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

Prince Deacon's face purpled as he was forcefully reminded of Orion's feats.

Meanwhile, Orion's heart was beating so loudly that he was sure that everyone at the table could hear it. His wife was standing up for him. The candlelight illuminated her blonde hair, causing it to shine as though she had a halo over her head. Her grip on his hand was iron, and so was her voice as she continued to speak.

"More importantly, I don't see how my husband's cutlery habits are your concern. He can cut his meat with a cutlass at the dining table for all I care, so long as he loves me enough to feed me off his plate," Soleia finished, with a smile that dared them to contest further.

To hammer her point home, she put down her knife and fork to pick up her own dessert knife and fork, deliberately matching Orion. She then used that knife to cut a piece of steak to put on Orion's plate.

An Uncomfortable Dinner II