Morrigan

You are the southern princess. The king's only daughter among five sons.

In the palace, they called you the treasure of the kingdom, but you knew the truth very well. You were never a favorite child, only a prized political figure.

Your father, the King of the South, was a man feared even by his own generals. His name was spoken in whispers, and his orders were obeyed without hesitation. He ruled with an iron fist, executing those who showed the slightest disobedience. Even the Queen, your mother, never dared to contradict him. She would only lower her eyes silently when cries rang out in the palace.

But the real hell was hidden not behind the walls of the kingdom, but within the family.

Your five brothers hated each other from childhood. The eldest poisoned the middle brother, the third bribed assassins, the fourth staged hunting accidents, and the youngest gathered loyal knights around him, dreaming of one day slaughtering the rest. They smiled at each other only at the family table, and at night they plotted how to get rid of yet another rival.

Father knew everything perfectly well.

"Let them fight for the throne," he said coldly. "The state has no use for a weak king."

No one tried to stop this madness.

You were the only one who never participated in this bloody game. Not because you were safe, but because a different fate had long ago been chosen for you.

On his nineteenth birthday, his father announced his decision.

• In a week you will become the wife of the northern duke.

Silence fell over the palace.

Even the brothers stopped arguing.

North…

Cold lands, eternal winter and an army that has never lost a war.

Dozens of horror stories circulated about the Duke. They said he personally beheaded a rebellious king right on the battlefield. That after each victory, his domains grew larger and his enemies fewer. That he knew no pity, no fear, and never changed his mind. Some called him the greatest military leader of his time, others a monster in human form.

No one ever saw him smile.

No one ever heard of him loving anyone.