Kururu Lyuul, a viscount from a once-prominent but now impoverished noble family, finds himself an outsider at a prestigious academy for nobles. His family's gold mine has dried up, his father is apathetic, and they face ruin, with his younger sister potentially forced into a political marriage. Kururu's sole motivation is to earn money to save his family, but he despises the academy's superficial focus on social climbing and arranged marriages.
Seeking respite from the academy's suffocating atmosphere, Kururu stumbles upon a hidden rose maze and a secluded garden. There, he encounters Yuriana, a strikingly beautiful, silver-haired girl with an air of isolation. She invites him for tea, and they quickly bond over their shared disdain for the academy's marriage-focused culture. Yuriana, later revealed to be the sole Duchess in the academy, confesses her longing for genuine love, having rejected countless suitors who only saw her status. Kururu, despite his family's desperate need for financial stability, echoes her sentiment, wishing to marry for love.
Seizing the opportunity, Yuriana proposes a "fake engagement" to Kururu. Overwhelmed and suspicious, Kururu reluctantly agrees, swayed by her charm and the promise of a quiet sanctuary in her private garden. However, his newfound "peace" is short-lived. His engagement to the Duchess immediately makes him the target of intense jealousy and resentment from other nobles, shattering his already fragile academy life.
To combat the rumors and solidify their facade, Yuriana initiates the "Husband Doting Strategy." This involves public displays of affection, such as feeding Kururu in the dining hall and even crashing his classes, much to his mortification and the helplessness of the teachers, who cannot defy a Duchess. Kururu, though exhausted by her antics, observes Yuriana's genuine enjoyment of their shared time, finding the "simulated love" refreshing and new. She appreciates his honesty, noting he doesn't "read the room" based on her status.
The situation escalates dramatically at a monthly social gathering. Kururu and Yuriana are confronted by Prince Lionel Amverite, the Kingdom's Second Prince and a strong contender for the throne. Yuriana publicly declares Kururu her "beloved husband," vehemently rejecting Lionel's proposals and revealing to a horrified Kururu that the Prince was the source of the "unrejectable proposal" she had previously mentioned.
Lionel, a pragmatic and duty-bound royal, explains his motivation: marrying Yuriana would stabilize the kingdom by uniting powerful houses, resolving the succession crisis, and securing vital funds for the nation's economic woes. He offers Kururu financial support for his family if he helps persuade Yuriana. However, Yuriana fiercely rejects Lionel's pragmatic arguments, accusing him of being a "coward" for prioritizing duty over personal feelings.
Caught between the powerful Duchess and the future King, Kururu faces a profound dilemma. Lionel's offer directly addresses Kururu's primary goal of saving his family, forcing him to weigh his reluctant fake engagement against the pragmatic salvation of his family and the kingdom. The story transitions from Kururu's personal struggle for survival to a complex political entanglement, with him at its unexpected center.
