Ruthless Lord

Cora, daughter of a powerful Lord and General of the southern armies of the Vanguard Kingdom, has lived most of her life in exile.

Raised on a quiet farm under the protection of loyal guardians, she knows only the simplicity of hard work and survival, far removed from the intrigues of court.

But her father’s command shatters that fragile peace: she is to marry Lord Garrion Darkmoor, the feared General of the northern armies.

Garrion’s reputation precedes him, ruthless, unyielding, and scarred so deeply that he hides his face behind a mask said to conceal unspeakable disfigurement.

Bound by duty to the King, Garrion accepts the marriage, though he believes his new bride to be spoiled and fragile, unfit for the harsh realities of the north.

Yet Cora is not the woman he expects. Beneath her quiet resilience lies a strength forged in exile, a spirit unbroken by punishment and secrecy. As she steps into Garrion’s world of steel and shadows, she must prove that she is more than the assumptions laid upon her.

Together, they must navigate a marriage born of command, where trust is fragile and desire dangerous. Will their union remain a cold arrangement of duty, or will love bloom in the harshest of places, strong enough to melt the ice around Garrion’s heart and reveal the man beneath the mask?