth birthday, Elena is summoned by her father for the first time. He informs her, in a detached manner, that she is to be married to Yuri Rodenium, the cursed Second Prince of Rodenium. The wedding is set for the following morning. Elena is shocked and confused, but her half-sister, Vanessa, reveals the truth: Elena is a substitute bride. Vanessa was supposed to marry the cursed prince, but her resistance led their father to offer Elena as a replacement. Elena, realizing this is an opportunity to escape her miserable life, accepts her fate, finding more hope in marrying a cursed prince than remaining in her homeland.
The journey to Rodenium is a two-month carriage ride north. Elena, accustomed to rags, is given fine winter clothing meant for Vanessa. Her accompanying maid, Lyra, is openly contemptuous of Elena, but the presence of Rodenium's guards forces her to maintain a facade. Sir Lyzack, a knight assigned to escort Elena, notices her extreme thinness and the rough state of her hands, which seem inconsistent with her supposed status as the Noischtalt clan leader's daughter. He begins to suspect she might be a substitute.
Upon arrival at a remote villa, Elena is met by the stoic butler, Marcus, and the efficient head maid, Millet. The villa is sparsely decorated, and the staff is small due to Prince Yuri's extreme misanthropy. Elena expresses a desire to meet her future husband, but Lyzack explains Yuri's reclusive nature. Despite her initial apprehension, Elena finds the villa staff kind and begins to hope for a better life. She is given a luxurious room, which she finds overwhelming, and expresses her discomfort with such opulence. Millet, however, insists on her comfort and proposes making new dresses, as Elena's current ones are far too large. Elena, realizing her ill-fitting clothes are unsuitable, agrees and also requests sewing tools to repurpose the oversized dresses into cushion covers, demonstrating her practical and resourceful nature.
Millet and Lyzack discuss Elena's strangeness. Lyzack suspects she is not the true daughter but a substitute, yet he finds her gentle demeanor endearing and suggests Yuri might even open up to her. Millet, initially wary of the proud Noischtalt clan, is surprised by Elena's humility and kindness. She also notes Elena's rough hands, which contradict the image of a pampered noble.
The next morning, Elena wakes to find Yuri, in his wolf form, in her bed. He is furious that she is holding him, mistaking him for a pet. He reveals he is Yuri Rodenium, cursed by a Noischtalt witch to be a wolf. He explains his marriage to Elena is not for love but for revenge, intending to torment her for what his family suffered. However, he finds Elena's gentle nature makes her an uninteresting target for his cruelty, much to his frustration. He also reveals he can only transform back into human form on the full moon.
Later, a renowned dressmaker arrives to create new gowns for Elena. Yuri, observing from under the guise of a large dog, is struck by Elena's delicate beauty, even in her ill-fitting clothes. He orders a significant number of dresses, much to Elena's surprise. He then informs her that she must attend a party for his upcoming twentieth birthday, where they will dance, a prospect that terrifies Elena as she has never danced before.
