In the gilded halls of the Kusian Empire, power is as intoxicating as passion and just as dangerous.
Crowned prince 'Kusian Raizer', feared for his cold authority and unyielding will, stands on the edge of ascension to the throne. But behind the iron mask lies a man bound by loyalty to his people, surrounded by scheming brothers, ambitious stepmothers, and a court that thrives on whispers.
When 'Featherington Zanelle', a young woman with a tender heart and an unbroken spirit, is betrayed by her own family and sold into a future she never chose, Raizer becomes her unlikely savior. Their union is forged not from love, but from duty, scandal, and a dangerous bargain.
Yet in the palace's shadowed corridors and opulent chambers, stolen glances turn to smoldering touches, and unspoken tension ignites into a consuming fire neither can resist. Between political plots and family rivalries, they will clash, wound, and heal each other again and again until desire becomes their greatest weapon and their deepest vulnerability.
When Raizer claims Zanelle, he doesn't just take her hand; he takes her heart, her body, and her fate. And with the empire watching, one thing becomes clear:
**She is his.**
As Zanelle's belly swells with the heir to the throne, enemies draw closer, battles spill beyond the bedchamber, and love becomes a war worth winning. In the end, crown and heart will hang in the balance... and only one can claim both.
Is cheating always meant to be physical?
What if he emotionally betrays you?
But what do you call it when your husband shares his dreams, emotions, victories, and time with another woman...
slowly forgets that you even exist?
(Short story)