“Every day, I pray.

That this love will die.

That I may love you only until today,

And tomorrow, this love will be no more.”

Born of an illicit affair, the ill-fated Imperial Princess Talia Roem Gwirta grows up warped in a world that denies her.

With indifferent parents, hostile half-siblings, and servants who treat her with contempt, she survives by baring her thorns to anyone who dares approach.

Yet before one man, even Talia’s defences crumble—

That man is Varkas Laedgo Siorcan, the noble heir of the East.

As the vassal of the Imperial House and successor to a grand ducal line, he was forced into perfection from birth. Raised under training that bordered on ab*se, his emotions were dulled, leaving him a man who exists solely for family honour and duty.

To fulfil a promise made to the late Empress, he becomes betrothed to Talia’s elder half-sister, Aila.

Shattered by despair, Talia slowly falls apart.

But then—

Her love, destined only for death, begins to face an unexpected turning point…