Chapter 1The Last Bloom of Us

Duke Alaric had loved me for five years, and in all that time, he defied my wishes only three times.

The first was on the day my mother died, when he returned from the Northmarch with a pregnant dancing girl in tow.

The second was on the day after my mother died, when he took an axe to the Silverwood trees my parents had planted for me in the manor gardens.

“Liana is with child,” he’d said. “The scent of the blossoms disagrees with her.”

The third was on the day of my mother’s funeral, when he held a grand wedding feast for Liana at the Gilded Lily Pavilion.

As I clutched my mother’s memorial urn, I finally understood that when grief reaches its absolute peak, tears refuse to fall.

And so, I used the golden sigil of command—a right earned by the blood of my family, the House of Valerius, all of whom had died as loyal marshals of the realm—to petition the King for a decree of annulment.

When I hear a beloved has two minds, I come to him with a heart resolved to break.

We had loved each other for five years. The breaking took only three days.

After my mother’s passing, I volunteered to take command of the fortress in the Northmarch. Before the ducal manor, the Lord Chamberlain who delivered the royal assent looked at me with pity.

“Lady Evelyn,” he said, his voice soft with regret. “You have waited for the Duke for five years. Your hardships were finally coming to an end. Why would you choose to go to that bitter, frozen land?”

He sighed. “The Duke is utterly devoted to you. The entire capital has been waiting for your wedding celebration.”

I lowered my eyes and smiled, a bitter, self-mocking curve of my lips. Devoted? Perhaps, once.

That is, if I hadn’t, by chance, overheard a conversation between Alaric and the house physician seven days ago.

“Your Grace,” the physician had said, his tone hesitant. “Lady Liana is now three months along. Perhaps it is time to cease the Duchess’s barrenness draught?”

Alaric’s brow furrowed. His voice was cold, laced with a chilling obsession. “Why would we stop?”

“If Evelyn Valerius were capable of bearing a child, she would use it as leverage to prevent my marriage to Liana. Only when she is crippled by her own shame and inadequacy will I have the chance to give Liana the title she deserves.”

The physician sounded uneasy. “But my lady, the Duchess, is so deeply in love with you—”

Alaric’s eyes flashed with ice. “If she had any sense, she would understand that I only married her to repay the debt I owe her father and brothers for saving my life. I would never have had to scheme so desperately to bring Liana home otherwise!”

He finished with a sneer. “It is her great fortune to have married me at all!”

I stood outside the door, hearing every single word. A cold so profound it felt like it was in my bones washed over me, and my legs trembled, barely able to hold my weight.

So, the tonics the physician brought me each day were not to restore my health.

They were draughts of barrenness, meant to ensure I would never, ever conceive.

I stumbled back, my heart seizing. A year ago, Alaric had been ambushed by raiders in the Northmarch. I had ridden for five days straight without rest, and when I found him, I had sliced open my own wrist and let three full bowls of my blood drain out to save him from the brink of death.

The physician who treated me then told me my body had been gravely weakened, that I would likely never bear children.

I was devastated, lost in a grief so deep I wished for death.

It was Alaric who had knelt before me in front of the entire court, swearing he did not care that I was barren. The King, moved by his valor in battle and his profound love for me, had granted him the title of Duke of the Northmarch.

But I never imagined it was a lie. The physician who diagnosed my infertility had been planted by Alaric from the very beginning.

He convinced me I was barren, and then, with draught after draught, he stole from me my right to ever become a mother.

And he did all of this, this intricate, cruel deception, simply to win military glory and a title, so he could one day openly marry the woman he brought back from the Northmarch.

The thought drew a hollow, desolate smile to my face.

“Lord Chamberlain,” I said, my voice steady. “My mind is made up.”

Seeing my resolve, the old courtier did not press further. “His Majesty has decreed it. At the conclusion of Lady Valerius’s funeral rites, the decree of annulment shall be issued. You may then depart with your command, my lady.”

At the mention of my mother, my eyes burned. My husband, the man who had sworn to cherish and honor my mother as his own, who had promised me a life with him and him alone, had not once come to see her since his return to the capital. He probably didn't even know she had died.

I fought back tears and accepted the King’s command.

It was alright. In one more day, I would have my annulment. I could leave this manor forever.

Returning to the manor with the royal scroll, I ran right into Alaric.

Seeing my thin clothes, he immediately shrugged off his own heavy cloak and draped it over my shoulders, his touch a familiar gesture of concern.

“The spring chill is treacherous. Why aren’t you wearing more? You’ll make me worry myself sick.”

His cloak was saturated with a heavy, sweet perfume. In all the capital, only Liana wore that scent.

The gesture was so absurd I could only find it laughable. I looked up at him, my face pale and gaunt.

But Alaric didn’t even notice. He was lost in his own thoughts. “Ah, that reminds me. In your dowry, weren’t there two bolts of fine silk brocade? I was thinking of having a gown made for Liana.”

He continued, his tone earnest. “After all, if she hadn’t taken care of me in the Northmarch, I might never have seen you again.”

I lowered my gaze, and for the first time, I didn't argue.

“Very well.”