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


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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.

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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!

It was midnight. The palace was quiet. The long halls were dark except for a few lamps that glowed faintly in the corners. Everyone was asleep.


He was still sitting alone in the dining room, his elbows on the table, his eyes staring into nothing. The food on his plate was cold. The candles had burned low.


The words Lydia had said to him kept replaying in his mind.


Her voice was still there. Cold. Sharp. Beautiful and cruel at the same time.


You never deserved anything good. Not the palace. Not the title. Not me. You are just a bastard who got lucky in life.


He had never felt like he deserved to be Grand Duke or heir to the throne. Not the palace. Not the fine clothes. Not the respect that came with his position. And certainly not Lydia.


But hearing her say it—hearing her voice cut straight into that place he had always tried to hide—felt like his heart was being squeezed until it couldn't beat.


Chapter 151 - The Hidden Knife