Caleb stared at the little girl sleeping on the uncomfortable, and only dry patch of concrete in the front of his store.
He was confused on why the young girl sleeping there. Perhaps she was caught in the especially heavy downpour, like last time, but that didn't explain her wet, matted blonde hair, as if it hasn't been washed in nearly a decade. Nor the buildup of dirt on the visible patches of skin that weren't hidden behind dirtied clothing.
Caleb's hand had itself holding unto the inside handle, his other hand still firmly holding the keys that he used to lock up his quaint little shop. His heart filled with pity for the young girl, but that didn't mean that he had to take responsibility for her.
He ignored her the best that he could, but in the end he stepped outside, and the bell jingled.
Forced into an engagement with a man she doesn't love, Reyna must ignore her bond with her father's general in order to avoid a war and save her throne.
*****
As the first female heir to one of the great Northern Kingdoms, Reyna panics when her claim to the throne is threatened by the discovery that her father's general is her soulbound partner. She forces herself to ignore their connection, determined to be more than a general's wife, only for her father to manipulate her into a political engagement with a man she could never love. So to forge her own path forward, keep her throne, and confront her feelings for the general who owns her heart, Reyna must find a way to refuse this arranged marriage without destroying her kingdom in the process.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]
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Cover designed by Ren Tachibana