Mori – illustratör

Opal Holloway is a determined young lady whose ambition makes her stand out among her peers. When her entire life is seemingly changed overnight, she’s left without a man to marry. However, she couldn’t be more relieved, since she’s been secretly in love with her childhood friend Claude. Opal hoped that she wouldn’t be forced to marry a noble other than her childhood friend, but bad news arrives. Wed to a childish duke, whose servants refuse to treat her well, Opal feels like the whole world has turned against her.

But Opal isn’t one to take things lying down. She decides to use her wealth to steal Duke McLeod’s land and manor away! Now in charge, will she be able to transform the servants and the duke? And will she ever be able to forget her first love?

Opal moves to the Taisei Kingdom with her beloved and childhood friend, Claude. While her new husband had made a name for himself in Taisei, they both know their new home doesn’t take kindly to foreigners. Behind the shimmery glamour of aristocracy lies nasty gossip and misogyny; they view Opal as a wanton woman! But Opal is nothing if not stubborn, and she won’t let these bullies have their way with her! She’s got a keen mind and a sharp tongue, and she’s not afraid to fight back.

All the while, trouble looms: a letter from the king has Opal finding her beloved...in bed with another woman?! It can’t be! He isn’t the type to commit such a horrible act! Opal hasn’t married an adulterer... Or has she?!

After a brief discussion with Claude, Opal heads to the Bocceli Duchy in Taisei Kingdom. While she still doesn’t have the whole picture yet, she understands her role clearly: bait. She must act as a diversion to assist her husband and Alessandro’s faction. She goes headfirst into danger, with her first step being the reform of the Bocceli Duchy, a region woefully behind on technology due to fears that using such items will bring upon the curse of the devil! As Opal patiently tries to encourage the duchy to embrace new technology and efficiency, she quickly finds herself under the strict surveillance of Julian. Just who is he? Why does Opal seem so oddly fixated on him? And what about the rumors that she’s gone and eloped with the man?

After a shrewd counterattack, Opal takes the duchy and all its assets from her ignorant husband, Hubert. Now it’s time to fix all the damage he did by neglecting his domain and kick her grand reformation plan into motion! Leaving Hubert and Stella behind in the capital, Opal moves to an estate in the ducal lands. There, she recruits the newly rehabilitated Omar to help with the next steps, and the duchy starts to thrive. However, Opal has a bad feeling when Hubert pays the estate a sudden visit—and her fears are quickly proven right when she realizes her husband has done the unthinkable...

Though Opal is horrified by Hubert’s rash purchase of the infamous Manthest land, its fortunes fare better than feared thanks to Marquis Roussel, an investor from the neighboring nation. But Opal’s relief is short-lived, as her world is turned upside down once more when Hubert suddenly confesses his love and says that he wants them to be a true couple! Will she accept his advances? Or will the sudden return of her childhood best friend alter her life’s course yet again?

Now that Opal and Claude are finally engaged, they decide to leave their home nation behind to move to the Taisei Kingdom, where Claude has earned himself the rank of marquis and the friendship of King Alessandro. However, not everyone welcomes Opal with open arms—the temperamental Baron Pradeaux openly loathes her, and even the king seems to harbor suspicions. Opal was prepared to leave high society and retire, but she finds herself once again forced to take center stage and rejoin the subtle battle of political intrigue.