

Lord Ashford demands to know why his daughter, Nova, has refused to marry the Crown Prince. She calmly explains she has already built more wealth and power than the alliance could offer, and has no interest in binding her life to a stranger for a concept like love that offers her nothing measurable.
Lord Ashford’s study was too quiet, the silence a third presence in the room. Nova stood before his desk, posture flawless, as he laid out the magnitude of the alliance she’d just shattered. ‘You’ve d
He leads her to a small, private solar, walls lined with books and maps. The door clicks shut, sealing them in a quiet punctuated only by their breathing. Kaelen turns to face her, his princely mask g