The cold winter night.

The engagement with Prince Alexander felt like a beacon of hope amidst Yuki's tumultuous life. Finally, it seemed he had found acceptance and love, even if it was through a political arrangement. With his heart aflutter with newfound optimism, Yuki dared to dream of a future filled with happiness and companionship.

But as the days passed and the initial excitement waned, cracks began to form in the facade of their relationship. Despite the engagement, Prince Alexander remained distant and aloof, his cold demeanor casting a shadow over Yuki's hopes.

Undeterred, Yuki poured his heart into their relationship, showering the prince with affection and devotion. Yet, his efforts were met with indifference, leaving him feeling increasingly isolated and unfulfilled.As the weight of disappointment settled upon him, Yuki couldn't help but question the sincerity of their engagement. Was he merely a pawn in another political game, a means to an end for Prince Alexander's ambitions?

Despite the doubts gnawing at his heart, Yuki clung to the belief that love would eventually blossom between them. But deep down, he couldn't shake the nagging fear that his greatest moment of joy might turn out to be his greatest heartbreak.

On his 17th birthday, there was a big buffet to celebrate his coming of age, so the hall was filled with guests. Yuki was saluting the guests with his father when a man in a red suit approached them, beside the man was a young boy who looked almost like his copy but with brown hair. Yuki was shocked and he felt like something was very wrong. The Duke too was stunned to see the boy. But the man interrupted him saying

" It's an honour for me to be a guest of the grand Duke of Valencia, this lowly one's name is Eric. I'm here to tell you something that's about to enlighten your views."

Then he looked at Yuki with a smirk and s tint of disgust in his eyes. Yuki was petrified to say the least. As Eric's words hung in the air, a palpable tension gripped the grand hall of the Valencia estate. Yuki's heart pounded in his chest, his mind reeling with confusion and apprehension. Who was this man, and what did he want with him and his family?

The Duke's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he regarded Eric with suspicion. "Speak your piece, but choose your words wisely," he commanded, his voice laced with authority.

Eric's smirk widened, a gleam of malice flickering in his eyes as he turned his attention back to Yuki.

"You see, Duke Valencia, I come bearing news of a long-forgotten secret,"

he declared, his voice dripping with venom.

"A secret that concerns your precious son here."

Yuki's breath caught in his throat as Eric's words hung ominously in the air. What could this secret be, and why was it being revealed now, on his seventeenth birthday of all days?

With a sense of dread knotting his stomach, Yuki braced himself for the revelation that would undoubtedly shake the foundations of his world. Little did he know, the truth that lay hidden beneath the surface would not only challenge his identity but also unravel the very fabric of his existence.

''This son of yours right here is not your biological son''

Eric's words hung in the air like a heavy fog, enveloping the grand hall in a suffocating silence. Yuki's heart lurched in his chest, his mind struggling to comprehend the shocking revelation. Not his biological son? How could this be true?

The Duke's face contorted with a mixture of disbelief and rage, his fists clenched at his sides as he stared daggers at Eric. "Lies!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the hall. "You dare to speak such falsehoods on this auspicious day?"

But Eric remained unperturbed, his smirk widening into a sinister grin. "Oh, but it's the truth, Duke Valencia," he sneered, relishing in the chaos he had unleashed. "You see, many years ago, a babe was stolen from its rightful place and replaced with another. And that babe," he gestured towards Yuki, "is none other than your precious third son."

Gasps of shock rippled through the assembled guests, whispers of disbelief spreading like wildfire. Yuki felt as though the ground had been ripped out from beneath him, his sense of self shaken to its core. Was it possible that everything he knew about himself was a lie?

As the weight of Eric's accusation settled upon him, Yuki's world spun into chaos, his once-solid foundation crumbling before his eyes. And amidst the turmoil, one burning question remained: who was he truly, if not the son of Duke Grand Valencia?

As the boy stepped forward and removed his necklace, revealing a pair of striking ruby red eyes, a hush fell over the room. The revelation sent shockwaves through the gathered guests, their gasps echoing in the stunned silence.Yuki's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the boy before him, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place with chilling clarity. The resemblance between them was undeniable, their features mirroring each other in a way that could only mean one thing.

"You..." Yuki breathed, his voice barely above a whisper as he took in the sight before him. "You're..."

