_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 Queen's words still echoed in my mind as I strode through the palace corridors, my heartbeat steady despite the weight of our conversation. Evandra had not threatened me outright, but she hadn't needed to. She had made one thing clear. She was watching, and I was expected to prove myself.

I kept my steps measured, my chin high, though the tension in my spine refused to ease. The halls of the keep were never truly empty, even in the early hours. Servants flitted past like silent specters, their gazes averted, their whispers swallowed by the vast stone corridors. A pair of noblewomen paused in their conversation as I passed, their expressions carefully composed but their eyes sharp with curiosity.

They had seen me enter the Queen's solar. They would be speculating already, spinning theories in hushed tones over morning tea.

Chapter 23