To everyone’s surprise, it was Argan who was the first to speak.

The crown prince burst into laughter and wiped a tear from his eyes. If he was being honest, there had been a moment when he had feared for his fate.

For all her flaws, Argan would take Asinara over a Wenge brute any day!

“Brother, congratulations!” Pushing back his seat, Argan happily approached Nikolai, practically skipping.

The crown prince clapped the Lord of Feldgrau’s shoulders, disregarding the dark look on the other’s face.

Argan smirked, “Your duty to the country is admirable, brother.” He snickered, unable to hold it in. “Your husband will surely take good care of you. But not to worry, if he mistreats you!” The prince pounded his chest sarcastically. “This brother will defend your honor.”

Nikolai turned his steely glare to his idiot of a brother, but the effect was lost as the other was doubled over with laughter.

The rest of the room was a lot more restrained. However, they were also unclear whether to laugh or cry in such a situation. It was… absurd. However, they feared the wrath of the Wenge delegation too much to make any noise. What if the Raven General took offense?

Their eyes glanced at the king and queen. The royal couple sat calmly. In fact, the king looked close to falling asleep.

The court glanced at one another. To make a son wed another man when he had no preferences for it… the act was practically cruel. Some eyes drifted over to the Lady Asinara. Although the woman’s face held no expression, those closer to her noticed the pale shade of her usually vibrant skin.

From his seat, Argan was still doubled over in his own joy. It was the only noise in the entire ballroom.

A chair screeched as a figure stood.

“Worry not, brother-in-law,” called a booming voice. The Raven General smiled under the golden mask.

The room stared in shock at the fearsome figure. Although the volume of their voice carried throughout the room, the occupants of the room did a double-take. The voice did not belong to a man!

The Raven General unclasped their golden mask. The inky silk that tied it together fell into a dark pile.

The general set it down gently. The heavy metal clanged loudly against the wooden table. They lowered their hood, shaking their hair out, revealing the wild curly mane that had been attempted at being contained by the high ponytail and braids.

The young woman cut a striking figure, like a true warrior goddess sprung from legend. There was a wild beauty in the fiery eyes and sun-kissed skin.

The crowd was suddenly awed. They nodded in understanding. Of course! The Raven General was a woman.

Argan spit out his drink. The servants dodged swiftly as the liquid flew through the air.

The Raven General was supposed to be a brute, a monster of legends… not a gorgeous foreign beauty with eyes like pools of sunlight! The crown prince's hung open.

The sentiment was echoed in the mind of more than one person in the room.

But just as fast as the revelation came, the shock took over. The fearsome Raven General of Wenge was a woman? Since when! The entire ballroom erupted in outrage. Their shock won over the fear as the silence was shattered. Even the servants began to chatter loudly with one another. The news would be known throughout the entire city by morning.

The burst of voices transformed the room into a symphony of shocked and bewildered conversation.

Compared to the masked general who had sat still for hours, the unveiled Raven General was bright and expressive. The young woman’s face filled with amusement as the reveal of her true nature shocked the entire court of Eburean. Unbeknownst to the crowd, the Raven General had been ordered by Fadye himself to remain hidden and silent until the treaty was revealed. The young woman recalled her father’s stern reminders as he emphasized the importance of her silence.

Powerful families such as the Vellwards and Langards reeled from the shock. So, this was the secret that Fadye had been desperate to keep under wraps. This fact could change everything. Who would have expected the barbarian chief to name a woman as his heir?

It suddenly made sense why they had been so protective over the Raven General’s identity.

Even the queen’s victorious smirk had faltered. She stared at the female general, baffled by the mere idea of it.

Besides the queen, the king looked at the young woman knowingly. His gaze was serene and thoughtful. Arganus recognized those bright eyes. The chief’s main wife had also carried with her the same stunning amber gaze.

Turning towards her husband, Queen Rewanna suddenly realized why the man had agreed to her seemingly crazy proposal. Of course, the king wouldn’t be so cruel or foolish to marry his son into a political prison. He had to have known somehow that the heir of Fadye was not who most thought they were. But how?

The woman calmed herself down.

