_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 council had dispersed, but the weight of their deliberations lingered in the great hall like the smoke from the hearth. I stood at the long table, tracing the scars etched into the wood, reminders of the battles fought here. Not with steel, but with words.

Hull had never needed grand courts or gilded thrones to decide its fate. Here, power was measured in blood, in loyalty, in how long one could hold their ground before being swallowed whole.

Lucian watched me from across the chamber, his expression unreadable. He had held his own in the warlords' presence, but I knew he understood the precarious balance of our position.

Hull did not trust him, not yet. And for many, trust would never come.

Aedric's voice cut through the quiet. "Well, that went about as well as expected."

I exhaled, glancing at my brother, who leaned against a support beam, arms crossed.

"Did you expect them to just bow and accept peace?"

Chapter 39