Allyson Blackwood was born to be a queen— not to choose her own life. With a marriage arranged and only six months left before it becomes her reality, she does everything she can to ignore the quiet weight of it. Until him. Sylas was never meant to be more than her knight. Loyal. Distant. Untouchable. But in the quiet places—the rose garden, the terrace, the spaces no one sees— something begins to change. It’s not loud. Not reckless. Just lingering glances, soft words, and a presence she finds herself needing more than she should. Because Sylas would never cross the line first. But he would never leave her either. And in a world where duty comes before everything— falling for the one person she can’t have might be the only choice she’s ever truly made.