saltedpepper

When powerless, unfavoured Princess Soleia was arranged to marry the newly titled Duke Orion Elsher, she assumed they would find love eventually.

Who knew that her father would send off her husband mere hours later to fight a war?

Soleia was left alone to deal with an impoverished fief, a crumbling estate, and spiteful, vindictive relatives of the Duke who all wished to see her gone. 

She couldn’t leave― there was nowhere else to go. Soleia desperately wanted her husband to return so he could offer her a helping hand. However, when he did, he returned with Elowyn, a woman he claimed was his true love. 

A woman hellbent on taking her place as the rightful Duchess, no matter what she had to do to get Soleia out of the way. 

Mistreated, misunderstood, and miserable, Soleia was eventually thrown out of the estate she helped build.

Fortunately, when one door closes, another one opens. Unknown to Soleia, a man more powerful than her husband had been watching her, waiting for the right time to snatch her into his gilded cage. Duke Elsher had been foolish to let go― but the crown prince of Raxuvia wouldn’t make the same mistake.

***

Prequel to Stolen by the Rebel King.

The Hidden King's Stolen Wife

In her defense, Soleia truly wanted to end their discussion after the clock struck midnight. However, Sir Ralph was simply an excellent sounding board for her ideas. Soleia didn't realize how hungry she was for someone to understand her thought processes until Sir Ralph came and prodded her mind with questions while offering his own insights.

As such, the discussion lasted hours. Soleia had gone through two inkwells as she hastily scribbled their thoughts, ignoring her exhaustion until she could no longer fight the pull of sleep. She didn't even manage to bid Sir Ralph a dignified goodnight, before face-planting in her own notes.

Rafael laughed quietly under his breath. He had known that Soleia was getting increasingly sleepy, but he didn't expect her to simply fall asleep at her desk!

"Princess Soleia, wake up," Rafael said, shaking her shoulder lightly. "You have to sleep on your bed."

Dreadful Realization