

Clare was the woman Axel begged and coaxed for—writing 99 love letters—before finally winning her hand in marriage. By their fifth year,however, Axel grew restless and began spending time with a young nurse. The girl, Emma, came from a poor family yet carried herself with quiet pride. When she firmly rejected the black card Axel offered,declaring she would never be anyone's kept woman, he became obsessed. Axel started appearing around Emma more and more,drawing the attention of all their friends, while briefly forgetting the wife he had once courted with 99 heartfelt letters. Clare neither cried nor argued. Instead, each time Axel broke her heart, she burned one of those letters. And when the last of the 99 was reduced to ashes, it would mark the day she left him for good.

Hidden genius doctor Damian Mercer (alias Umbra) disguises himself as a beggar to evade global pursuit, only to receive a black card as charity from heiress Liana Lowell. He diagnoses her terminal "Yin-collapsed meridians," but three renowned doctors dismiss him.After publicly humiliating the trio, Damian is forcibly brought to the Lowell estate, where his golden needle technique saves Liana's life, shocking the medical world. Upon escaping, he's publicly humiliated by his fiancee Molly Sawyer and half-brother Rowan Mercer, who break off their engagement. He also discovers the Mercer family has grown arrogant after gaining a seat among "the Twelve Ascendant Elders of the Sanctum" through Damian's own subordinate, Left Sentinel of the Sanctum. Damian secretly orchestrates his revenge, announcing as "Umbra" that he'll attend the Mercer family wedding—causing a sensation.