A young woman, practically a girl, no matter her… battle experience, was sure to need a guiding hand. The queen strengthened her resolve. If anything, this only made her plan stronger. She assured herself, repeating the mantra in her head.

“Are we really sure she’s a woman?” someone asked.

A pause of silence followed the question.

The Raven General let out a booming laugh, startling the nobles in the room at its unruliness. “Would you like to check?” she asked.

There was a bewildered pause.

“No!” screamed the red-faced noble. “It… That would be unnecessary.”

The Raven General shrugged impassively… as if she hadn’t just offered to undress in front of the entire court.

The barbarians were truly unfathomable, they thought. Their guarded looks returned as they remembered who it was they were dealing with. This was the same Raven General that had executed the eight enemy chiefs with her own blade. It was said the Raven General had even personally delivered the heads to their tribes. The crazier stories claimed that the general even kept their blood, dining on it after the battle to grow their strength.

Meanwhile, the delegates around the Raven General looked defeated, clearly used to the young woman’s brash ways. Not to mention, they also respected the war hero too much to do anything about it.

The king gestured for the Raven General to step forward.

He held the treaty in his hands. “What is your name, child?”

The Raven General inclined their head respectfully. “This one is Faye, named after my father, Chief Fadye.” Her voice was unlike any noblewoman as it echoed proudly across the considerably large ballroom.

The nobles raised their eyebrows and shot knowing looks at one another. Faye was not only the successor to Fadye but also the equivalent of the crown princess of Wenge.

“Daughter of Fadye,” said the king. The older man got to his feet unsteadily but held out the treaty with a firm grip. “Do you accept this proposal and treaty on behalf of the Wenge clan? By doing so, you combine our houses and take my blood as your house.”

That was right, the court suddenly glanced over at the Lord of Feldgrau… the soon-to-be husband of the unruly barbarian general and princess.

Adopting a serious expression, the Raven General strode forward.

As she bowed, her mess of curls fell across her face. Reaching out to accept the treaty, the young woman straightened and announced, “Raven General Faye, Daughter of Fadye and Heir of Wenge,” her words rang through the ballroom. “Accepts this treaty of peace.”

A simultaneous sigh of relief loosened the shoulders of all in the room.

The court filled with polite applause as the Raven General took a quill and signed their own name onto the piece of paper. She held the signed treaty up in the air for all to see.

One of the Wenge delegates stood. “When the wedding commences at the hour of the wolf, our treaty shall be complete.”

The Raven General finally turned towards her newly betrothed.

But the young man was already staring straight at her. His handsome face held a mix of anger and confusion, more expressive than most were used to seeing on the second prince.

The lord’s bright blue eyes were clouded. He uttered a single word.

“You.”

The Raven General lifted their eyes to meet their soon-to-be husband.

“Me,” she confirmed, smirk playing on her lips.

The court watched the weird interaction, unsure what to make of it. Did the Lord of Feldgrau know the Raven General?

Nikolai’s lip pursed. There was much he wanted to say, but the shock froze him in place. The pieces were starting to come together.

The bright expression faded from the Raven General’s face. The silence grew the longer the two stared. Her own mask of seriousness fell into place.

Crossing his arms, the lord chuckled darkly to himself. He cursed his stupidity.

Of course, the maid knew about the Raven General! It was no wonder the other servants followed her lead and did as she commanded. She was their princess! The maid was the Raven General. Iliana was actually Faye. And Faye was the daughter of Fadye and the next chief of the Wenge clan.

For some reason, the only thought currently going through his mind as he stared at those familiar amber eyes was: “I knew that wasn’t her real name.”

Like a wave, anger rolled through him. Wenge and the queen had colluded to trap him into a dead-end. Nikolai’s fists clenched. He had been a fool to assume that there was a chance they could be allies.

He turned away from his fiancé and stared blankly in the opposite direction, facing his back to her.

The lords and ladies gaped at the action. It was clear this arranged marriage was not approved by the Lord of Feldgrau.

The queen suddenly interrupted, “Do you two know each other?” As much as she tried to hide it, suspicion colored her words.

The Raven General straightened. The young woman turned to the queen. Nikolai tensed, eyes flashing.

