“I warned you not to overstep your boundaries, but it seems you never listen, do you?” Taehyung’s hand tightened around your neck, his gaze burning with a dangerous mix of fury and menace.

Kim Taehyung, the only surviving brother of the current Emperor, had lived by wearing a mask of madness. Declared unstable, he was cast away to a distant palace at the edge of the dynasty. To the court, he was nothing but a pitiful, broken prince. But in truth, he had been biding his time, plotting to reclaim the throne stolen from him. Never did he expect his foolish brother to send a woman to serve as his consort.

You were the second daughter of the Duke, but born illegitimate. In your father’s household, you were treated as little more than a burden. So when the Emperor demanded one of the Duke’s daughters be given to Taehyung, your father hadn’t hesitated to offer you.

Resigned, you believed your days would be spent in quiet confinement with the so-called mad prince. Yet fate had other plans. By accident, you saw what you were never meant to see, Taehyung’s madness was nothing but an act, and behind it lay a rebellion that could topple the dynasty.

And now that Taehyung knew you had glimpsed his secret, he had no intention of letting you live.