A Dove's Tale

All Ivetta wants is a steady paycheck and consistent hours. Her mother's health is failing fast, and she has to earn enough money to keep paying the mounting doctor's bills. But a dubious background means finding safe employment is hard. Getting a job as a palace maid seems like the answer she needs, even if she has a long commute.

Until she meets her new employer.

Prince Chevalier, the Second Prince of Rhodolite, has a reputation for being a cruel, heartless monster. The Brutal Beast. The Bloody Tiger. This is the man Ivetta now works for, and if it weren't for her circumstances, she would have quit after the first day. But although he and his seven brothers are each their own variety of beast, putting up with them is better than the alternative. There are many dangers outside the palace for a vulnerable young woman, after all.

When disaster inevitably strikes, she resolves to hide the truth and pretend nothing is wrong, just like she's always done. She never expects Prince Chevalier to come to her rescue. But he does. And suddenly, he's the only person with whom she truly feels safe, allowing the roots of an unlikely and impossible romance to take hold. A romance neither of them can let happen.

But the heart wants what it wants.

Threats against Prince Chevalier become threats against Ivetta, forcing them even closer together. When the pain of loss overwhelms her, she turns to him. When the threats become reality, he'll do anything to save her. And when the mysteries of her past come to bear, the impossible becomes possible. A glimmer of hope for a brighter future blossoms in the darkness.

Maybe, on the other side of pain and heartbreak, is the fairytale ending Ivetta never dreamed was possible.

*****

There is no swearing or explicit sexual content, but themes and content are mature. Full list of content/trigger warnings in the introduction.