By mid-morning, the Imperial Capital of Solis was in a total state of upheaval.
The imperial heralds had posted the dawn decrees across every high-court bulletin, and by noon, the news had spread like wildfire through the marble tearooms and gilded parlors of the nobility. The quiet, fragile heiress of the Vane trade empire was officially betrothed to Grand Commander Alexander Vance—the feared, ruthless "Iron Monster" of the Northern Border.
To the high court, it was an unimaginable pairing. How had the timid Evelyn Vane managed to secure the protection of the most terrifying warrior in the empire?
Inside the drawing rooms of the upper district, fan blades fluttered furiously as noblewomen whispered over silver teacups. But beneath the surface-level shock, a far darker narrative was rap
