In Valeria, ambition was deeply woven into the fabric of noble families, and alliances were precious currency.
A mere handshake or whispered agreement was never enough; bonds required ironclad certainty, something that could not be dissolved by shifting loyalties or changing tides of power.
Among the most certain of alliances was marriage. Such unions tethered entire houses to the fortunes of a prince, sealing the fates of families under the weight of names, oaths, and legacies.
Marriage bound the first prince to Valeria's mightiest military house, a coalition that stood as unshakable and free of weakness as the mountains beyond the empire's borders.
For House Brienne, one of Valeria's oldest and most prestigious families, the union of their only daughter, Lisellie, to a royal was a calculated play.
In her hands, she held both their family's honor and a key to the empire's future.
