Valia, Tribute to Shuden

A wave of inexplicable phenomena sweeps across the continent, plunging the mighty Guelle Empire into fear. To appease the wrathful heavens, a sacrifice is demanded, and the royal throne seizes the opportunity by announcing a search for a tribute bride of noble birth, offering a staggering sum of money as a reward. For Valia Dean, a destitute orphan who has just survived her second brush with death, this decree presents an impossible choice. Driven by desperation to save Karl, the aging mercenary who raised her after the loss of her parents, she volunteers to become the offering, accepting what appears to be a guaranteed death sentence. Her intended groom is Marquess Shuden Gartt, a man whose fearsome reputation for slaughter is eclipsed only by the chilling emptiness of his gaze. Hardened by a lifetime of starvation, betrayal, and relentless misfortune, Valia resolves that even within the confines of marriage, she will never allow herself to love. She is certain that no amount of wealth, handsomeness, or unexpected gentleness can change her mind—nor should it matter how chivalrously he behaves or how tenderly he treats her as his wife. Yet, as she steps into the domain of a man rumored to be a monster, her unyielding resolve may face its greatest test.