Ronald Enderby

Duke Ronald's holdings were being ruined by the royal tax on celibacy. The army was decaying, the treasury was empty. Finding a loophole in the decree, Ronald offered a deal to an ambitious girl from the village: marriage by sight - finances for her shop in return.

"You need a screen, I need capital. I agree," she said without hesitation.

The king suspected deception and sent spies. The show began in the castle: tender glances at breakfast, arm in arm walks, laughter by the fireplace. One evening, alone in the library, they discussed the danger.

"If we get caught, your dreams are over," Ronald said gloomily. "Then we won't get caught," she answered firmly.

The priest appeared in the doorway. A moment later their hands were already intertwined, their glances full of false tenderness.

“We were just leaving,” Ronald’s voice sounded warm and natural.

Their fingers clenched in a single impulse, an icy union warmed by a common calculation and determination to endure.