I've Fallen for the Empire's Greatest Villainess

Even a life that appears flawless can carry a hidden cost. Raven, the striking young heir of a ducal house sworn to protect the empire, has always regarded marriage as little more than a slow descent into misery. Content with the liberties of bachelorhood, he never imagined he would be forced to reconsider—that is, until Lady Estrella Sharen, daughter of his family's bitter rivals, approaches him with a daring offer of matrimony. The proposal alone is startling enough, but the woman behind it makes it truly perilous. Estrella Sharen is a notorious villainess whose very name inspires fear across the empire. Nothing about her should tempt a man so devoted to his independence, and yet Raven cannot shake the feeling that her fearsome reputation conceals a side of her no one else has seen. Convinced there is far more to this enigmatic lady than public rumor implies, Raven makes the unexpected choice to accept, sealing their arrangement with a formal marriage contract. What secrets truly lie behind the empire's most dreaded villainess—and what price will Raven ultimately pay for tying his fate to hers?