A pale winter, with snow drifting endlessly from the sky.
Razel, the second daughter of the noble Count Ephor, received an unusual gift from her fatherāa slave.
āFather gave you a gift? Surely it must be some worthless defect, right?ā
In a household where not even her own family truly belonged to her, it was the first thing she could call her own.
But Razel was never a good master.
On a day of biting snow and merciless winds, she abandoned the man, sending him off to the battlefield.
She never imagined she would see him again after four long years of war.
āItās been a while. You seem⦠quite shocked to see me alive.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
āRazel Ephor, my princess⦠Shall I be the one to save you, or to forsake you?ā
When Razel had lost everything, the man returnedāno longer a slave, but the commander of the enemy that had destroyed her homeland.
His eyes burned with frozen hatred and vengeance.
āYou will cast away all you hold dear⦠and marry meāthe man you so despised. I bought you, after all. For a mere pittance.ā
He had come back to punish her.
To become both the grim reaper who would strip her of everything she cherished, and her husband.
Razel resigned to her fate with a bitter acceptance.
But thenā¦
āIf thereās something you want, say it. Iāll give it to you. For everything you couldnāt give me, I intend to give back.ā
For some reason, this man only surrounded Razel with protection, lavishing her with treasures and rare luxuries.
āBecause you are my wife.ā
Razel thought he had married her solely for revenge.
But perhaps⦠his intentions were not what she believed.