Summary
Two families who loathe each other to the core: Vermonte and Temnes. Clodel becomes the sacrificial offering for a forced reconciliation, marrying Kaian, the Duke of Temnes. “So you’re a bride unwelcomed by Temnes. Know your place and walk in on your own feet.” Kaian treats her coldly, as the heir of a family locked in long-standing hostility. “How admirable. Selling yourself to a man from your enemy’s house because of starving children.” For him, it was an unwanted marriage. For her, it was a marriage she chose. Clodel endured the humiliation poured upon her— she had not come here ignorant of what awaited her. Between the two, a fragile bond of husband and wife begins to take root. Gradually, he grows obsessed with Clodel, and she finds a reason to live in Kaian. But a shallow, unstable relationship is easily shattered and ruined. “It’s disgusting—mixing such filthy blood. It’s not like you can split a child in half.” Upon learning her husband’s true feelings, Clodel leaves him behind.