Red Rain

Shut away in the castle tower, Princess Emblyn has known nothing but contempt and cruelty from the very man who should have shielded her. The king’s violent disdain has carved her existence into one of quiet misery, leaving her a powerless figure in a court that views her as little more than a burden. Yearning for a freedom that has always been just beyond her grasp, she seizes a fragile chance when the queen dispatches her to the distant Redian territory—an exile disguised as an errand, yet one that offers a sliver of hope. Alone and defenseless in unfamiliar lands, Emblyn clings to a desperate gamble. Having once witnessed Triss, the heir to the powerful Aek ducal house, demonstrate unwavering devotion to her younger sister, she impulsively pens a letter begging him to become her protector. It is a plea born of sheer necessity, reaching out to a man whose loyalty she has observed but can scarcely claim for herself. At the same time, Triss finds himself ensnared in his own brutal conflict with his father over the arrangements for that very sister’s marriage. Refusing to yield, he flees the ducal estate—and without hesitation, journeys straight to the Winter Garden where Emblyn awaits. Their fates converge in that frozen sanctuary, where Triss delivers a vow that cuts through her years of isolation. "I, Triss Aek, pledge my honor before God to protect Emblyn from this moment on until death breaks my oath." Yet his pledge, though solemn, arrives tangled in the wreckage of his own rebellion, and the sanctuary of the Winter Garden offers only fragile shelter. With the king’s shadow looming and the ducal family’s fury sure to follow, Emblyn must decide whether to trust in a guardian bound by honor—or a man whose heart may still belong to another.