n the Taisho era (1912-1926), Chiharu was born as the eldest daughter in a landowner's family, but she had a "secret" - a large birthmark covering her back. Because of this flaw, she was turned down as a bride many a time and was unable to find a suitable groom until she reached the spring of her 28th year. One day, her father took her to a party, where she met a man named Seta. When asking about him, she is warned that he is a notorious womanizer who had made his fortune in a "bad business." But what is he doing now?! "I'm here to pick you up, Chiharu-san." It is Seta who demands that Chiharu marry him in exchange for covering his covering her father's debts. The clumsy marriage between a Taisho married couple begins!
Yeah but that's because her love for her father gave her the strenghth to uphold her family honor in front of someone whose opinion she doesn't really care about, who was clearly an enemy and has never been an ally. With her fiancé the duke, it's harder to know which is the correct way to act because he used to be an "ally", she still cares about what he thinks, and she doesn't even know what the heck he's currently thinking, let alone whether he's now still someone who somwhat truly cares about her, or who might get fed up and decide to cast her out altogether... That's what uncertainty does to people, especially when it comes from someone they used to love (as it's clear she had some affection for him, the duke, too) and when a family member goes missing... Even worse if they're left not only bereaved and insecure about their "spouse", but also penniless...