_saintrose

Verona Falkenrath was raised for war, not marriage. But when her kingdom is forced into an uneasy alliance with its greatest rival, she is wed to Prince Lucian Velthorne, a man as cold and calculated as the crown he will one day inherit.

What begins as a union of duty soon becomes a tangled web of shifting loyalties, political games, and dangerous truths. With war on the horizon and enemies moving in the shadows, Verona must decide who to trust, who to fight, and what she's willing to sacrifice to protect the people she loves.

In a court ruled by power and blood, survival is not promised. But one thing is certain. The woman they tried to use as a pawn might just rewrite the game.

To Love a Crowned Enemy

<p>The morning of the wedding arrived with a sky heavy with the weight of looming clouds, as if the heavens themselves were uncertain of the union about to take place. The palace hummed with activity. Servants rushing through the halls, nobles dressing in their finest, guards standing at attention, their expressions carefully blank. But beneath the grandeur, the air was thick with something unspoken.</p>

<p>I sat before the ornate mirror in my chambers as the attendants fastened the final clasps on my gown. The silver and blue silk draped over me like a second skin, but it was the crimson cloak that held my attention. A silent declaration of my heritage. A reminder that I was not just a bride being led to an altar. I was a Falkenrath of Hull. And I would not be forgotten.</p>

Chapter 13