Gabrielle_Johnson_6482

“You must bear a child, Celia. what good is a woman who isn’t a mother? What good is an empty womb?”

“Especially when it’s a foreign womb, like yours…”

It’s not an easy life when you’re watched month after month, when all the blame is placed at your feet for your young husband having no heir. 

Celia Devon Tralhamir, Crown Princess of Havietten, waits every month with hope mingled with fear. 

A child will secure her future. But it will also bind her for life to a husband she neither loves or respects, who refuses to see her abilities. Is that what she wants?

Is she content to prioritise security over happiness, and be a wordless decorative vessel all her life?

Or is she brave enough to try to forge her own path and seize fulfilment on her own terms? Even in a society that cannot recognise individual brilliance in a mere woman.

A sequel to the WEBNOVEL book “Earning the Love of a Princess”, this novel follows another woman born into the Royal House of Devon, trying to fight the confines that threaten to stifle her happiness.

The Loneliest Ballad

Celia quickly assessed her options as she looked around the room wildly.

The windows were firmly shut against the cold night. It would take too long and be too noisy to slide the bolts and push them open.

What about throwing the bottles in the fire? She started rushing over to the fireplace, then hesitated.

But what if when the vials shatter from the heat, the tonics inside give off a suspicious smell? That would be no good if Tobin's going to be spending the night in this room.

Then the tall pitcher of wine in the corner of the bedchamber caught her eye.

Without thinking, Celia uncorked the clear vial and tipped its contents into the half full pitcher. Then she poured the black liquid in, hoping it would dissipate and not form an obvious contrast. To her relief, the inky colour quickly disappeared within with the deep red wine.

She could hear Tobin making his way back towards the bedchamber.

The Last Supper