SerenaHelios
Born under scandal's shadow, Lady Haechan Synclaire has spent her life hiding sorrow behind a smile. Branded as the duchess's shame and the duke's unwanted child, she grows up learning to survive on grace and silence - until fate ties her to the only boy who ever made her feel seen.
But Prince Mark Juvane, the illegitimate heir of the throne, has long since buried the warmth of their shared childhood. Haunted by betrayal and bound by politics, he offers her not love, but a contract - five years of marriage, one heir, and a promise that when it's over, they will part as strangers.
To the kingdom, it's a perfect union.
To them, it's a sentence.
Yet as the seasons turn and walls built from hatred begin to crack, Haechan and Mark find themselves standing between duty and desire, punishment and forgiveness.
But when love is built on misunderstanding, how much pain can two hearts endure before the vow of five winters finally breaks?