Ever since her mother's death, Miyo Saimori has had little other than her memories to remind her of happiness. Being talentless herself, Miyo has grown up in the shadow of her gifted stepsister and faced every snide remark thrown her way without complaint. Her stepmother's loathing for her is evident in the way she treats Miyo: devoid of any scrap of pity or concern. Miyo accepts that her fate is to slave away for her uncaring family—until her father arranges for her to be wed to Kiyoka Kudou, a revered man with a military background.

The rumors about Kudou are grim, and he is infamous for having been incredibly unkind to all his prospective brides in the past. When Miyo, armed with the barest of essentials for a new life, arrives at her betrothed's residence, she is bewildered to find that not all hearsay about Kudou is true. As she begins to separate fact from fiction, Miyo hopes that her marriage will finally give her the happiness she desires.