_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 chamber was silent, save for the crackling of the hearth. My father, Aedric, and a few of Hull's most trusted warlords stood around the table, their faces grim as they processed the scout's warning.

Lucian and I stood at the far end of the room, side by side but separate in the eyes of the warlords. To them, he was still an outsider, a Praylor prince wrapped in the armor of their enemy. And I… I was a daughter of Hull, but no longer theirs.

"The banners he saw," my father began, his voice even but heavy, "did he recognize anything about them?"

"Nothing familiar. No house sigils. No kingdom markings." He exhaled sharply. "Whoever they are, they're either trying to hide their allegiance or they belong to something new entirely."

Something new. That unsettled me more than the idea of facing an enemy I already knew.

One of the warlords grunted. "And you trust the word of a half-dead scout?"

Chapter 40