The realization dawned upon him like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the truth that had been hidden from him for so long. The boy standing before him was his true brother, the one stolen from their rightful place and replaced with him.

Tears welled in Yuki's eyes as the weight of the revelation crashed over him like a tidal wave. All his life, he had been living a lie, unaware of his true identity and the family he had been taken from.

The Duke's reaction was a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief. His fists clenched tightly at his sides as he stared at the two boys before him, his features contorted with a storm of emotions.

There was a flicker of doubt in the Duke's eyes, a seed of uncertainty planted by the revelation that threatened to unravel everything he held dear.

Yuki watched as his father's mask of authority faltered, his heart heavy with the weight of the truth that had been laid bare. He had hoped for understanding, for acceptance, but instead, he was met with denial and rejection.

Tears stung Yuki's eyes as he realized that even with his true identity revealed, he would never find the acceptance and love he so desperately craved from the man who had raised him as his own.

As the reality of his situation came crashing down around him, Yuki felt a sense of despair wash over him like a tide, threatening to drown him in its depths.

The Duke's anger boiled over, his words dripping with venom as he confronted Yuki in his study.

"You thief!" he thundered, his voice laced with accusation. "You stole my son's life, his birthright, and you have the audacity to stand before me as if you belong here?"

Yuki recoiled as if struck, his heart breaking at the cruelty of the Duke's words. The accusation cut deeper than any blade, leaving him wounded and defenseless.

"You are nothing but a pretender, a usurper who has wormed your way into my family," the Duke continued, his voice rising to a deafening roar. "I should have cast you out the moment I learned the truth of your deceit."

With each word, Yuki felt the weight of the Duke's disdain pressing down upon him, crushing him beneath its suffocating grip. Tears stung his eyes as he struggled to comprehend the depth of the betrayal he faced from the man who had raised him as his own.

"Get out!" the Duke bellowed, his voice reverberating through the room like a death knell. "Leave this house and never darken our doorstep again. You are not welcome here, Yuki Valencia. You never were."

Yuki's world shattered around him as the Duke's words echoed in his ears, their harshness a final blow to his fractured heart. With a heavy heart and trembling limbs, he turned and fled from the study, his dreams of acceptance and belonging crumbling to dust in the wake of the Duke's wrath.

Tears came running down Yuki's cheeks as he looked at his brothers for help.Yuki's plea for help fell on deaf ears as his oldest brother, Marrius, seized him by the collar with a grip as cold as ice. Before he could utter another word, a sharp stinging sensation exploded across his cheek as Marrius's hand collided with his face in a vicious slap.

"Traitor!" Marrius spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "You are no brother of mine. You are nothing but a disgrace to our family name."

Yuki staggered backward, the pain of the blow mingling with the agony of betrayal. His other brother, Clark, stood silent and unmoving, his gaze was filled with anger and disgust as if unable to bear the sight of Yuki's face.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the corridor outside, the heavy tread of the guard sent to carry out the Duke's orders. With a final shove from Marrius, Yuki stumbled out into the cold embrace of the night, his heart heavy with sorrow and despair.

As he fled from the only home he had ever known, washing away the last remnants of hope from his shattered soul. Alone and abandoned, Yuki Valencia disappeared into the darkness, a broken shadow of the boy he once was.

Yuki was shattered as he made his way to seek help form his fiancé the prince but as he stumbled on the snow he saw a pair of boots, he looked up to see his beloved. He got up but before he could utter a single word, a voice behind him yelled

'' Alexander! Where were you? ''

Yuki's heart sank as he watched the scene unfold before him. His beloved, Prince Alexander, stood before him, but instead of offering comfort and solace, he was swept away by another's call.

The words cut through Yuki like a knife, the realization dawning upon him with cruel clarity. He was nothing more than a fleeting distraction in the prince's life, a pawn to be discarded when no longer convenient.

As Alexander rushed past him, Yuki felt a surge of anguish and betrayal welling up inside him. He had pinned his hopes on the prince, believing that their love could conquer any obstacle. But now, faced with the harsh truth of his abandonment, he could no longer deny the painful reality of his situation.

With a heavy heart, Yuki watched as Alexander disappeared into the distance, leaving him alone in the cold embrace of the winter night. And as the snow continued to fall, obscuring his path forward, Yuki Valencia knew that he was truly alone in a world that had turned its back on him.