The Heartless Duke's Bride

Official Top Ten August WPC Winner! UPDATE SCHEDULE: Fri-Sat EXCERPT: His gaze ran over her like a flame - she felt her skin burn as his black eyes smothered her in the lust of smoke between them. She looked away, avoiding his gaze. She felt that if she looked any longer she would lose herself completely. This was not a fight she could even dream of winning. She hated the way he made her feel. This feeling of having no control. This feeling of falling deeper and deeper into his personal abyss. Azriel’s lips curled in obvious amusement but his eyes darkened immensely at her avoidance. “I’m well aware of the rumors that float around the capital about me. However, when did I become such a monster that even my beloved wife can’t dare to look at me? Your Highness, I am not a monster but I am also not a saint. From this moment on, you are my bride and I am not so generous as to allow my woman to love another. Settle this matter before we leave for the North or I will - and you’ve seen how I settle matters, haven’t you?” ------- Princess Dione of the Salian Empire once basked in the love of her father, the Emperor. However, her world shatters when her elder brother claims the throne and callously auctions her off to a repulsive suitor, twice her age. Desperate to escape this dreadful fate, she seeks refuge in an unthinkable alliance—a marriage contract with the infamous Heartless Duke of the North, a man feared even by her tyrannical brother. Azriel Devland, the revered War God of the Empire, returns victorious from the battlefield, only to face the Emperor's machinations to wed him to Princess Valerie, his longtime admirer. Cunningly, he employs the aid of the Holy Church to secure a sacred marriage contract, but destiny has an unexpected twist in store. The prophesied bride destined for Azriel turns out to be none other than Princess Dione, the one woman who has always held a special place in his heart. Despite her resistance to the Heartless Duke and the enigmatic web of secrets that surround him, Princess Dione finds herself bound by the unbreakable ties of the divine contract—a bond punishable by death if violated. As their intertwined past comes to light and their connection deepens, they realize that the wrath of the Gods might be the least of their worries. Will they succumb to the manipulations of the past, or will their love prove resilient enough to triumph over fate itself?