The Heiress and the Bastard

The Kivandu Empire has witnessed countless grand events in its long history, but nothing has prepared it for the wedding that has all of high society holding its breath.

Kaderon Zendari, a brilliant young mage, renowned scholar, and the recently legitimized bastard son of the Empire's most powerful Field Marshal, has been chosen to marry Nakeira Taevari, the beautiful and influential heir to one of the wealthiest noble houses in existence. And as expected, the match sends shockwaves throughout the nation.

To the world, it's a near-perfect political alliance forged from power, prestige, and ambition alike. But behind the glittering ceremony and noble smiles are two strangers standing at the edge of a future that neither of them can predict.

Kaderon never expected to be thrust into the ruthless world of nobles and politics, while Nakeira has spent years rejecting suitors who only ever saw her as a prize to be won. Yet when the awkward scholar and the confident socialite finally meet, they discover something neither expected: a genuine interest in one another.

He thinks she deserves someone better. She's already convinced he's unlike anyone she's ever met. But as their arranged marriage finally begins, both discover that first impressions can be dangerously misleading, and that affection may be the easiest challenge ahead.

After all, this wedding is only the beginning.