The morning sunlight slipped quietly through the carved window frame. It landed softly on the ledger Lyra Thorne held in her hands. The ink still seemed warm, as if it had been written just moments ago. But it was the record of last night's work.
The Thorne family had a long history. They were an ancient royal house in the Eastern Continent. Their roots dug deep, spreading through hundreds of years. Wealth and honor flowed in their blood.
Lyra was the grand princess of the Thorne. Her mother, the late Queen, died in childbirth. The new Queen and the King never liked her. The King blamed her for her mother's death.
She carried a heavy burden from the start. Her job was to protect her family's name and power. She had been prepared for this since she was a child. Every step she took was watched. Every move was planned.
Kael Varyn's family was very different. House Varyn was new on the scene. They were rising fast, but they had no history. Their strength came from war. Their pride came from battles won. They were a military family, not a royal one.
Lyra and Kael were married. But their marriage was never about love. It was a deal. A cold, hard deal.
The Thornes needed Kael. They needed his skills as a warrior. Their army was weakening. Kael's strength was their hope.
Kael needed the Thornes, too. His family wanted to climb higher. They wanted respect and power beyond the battlefield. Marrying Lyra would open doors.
So, they joined forces. Two families. Two needs. No love involved.
They never expected feelings to grow between them. Only duty and business.
Yet, on their wedding night, Kael surprised her. In the bridal chamber, he held her hand. He promised her one thing: no other woman would come between them.
He promised to treat her well.
At that moment, war had already begun. On the western border, enemies gathered. Kael did not wait. He put on his armor the very next day and left. Two years. That was how long he said he would be gone.
Lyra stayed behind. She acted like the perfect wife. She took control of the Varyn family's affairs. Her mother's fortune was huge. Lyra used it to grow their business quickly.
She cared for Kael's parents, too. They were old and needed support. Lyra gave it without hesitation.
In just two years, the new noble family found firm footing. Thanks to her.
Everyone said she did everything right. She was the ideal wife.
But today was different.
Lyra was the last to hear the news.
Every servant in the mansion knew. The gardener pruning the roses. The maid polishing silver. All of them knew the war hero Kael Varyn was back.
And they knew he brought a woman with him.
As Lyra walked through the rose-lined corridor, wet with morning dew, she noticed something strange. The servants did not look at her as before.
Their eyes held a new feeling.
It was wet and sticky. Like sympathy, but not kind.
It felt like a sharp needle. Invisible but real. It pierced beneath her polished appearance.
Kael stood by the tall window of their bridal room. His broad figure blocked almost all the sunlight.
He still wore his armor. Bloodstained and dusty. The smell of leather and metal filled the room. It pushed out the delicate iris scent Lyra loved.
He had not bathed or changed. Not yet.
He must have been in a rush.
Lyra stopped at the door. Her gaze fell on his sword. It hung at his waist like always.
She spoke quietly. "I heard."
Her voice was calm and flat. No emotion at all. Like ice on a frozen lake.
Kael turned to face her. Two years of war had changed him. His handsome face now looked sharp and fierce.
His eyes were tired, just barely. But there was no guilt.
He said, "Lyra, you have to understand."
"Understand what?" She asked.
Lyra stepped forward. The carpet was soft wool. She had picked it herself. It swallowed her footsteps. The silence between them was heavy.
She said, "Understand that you brought a woman home. And put her in a villa south of the city?"
Kael frowned. He did not like her blunt words.
"She saved my life," he said.
"So, because she saved your life, she gets to be your mistress?" Lyra asked, voice steady.
"Lyra!" His voice rose. Sharp and commanding, like a soldier giving orders. "Watch your words. She's not that kind of woman."
"Then what kind is she?" Lyra's eyes never left his.
"She's a woman who made you forget your promises."
On their wedding night, the same man held her hand. He promised she would always be the lady of the Varyn family.
He promised no other woman would come between them.
The next day, the war drums sounded. Kael went to fight.
For two years, Lyra stayed loyal. She cared for his parents. She handled his family's fragile foundation.
She tied her own fortune to the Varyn business. Their wealth multiplied many times over.
She did everything perfectly.
Kael said nothing. His gaze moved away from her. To the window.
He said, "You don't understand what happens on the battlefield."
"Selena's bond with me is born in life and death."
"I won't let her suffer."
Lyra heard the name. Her heart clenched. Like a cold hand gripped it tight.
Selena.
So that was her name.
"Do you mean only I have to suffer?" Lyra asked.
"That's not what I mean." Kael's tone softened. He tried to calm her.
"Your position is unshakable. You will always be the sole lady of the Varyn family."
What a joke.
He thought she cared only about the title. About money.
Lyra interrupted. "I want to see her."
Kael's face darkened instantly. He said no without a second thought.
"No."
"Why?"
"She is ill. She needs to rest. She cannot be disturbed."
That was his excuse.
Lyra laughed. The sound was light but full of ice. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.
So, it was not that he feared disturbing her.
He feared she would disturb her.
He was protecting that woman.
Against his lawful wife.
This marriage was a deal from the start. Both knew it.
The Varyn family needed her wealth and status.
Her family needed his war glory.
She never expected love.
She only believed in a man's promise.
Lyra stopped smiling. Her face was calm again. Distant.
She looked at the man who was both familiar and strange.
She said quietly, "Kael."
"From now on, all the business my mother left me will stop cooperating with the Varyn family."
Kael spun around sharply. His eyes were sharp knives.
Lyra smiled faintly. No warmth. Only ice.
"My business will not support another woman."