Before the lord could interject, Faye spoke, “Yes, Your Majesty.” She paused for the briefest of moments, before announcing, “We met in the city earlier.”

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The lord cursed under his breath as piercing eyes dug into his form.

Sneering, the queen said sharply. “And here we were told the lord was resting from his travels when he was instead gallivanting with women in the city.”

No one dared to mention that there were other things that a young man could be doing in a city, or that gallivanting with women sounded more like something the crown prince would do as opposed to his infamously stoic and cold-faced elder brother.

Even the king seemed disturbed by the news. A dark cloud formed by his brows as he turned sharply toward the second prince.

Fate was truly against him tonight. The Lord of Feldgrau opened his mouth, a defense on the tip of his tongue.

But he was once again interrupted by his newly intended as the Raven General explained, “You misunderstand, Your Majesty.” She laughed sheepishly, the sharp sound drowning out the other noise.

Nikolai winced and scowled. The young woman really did not know the words quiet or demure... or, really, anything that would usually be associated with a proper young lady trained in the ways of the court and noble families. The Lord of Feldgrau was not a believer in the superiority of noble blood. But he did know people, especially those of court and power, and how an uncultured wife would help lose his place in their hearts.

“The lord and I met when we were both entering the city this morning. I saw him as our entourages crossed paths.” She tilted her head, as if genuinely confused. “Where else would we have met?”

The tone hardened. Suddenly, it was the ruthless Raven General that was speaking. “Do you take me for the type that fools around?” Slight anger colored her accented voice. “Or how else would I be in such a place that a lord could,” she paused on the word, “gallivant?”

The Wenge delegation behind Faye also shot the queen questioning looks. A tense atmosphere suddenly enveloped the celebration. The treaty had only just been signed. Some eyes fell to the legendary blade by the Raven General’s hip.

Faltering, the queen could only stammer out an apology. “I mean no offense, general. This mother has been stressed in preparing the festivities and your ceremony,” she bowed her head, “forgive me for jumping to conclusions.”

The Raven General’s demeanor brightened. The room gaped. Did the young woman have split personalities? To be able to switch moods so fast...

Faye waved the queen’s worries away. “It is fine so long as the misunderstanding is cleared.”

The queen smiled tightly. She wasn’t sure if it was a good sign or not that the matter had been dismissed so easily. The woman gestured towards the servants who hurried to replace the general’s seat. They carried the chair across the floor and set it carefully onto the vacant spot at the royal table. Right next to the glowering Lord of Feldgrau.

Queen Rewanna welcomed the Raven General forward. “Please General, you will be family before dawn. Come join us at the royal table.”

To have a non-royal sit at the royal table had never been heard of before, even for the most esteemed of guests. It belayed the true intention and importance the royal family placed on the alliance. The marriage was a serious matter. The smarted members of court realized the move for what it was. If the royal family had control over Fadye’s successor… The implications were clear.

The queen had rolled her dice. Now, it was only a question of whether her gamble would pay off.

Unfazed by the change, the Raven General merely nodded her thanks. “In that case Your Majesty, please refer to this one as Faye.”

“Of course… Faye.” the queen smiled. She shot a victorious smirk to a blank-faced Nikolai. The young man’s stony expression was worth more than anything and had glee filling her heart.

All the eyes in the room followed the Raven General as she took her seat by the Lord of Feldgrau’s side. Despite sitting side by side, there was a great distance between the two. Literally. There was as much space in between the two seats as possible.

It made them look more like enemies than soon-to-be newlyweds.

As the conversation flowed, and a semblance of normality returned to the space, Faye finally took her first bite of food. She hummed appreciatively at the meal. The queen had prepared a mix of Wenge delicacies with the more traditional foods of Eburean.

The lord beside her didn’t even bother to look up.

The young woman shrugged and worked away at the food. She was like a ravenous wolf, digging into the meal with no sense of decorum or elegance.

Some of the young ladies who snuck a glance were appalled and quickly looked away. To make the handsome lord marry such a brute… They cried in their hearts. It was so unfair!

