DA_Aloera

A princess's duty is to be beautiful, quiet, not loud, to be seen and not to be heard, which was how Dahlia lived most of her life. Bound by the expectations of her title, she spent years trying to prove to her father that she was more than just a princess and capable of being more than an ornament in his court but each time she never got the chance. Instead, she was forced into a marriage of convenience with the bravest knight in all the kingdom, Reagan Hawthorne.

Dahlia thought she would use this marriage to escape the brutal crutches of her father and glide out of her cage but Reagan’s cold disdain was an unexpected prison of its own. While he waged wars on distant lands, she stayed behind, holding his household together and protecting the people he seemed to ignore. But Dahlia carried a dangerous secret. By day, she was the perfect wife. By night, she became the "Black Knight," a masked vigilante fighting for justice in the shadows.

Reagan returned, ready to focus on his personal mission: avenging his father’s death. To him, Dahlia was just another pawn in his plans—a spoiled princess he needed to tolerate. But as cracks began to form in her perfect façade, Reagan couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his wife than met the eye.

Now, with enemies circling closer and their secrets threatening to collide, Dahlia and Reagan must confront the lies they’ve told themselves and each other. But when masks fall and truths are revealed, will their fragile bond withstand the storm—or will it shatter beyond repair?

One wound. One secret. One night that changes everything.

THE Knight’s Hidden Princess

I stared into the fire that danced wildly in the chilly night sky, producing erratic dance of flames which sent sparks flying but even it failed to calm my troubled mind. Smoldering wood filled the air, mingled with sweat and iron of my sleeping men beside me, whose mutterings were lost in the distant wail of the wind.

Something was wrong with this campaign to me.

The experience left me different because I had already experienced numerous marches and used steel and filled my tracks with blood during warfare. The king issued sudden orders containing minimal details except for their unspecific demands. One of our ancient enemies seemed to threaten us but there remained no concrete evidence of their hostility because rumors silently spread through the people becoming quieter with each transmission. We were deployed to destroy them when they still carried no weapons before us.

Ocean Eyes