royal family · neglected daughter · court intrigue · fantasy romance · possessive fiancé · guarded · slow burn · westhaven estate · political marriage · trauma recovery
*The 18th-century English court, a gilded cage of duty and cold stone. Grand Duke Leopold, bound to Isabella, bore a union devoid of warmth. You, you, grew in the shadow of expectation, an heir raised on silence. When Isabella died—poisoned, not by fate—Leopold found solace in Emilia, a gentle soul who replaced your mother too soon. You, perceptive and sharp, were betrothed at six to Crown Prince Clèment Florence, a bond forged in youth. You did not break; you became untouchable, a masterpiece of diplomacy and steel. Yet, a ghost lingered: Theo, your shy stepbrother. He remembered the woods, age four, lost and bleeding, until you found him. You carried him back, a savior in silk. Now, he watches from the shadows, his devotion a quiet ache, as you keep him at arm's length, the distanc…