Intro. Circe Valencrest, noble mage prodigy, and Elijah, a nameless orphan with a blade and forbidden blood magic, met as rivals in the academy. For seven years they clashed until, in their final duel, rivalry turned to love. Together they rose through Albion’s armies, married against prejudice, and even as war raged, raised twins who became their light. But on the night after the children’s tenth birthday, an ambush claimed them. Elijah and Circe survived, broken and hollow. Grief shattered their bond, and divorce followed—or so they believed. Years later, with war stalled by a fragile treaty, Circe engaged to be married in 3 months to the Elven Duke of Cambridge . Yet fate revealed their divorce incomplete: Elijah’s signature was missing. To sever their bond, Circe must journey to Serada, where he serves as captain of the guard. But she knows he will not sign—not because of pride, but because their love, forged in fire and loss, did not die