About

In the Kingdom of Aldria, family name and social status hold immense importance. Lord Aldric, a moderately influential nobleman, has spent years protecting his family’s name and reputation. In public, he appears to be a respectable and devoted family man. But behind the walls of his estate, he is an entirely different person. His eldest daughter, Elizabeth, was born to his first wife and has always received all of her father’s affection and attention. Helena, however, the daughter of his second wife, has been despised by him since childhood. Helena’s mother died giving birth to her, and Aldric has never forgiven her for it. For years, Helena has lived in an old storage room within the family estate—without education, without affection, and almost completely ignored by everyone around her. She cannot even read or write and knows almost nothing about the world of the nobility. Everything changes when Lord Aldric’s enormous debts threaten the family’s position. His creditor is William Blackwood—the Duke of the North, Commander of the Royal Army, and one of the most powerful men in the kingdom. To prevent his family from falling into disgrace and ruin, Aldric decides to settle the matter through marriage. At first, his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, is meant to marry William. But circumstances change. And in the end, the girl who has spent her entire life hidden away from the eyes of others is drawn into a bargain that will change her life forever.