In contrast, Nikolai pushed the food around on his plate. He set the utensil down with a sense of finality.

“You knew who I was,” he murmured lowly.

The Raven General paused. They tilted their head, but their gaze was still focused on their food. “My father had portraits sent to me.”

“And when was that?” Nikolai’s hands formed tight fists in his lap.

Faye snorted, “A year ago, my lord.”

Amber eyes glanced at Nikolai knowingly. “You should be thankful I did not place an arrow in the heart of your spy.”

Clenching the edge of his seat, the Lord of Feldgrau looked away and stared blankly into the crowd.

Wenge had known he would be inquiring… and had worked to keep him in the dark about the engagement. The Lord of Feldgrau could only begin to imagine why. Quite frankly, not a single good reason came to mind.

From the corners of his eyes, he could see Asinara try to make eye contact and a still-stunned Cristin attempt to make his way forward through the crowd, but the young man paid them no heed.

All this time, he had thought there was a chance to gain an upper hand in the situation… only to realize that those around him had already dealt their hands.

A chair screeched as it was pushed back forcefully.

Tossing his napkin on the table, the Lord of Feldgrau made his exit.

He had already served his purpose at the banquet. They could call him when the wedding was supposed to start.

Behind him, Rewanna’s smirking face followed his movements, victory gleamed in her eyes.

—

The private guest room of the Lord of Feldgrau was silent.

Cristin stared at his brooding liege. He opened his mouth to say something but then wisely chose to close it.

The attendant sighed. The man scratched the back of his head. How could they have ever expected that this would happen? He sighed again. This was his fault. He had failed as an intelligence master to not have been able to gather such an important piece of information.

Cristin sunk to his knees. He lowered his head guiltily. “It is my fault-“

"I told you not to send more men." Nikolai let out a loud breath and shook his head. He had feared alerting Rewanna to his movements, but now... “It is I who am at fault. We have been so focused on our plans, I… I was foolish in not watching Rewanna closer.” He rubbed the space between his brows. “I only hope my lack of judgment has not led us all to doom.”

Cristin shook his head.

He approached the lord and placed a comforting hand on the tense shoulder. “Even if it is so, Feldgrau and her people will gladly fight till the bitter end.”

They both knew it to be true.

But the words offered little comfort to Nikolai. That was not what he wanted… However, now he feared that the only path was one that would boil down to war and bloodshed.

The lord’s piercing gaze met Cristin’s. “There is nothing that could annul it?”

The attendant sighed and shook their head. “Not unless we risk breaking the treaty.”

The two men had spent an hour just pouring over copies of the treaty.

The lord rubbed a tired hand across his exhausted face.

The bag of sweet bread sat on the table, untouched.

The young man straightened. “This castle is too dangerous.” He frowned, “I underestimated how much power Rewanna has amassed for herself.”

Cristin frowned as well. “What should we do?”

Nikolai’s lips quirked slightly. “The Prince’s residence.”

The attendant’s brows furrowed.

The Prince’s residence was the ancestral capital estate of the Feldgrau family. It had been named the Prince’s residence as the heads of the Feldgrau family had left it to the two sons of Feldgrau and their lady mother. The residence was as old as the capital itself. Sitting in the center of the city, the plot of land and the luxurious mansion that sat on it, although not quite as big as the Feldgrau castle, was larger than the estates of most nobles.

Living there, Nikolai would have more power over his own estate, but more importantly, privacy. The queen would find it hard to watch his every move as she did in the castle. Even with her influence, it would take a while to plant loyal spies.

Although they had not planned on using it, Nikolai had sent men to prepare the estate as a contingency. There was a already a group of loyal soldiers stationed as servants within the Prince's residence. Now, it was just the matter of moving in.

It would have been deemed inappropriate for Nikolai to move in before, but using his anger at the wedding as the excuse, none would dare stand in the way of the furious prince.

Later, they could say it was a move of privacy for the newlywed couple.

Cristin nodded. It was a good strategy. A small blessing in disguise.

“When do we leave?” he asked excitedly.

The lord had not given up. Energy returned to the young man’s eyes. The tables may have been turned on them but it didn’t mean all was lost.

