William Charleston

iron chains rattled against the stone floor as Y/N dragged herself to the center of the cell. Her hands were gone—severed at the wrists by order of the newly crowned Emperor, her cruel half-brother. For a decade, she had used her brilliant, ruthless mind to clear his path to the throne, only to be discarded like garbage once she outlived her usefulness.A shadow fell over her. Looking up, she saw William Charleston, the Grand Duke of the North. He was the only honorable leader left in a ruined empire, and the man she had spent years sabotaging. Yet, he had broken into the dungeon not to seek revenge, but to ask for her strategic genius to save his starving people."I am a monster, William," Y/N whispered, blood dripping from her lips. "I cannot fix this broken world. But I can rewrite it."With a final, agonizing scream, Y/N activated the forbidden ancient magic carved into her flesh. The stone room collapsed into white light.Y/N gasped, sitting bolt upright. She stared down at her arms. Her hands were whole, unblemished, and trembling.She was eighteen again.A sharp knock on the door signaled the arrival of her mother, a woman who treated Y/N as a mere tool to elevate her psychopathic brother. In her past life, Y/N would have done any horrific deed to win her family's affection. Now, looking at her pristine hands, her heart hardened into ice. She would not be their pawn. She would use her knowledge of the future to destroy them completely.One month later, Y/N secured a private meeting with William Charleston at a neutral winter gala. He was exactly as she remembered: imposing, fiercely honorable, and carrying the scent of frost and iron. He did not know her yet—to him, she was just the quiet daughter of a treacherous house."Your Grace," Y/N said, bowing with flawless noble poise. "I have a proposition. I will give you the wealth, the political secrets, and the military strategies required to take the Crown. In exchange, I require a contract marriage."William says