CONTENT WARNING:
/This novel contains mature themes, explicit sexual content, strong language, and adult situations. Reader discretion is advised./


---

She ran from the devil who raised her…
And married the one who wore a crown.

After her parents’ tragic death, Lydia Andreyevna’s life became a nightmare. Stripped of her name, inheritance, and freedom by her uncle—Lord Alexander—she was treated like property and promised to a Count four times her age.

Desperate to escape, she fled into the cold night… and straight into blood.

A stranger. Wounded. Beautiful. Terrifying.

She should’ve left him.
But she didn’t.
She touched him once—and fate branded her forever.

Her uncle caught her the next morning. Her escape failed. But when she begged Queen Olga for protection, the Queen offered her a deadly bargain:

Marry the masked Grand Duke of Zolotaria.
The king’s hunting dog. The butcher of the East. The devil in a crown.
The man feared by kings.
The heir to the throne.
The same man she once saved.

Ivan Romanov.

They say he bathes in blood. That he kills without blinking. That he conquered kingdoms with a smile behind a mask. That no one sees his face—and lives.
Some call him the devil. Others call him Death’s favorite son.

But behind the mask is the same man she found dying in the dark.
The same voice that haunted her dreams.
The same hands she once held.

Now, he’s her husband.
Her jailer.
Her obsession.

She doesn’t know if she’s his prisoner, or his weakness.

Cold and untouchable, Ivan doesn’t share his bed. Doesn’t share his secrets. But she sees it—the hunger in his eyes. The pain in his silence. The way he looks at her like she’s the only thing keeping his demons at bay.

She should fear him.
She should hate him.
But the moment she dares to take off his mask… it’s already too late.

Because Ivan wants her—her fire, her body, her heart.

And in his world, what he wants, he keeps.
Even if it means burning down the kingdom.

She thought she was running from hell.
She ended up in his bed.
And the most dangerous thing of all?
She doesn’t want to leave.

___________________________________
Just a Heads-Up:
The spicy stuff doesn't happen right away. It begins from chapter 28. This story takes its time setting the mood and building the connection first—trust the slow burn!

Everything felt distant, like she was floating in a fog. Her body was heavy. Her eyelids were too weak to stay open. The cold wind bit at her skin, and she could feel it… snow brushing against her cheeks, cold air stinging her lips. Somewhere above her, the sun was rising. It was too bright for her eyes, and all she could see was trees. So many trees. Tall, shadowy, endless.


Her fingers twitched. Her breath came in short, thin puffs. She couldn't feel her toes. Her lips were cracked and dry. The light hurt her, but the darkness behind her eyes hurt more.


The next time she woke, it was mid-morning. A faint warmth touched her face. Her mouth was dry. Her head was pounding. Her throat ached from trying to scream. As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was inside a cave. Its rocky walls were damp, cold, and dark. Her wrists burned—tied tightly with rope. She tried to sit up, but her body was still weak.


Chapter 117 - Again