The frail, ailing general Adrian Zhong is ordered by imperial decree to marry Vera Li, a returned hostage-princess who has just come back from years away. Their union--born of royal coercion--hides a secret bond powerful enough to upend fate.
He resents the marriage with every fiber of his being. She keeps her guard up at every turn. Within the confined world of the General's Manor, they circle each other--testing, bargaining, holding the line.
But as an imperial conspiracy stirs in the shadows and accusations from blood kin come one after another, two strangers are forced into the same boat. Time and again, they fight side by side, breaking through danger amid flashing blades and bloodshed.
As buried histories surface, the secret in his chest collides with the obsession she carries--threads knotting where they were never meant to meet. This marriage, begun as a scheme... where will it end?
