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.
He was waiting outside the OP, there for his student who had been injured during a fight over a phone. As he sat, casually glancing at his own phone, he suddenly heard the faint sound of a baby crying. Curious, he turned toward the sound-and froze.
There, outside the pediatric care unit, sat his wife with their son crying in her arms.
His heart ached-it had been months since he last saw his son. His gaze shifted to his wife, gently consoling the child. Her face looked tired, pale, and completely drained.
Without a second thought, he stood, tears welling in his eyes. Each step he took felt heavy, his chest tightening with every cry from his son.
As he neared, he saw her clothes were faded and worn. Her feet were bare, hardened from walking-clearly straight from the farm. His heart clenched.
His eyes moved to his son-he had grown so much. She was so focused on calming the baby that she didn't notice him at first. Tears filled her eyes as she held their feverish child close.
He softly called her name.
Startled, she looked up-and froze. Then she quickly lowered her gaze and tried to get up. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. She sat back down, turning her face away, quietly wiping her tears.
He reached out to take their son. The moment he held him, he felt the heat-his little body was burning with fever. A chill ran through him. After all these months, seeing his child like this was unbearable.
He loved his wife and son deeply, but his loyalty to his mother-and obedience to her word-always came first.
Between a mother who owned his soul and a wife who held his heart, he was a man torn in a cruel war of love and loyalty.
And she-she had given her all to a promise whispered beneath the sacred fire... never knowing that one day, she'd be holding her child, with nothing but a faded vow.