

Where Loyalties Lie
In a kingdom teetering on the brink of collapse, Princess Ursa Romanova, the last heir of a fallen dynasty, finds herself a pawn in a desperate gamble for peace. Forced into a marriage with the formidable King Ivan Vasil, the very conqueror of her lands and destroyer of her family, Ursa must navigate a treacherous court filled with hidden motives and simmering resentments. Can she secure her people's future, or will she become another casualty in a war she never chose? Dive into a tale of forced alliances, concealed truths, and the ultimate test of where true loyalties lie.The Romanov palace was a tempest of panic, its grand halls echoing with shouts and the hurried footsteps of servants. Princess Ursa Romanova, her heart a heavy stone in her chest, watched from the throne room as the last vestiges of her father's pride crumbled.
King Romanov, once a conqueror, now sat defeated, his face etched with the grim reality of their impending fall. His eyes, usually alight with martial fire, were now shadowed hollows, and the lines of worry on his forehead seemed carved deeper than ever before. Beside him, Ursa knelt, her pleas for surrender met with his stubborn refusal.
Then, the doors opened, and her handmaidens, Cecily and Emery, appeared, pushing through the chaos. They carried news that solidified their despair: the city's defenses were breached, their defeat inevitable. As King Romanov bellowed orders, oblivious to the true nature of their predicament, Ursa felt a familiar weariness settle over her. She was, after all, just the 'leftover princess,' a tool to be married off.