“Tonight,” replied the lord. “Inform all of our people to begin as soon as possible. The situation in the capital is worse than we assumed.” He clenched his fists.

Their stay was going to be a lot longer than expected.

Nikolai turned to Cristin, frustrated anger boiled in the usually cold but confident eyes.

“This marriage has ruined everything.” With one move, Rewanna has crumbled all of their hard work. The lord stood and brushed himself off.

There went their hope of establishing a politically beneficial marriage. The treaty did not allow Nikolai any power over the Wenge troops. The Raven General was still Fadye’s heir. The treaty allowed her to leave for campaigns as she wished but she was sworn not to attack the crown. Without the promise of a marriage match and the lack of power and sway the Feldgrau family held over the capital, Nikolai’s value to the noble families had significantly decreased. He held no legal power over his wife, but she contained his power to Feldgrau.

He had to give it to Rewanna. It was a genius move to stay his hand and ensure peace from Wenge when she placed her son on the throne. It was almost a pity that all of this was lost on Argan.

A resentment festered in Nikolai's heart. Unbidden, his mind flashed with the image of a lonely prison cell hidden in icy mountains. Nikolai murmured an apology in his heart.

It did not matter. Sham marriage or not, Nikolai would not let Rewanna win.

“After the wedding, I will not stay in this cursed castle for another second.” He turned to Cristin. “Send a letter out to inform Feldgrau of what had happened. Tell the men to start moving our supplies now.” Nikolai paused, “And send a letter to Dacey.”

Cristin raised a brow. “Saying what?”

The Lord of Feldgrau clasped his hands behind his back. “Tell Dacey to bring forty of our best men and the fastest horses we have and lead them down here. I want them here as soon as possible.”

Rewanna may have set the board, but the next move would be theirs. Nikolai would make sure of it. But to do that, the lord needed to have people he could trust by his side.

At the order, Cristin’s eyes widened, but he was fast to bow his head in acknowledgment. He nodded.

“Right away, my lord.”

And hurried to finish the tasks.

Nikolai stood in the empty room. He let out a heavy sigh.

—

A group of horsemen rode towards the grand castle. Their arrival went unnoticed in the rowdiness of the different festivities taking place across the capital. The horses they rode were all magnificent creatures, but one, its coat a bright red and riderless, stood out from the others.

It tossed its head spiritedly and the other horses gave it a wide berth as they all galloped forward.

The group continued to ride down the path towards their destination. They had a wedding to attend, after all.

The leader reigns his horse back. He stared up at the stone castle. The others behind him fell to a rolling stop as well. The red-coated horse brayed loudly. It took the two riders beside it to calm it down.

From the castle, a stable boy quickly ran out to greet them.

He bowed lowly, “My lords, can I-” The boy glanced up and froze. His tiny face paled and the boy’s frame quivered with fear.

The leader was twice the size of a normal man. Although he was clothed in animal leather from head to toe, it did nothing to hide his rippling muscles. He could probably crush a person with his bare hands. There was a deep scar on his left cheek, and his eyes were dark and unforgiving. They were the eyes of a killer.

He and the other warriors behind him were covered in wolf pelts. On their shields were the carved insignia of the Wenge tribe as well as a small engravings of a howling wolf.

The leader stared unimpressed at the boy. “Take us to your stables,” he grunted. The voice was gruff and the heavy accent made it hard to understand.

“Of, of course,” stammered out the boy. He looked close to tears but did his job and led the way.

Following closely behind, the Wolf scoffed. His dark eyes searched for the royal flags billowing in the air and studied them intently.

He had tried for years to break into the capital… and to think that a wedding was the key to finally accessing it. If it was his personality to do so, the Wolf would have laughed at the irony of it. Instead, he dragged his horse along and followed the lad into the stables.

As they reached the wooden structure, a voice suddenly called out.

"Uncle!"

The Wolf lifted his eyes. He let out a rueful grin. The large man bowed his head low in greeting. The warriors behind him hurried to kneel at the approaching figure.

Amber eyes gleamed in the night.

The Wolf's usual sneer lessened. He almost had a fond look on his scarred face.

"Raven General."