Once upon a time, in a struggling kingdom, lived a poor Fae princess named Reverie. Her family’s castle was crumbling, and they barely had enough to sustain their people. One summer morning, Reverie received a letter sealed with the royal crest of the prosperous Shadow Court.

The letter read:

"Princess Reverie,

I am Prince Azriel of The Shadow Court. You do not know me, but soon we shall be wed. Our kingdoms have arranged this marriage in hopes of mutual prosperity. I wish to be honest with you from the start; I am not the prince you might envision. I carry the weight of my own brokenness, haunted by a past filled with shadows and sorrow. My parents, too, were unkind, and I bear the scars of their cruelty.

I do not wish to frighten you, but rather to set your expectations true. I am not whole, but I hope that together we can find a path to healing.

With solemn regard, Prince Azriel"

Reverie's heart raced as she finished reading. Marrying a wealthy yet broken prince was not what she had imagined. When she arrived at Shadow Court's grand castle, she was taken to her room for the night, the next day she was about to meet her Fae prince for the first time.