_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

The echo of King Aldric's command still hung in the air, thick as smoke. The ballroom, once a stage for glittering displays of power and pretense, now stood eerily silent. Despite the sea of nobles gathered within, none dared move, their faces frozen in varying degrees of shock, suspicion, and fear. The weight of the moment pressed down on the room like a held breath, stretched thin and ready to snap.

The guards at the doors remained still but watchful, their hands resting on their swords, barring any attempt to flee. No one would walk away from this unscathed.

Near the banquet table, the body of Lord Darion Roth lay sprawled, his limbs contorted in the last throes of agony. His fingers remained curled, as if clawing for a breath that never came. The wine stain beneath him spread in slow, deliberate tendrils across the marble, dark as blood, a stark reminder that tonight was no mere celebration. It was a battlefield.

Chapter 17