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(Book 3 of The Sovereign Ruin Series)
A stolen identity. A throne built on lies. A love that could shatter an empire.
Ophelia of Ominos steps into Varethis as an empress forged in deception. She is no princess-her true identity a secret that could set the empire ablaze. In a palace drowning in treachery, she is surrounded by noble houses that want her ruined, consorts sharpening their beauty into weapons, and a husband who watches her with cold suspicion.
Emperor Luthor expected a bride he could control, a trembling girl desperate for his favor. Instead, he is met with a woman who does not flinch, who meets his cruelty with a defiance that stirs something far more dangerous than hatred. Their war is waged in whispered threats and slow-burning desire, a battle neither of them can afford to lose.
But when Ophelia is accused of treason, her world is ripped apart. Luthor leaves for war believing she will be freed-only to return and find her broken, betrayed, and cast aside by those who swore to serve him. The defiant woman he once knew is gone, her fire dimmed by torment, her trust shattered beyond repair.
Yet Ophelia is no longer the one drowning. Now, Luthor is the one who must beg.
Love has no place in a kingdom of ruin, but obsession does. And as their twisted game turns from hatred to something even darker, vengeance and desire become indistinguishable. With an empire on the verge of collapse and enemies circling like vultures, they must decide-destroy each other or burn the world down together.
In a palace where love is war and vows are laced with poison, who will betray first?
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