Gears of the Frostbound Heart

Berya woke up in a freezing, steam-filled train yard, clutching two terrified toddlers while Directorate Enforcers chased her down. The original owner of her body was a reviled romantic who tried to elope with a smuggler, leaving Berya to face the wrath of her scheming in-laws. Fiercely proud, Berya refuses to be a victim. Discovering a magical pocket-space containing an automated factory, she throws in raw scrap and wild flax, instantly producing premium goods to feed her children and build a shadow monopoly. When her ambitious mother-in-law tries to seize control by claiming the successful business was a Directorate project under her own name, Berya ruthlessly mass-produces undeniable proof to publicly humiliate her. Yet, the return of her estranged husband, the stern Vanguard Commander Karsik, complicates everything. He silently protects her, their relationship a delicate dance of prickly defenses and unspoken longing. But as her factory expands, Karsik grows inexplicably weaker. What if her magical space isn't a miraculous cheat, but an experimental military artifact tied directly to his fading heartbeat?