The Tyrant's Rival Bride

At the glittering Zenith Gala, the shy but stubbornly defiant Jassira Kholvath is publicly humiliated. Stripped of her crest by her desperate stepmother, Jassira is branded with the exile's mark and shipped off to marry the Sovereign of the Ghul-Hearth - a ruthless tyrant infamous for butchering his brides. Jassira expects a gruesome execution. Instead, she is greeted by a stunningly handsome man she knows all too well: Rhazien, her former magical academy rival who vanished years ago. Rhazien isn’t a monster; he merely spread the gruesome rumors to keep the capital’s assassins at bay. Far from torturing her, he presents Jassira with a lavish laboratory, fiercely encouraging her to unleash the heretical magic she has spent her life suppressing. As their old academic rivalry blossoms into an obsessive, spoiled romance, Jassira meticulously dismantles her treacherous family’s empire from the shadows. When Jassira’s stepmother realizes the 'monster' is actually a magnificent, wealthy lord, she desperately attempts to swap the brides back. But Jassira’s trap is already set, and her favored sister is about to be handed off to a true nightmare. Can a marriage built on old rivalries and dark magic survive the catastrophic vengeance they are about to unleash?