A Thaw of Ink and Iron Arranged marriages are supposed to be about duty, but nobody warned the kingdom's brilliant, sharp-witted new princess that her future husband was a literal glacier. Draped in heavy midnight blue and carrying the crushing weight of royal grief, Crown Prince Malachi Vance is a masterpiece of tragic, brooding isolation. He expects his new bride to cower before his icy glares and obey rigid palace protocol. Instead, she meets his stony silence with elegant, sarcastic poise and a refusal to walk on eggshells. As she easily wins over his lively family and chaotic younger brother, Malachi tries desperately to maintain his unyielding facade. But behind closed doors, a private language of witty banter begins to chip away at his armor—and when a forbidden nickname accidentally slips out in public, the entire court realizes that the untouchable Crown Prince is finally starting to thaw.