_saintrose

A woman from Hull was never meant to wear a crown. And yet, today, they would place one on her head.

Verona Falkenrath has spent her life among the wild forests and untamed lands of Hull, a province scorned by the noble courts of Praylor. To them, she and her people are nothing more than barbarians. Useful for their resources but unworthy of standing among kings. When she is forced into an arranged marriage with Prince Lucian Velthorne, Verona knows what is expected of her: be silent, be obedient, and be grateful.

But Verona has never known how to kneel.

Lucian never wanted a wife, especially not one from Hull. Cold, calculating, and bred for power, he sees their union as nothing more than a political necessity. She is a means to an end, a bridge to keep Hull under Praylor’s control. But from the moment Verona enters his court, she defies him at every turn. Fierce, untamed, and impossible to ignore.

Yet behind the whispers of their unlikely marriage, something far more dangerous is brewing. A neighboring country has begun sowing rebellion in Hull’s shadows, promising freedom from Praylor’s rule. When Verona uncovers the plot, she faces an impossible choice: stay loyal to her homeland, or betray those who would see it burn.

But Lucian has his own doubts. When the rebellion reaches its peak, can he truly trust the woman he once swore was his enemy?

Bound by duty, divided by war, and drawn together by something neither of them expected, Verona and Lucian must decide. Is their marriage just another political game, or the beginning of a love that could reshape kingdoms?

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