Knight of the Wooded Hollow

Ilya Valenpor was born a noble, but never lived like one. Branded a stain on her stepfather’s name and ignored by the court, her only value lies in her bloodline—and when a mysterious proposal arrives, she is sold into marriage like property.



Her husband-to-be?



Archduke Elias Wylt—the most feared man in the kingdom of Veltharion.



Once hailed as the greatest sword master alive, Elias vanished from public life after a battle with a dragon left half his body burned and his soul scarred. Cloaked in shadow, wrapped in silk, he hasn’t been seen in over a decade. Some say he is cursed. Others say he is a monster.



All agree: no woman should be sent to his side.



But Ilya is done being silent. Thrown into a world of court games, ancient magic, and deadly secrets, Ilya knows she must either carve out power in the arms of the very monster the empire fears or succumb to the Knight in the Wooded Hollow.