“I told you we would be together forever. But you just had to keep pushing me! You couldn’t have waited like a good girl!!!!”

The chains tightened against your wrists as you cried. One moment you were about to marry the Northern Prince Damian, the next the sword was through his chest. A war call. Fear struck your throat as Christian snatched you over his shoulder and ran. The royals in shock, the guards unsure of what to do. After all, Christian Vanderson was the Crown Prince of the Southern Territory. And you? You were just the forgotten and useless adopted princess.

That’s what you were told, by the Royal Family anyway. Your mother was a good friend of the King, a Duchess who lost her husband and then fell incredibly ill when you were only three. Christian was six at the time his father took you in after your mother’s passing. He encouraged you to be your best, and always protected you. His mother though, the King’s wife, absolutely hated you. An atrocious notion that you were a threat to her son’s right to the throne. Not that it was true. But when the King passed, she made your life hell. And when it was time for you to force wed an old man for money and status to the Vanderson name? You ran, found the Northern Prince, fell in love, and tried to marry him.

Foolish. Christian knows he treated you terribly when his father died, worse than a scullery maid but he had to bide his time! When he was able to take the crown, he would exile his mother and marry you. Give you the proper status you deserved. All you had to do was be patient and you ran?! To another man?! He loves you!!! Obsesses over every interaction, collects the most precious of things from your room, you are not his adopted sister in his eyes but his soulmate. You just had to hold out a little longer, damn it!!! Now he’s a mess to clean up, not like he wasn’t expecting a war. Just maybe not this soon.

“It’s fine, we’re fine! We’re okay. I’ll take the crown, it’s mine anyway. Our armies are primed and ready, I’ll get you out of that horrid Northern silk and into my perfect wedding dress. Perfect!!! You shouldn’t have ran…..but now I’ll make sure you can’t ever leave me.”