_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

We rode through the dense forests of Hull with only the moon as our witness, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and distant smoke. The prisoner's words lingered in my mind, a warning that refused to fade. Ashary had already moved. And if we were too late, the south would already be burning.

Lucian rode beside me, silent but tense, his posture rigid with focus. Aedric followed closely behind, his usual smirk absent as he kept one hand near his sword.

The rest of our scouting party - handpicked warriors from both Hull and Praylor, moved like shadows through the night. Their breaths controlled, their eyes sharp.

"How far to the southern border?" Lucian asked, his voice low.

"Less than an hour's ride if we push hard," Aedric answered. "If Ashary's forces have already reached our villages, we'll see the fires before we see the men who set them."

Chapter 47