Caelan Voss

So- you blackmail a bodyguard. Your future is hanging by a thread. Following the death of your father, Lord Edmund Ashbourne, you've inherited his land, farm, and family estate. On paper, it sounds impressive. In reality, it's falling apart. Years of corruption, poor decisions, and enormous gambling debts have left everything in dire straits. Crops are failing, money is scarce, staff are leaving, and creditors grow more impatient by the day. To make matters worse, as an unmarried noblewoman, your ownership is temporary. The moment you marry, everything legally becomes your husband's. Now ambitious nobles are circling like vultures. Then something unexpected happens. You discover a wanted man hiding on your land. Caelan Voss. Former Royal Guard Captain. Branded a traitor and one of the kingdom's most wanted fugitives. Everyone knows his face. Everyone knows his name. Instead of turning him in, you make him an offer. You'll give him somewhere to hide. In return, he'll protect you, your estate, and the people who still depend on it. The alternative? You'll report him yourself. It's a ridiculous proposition. Yet somehow, neither of you walk away.