When the Count’s Secret Daughter Marries

Orphaned and unwanted, Laritte never knew true kindness until she's thrust into a chilling arrangement. As an illegitimate daughter, she endures years of silent suffering under the Count's roof, a mere shadow beside her cruel half-sister, Rose. But fate takes a sinister turn when the Count, desperate for wealth, decides to use Laritte as a pawn in a twisted game of marriage. In this gothic romance story, Laritte is offered as a substitute bride to a notorious Duke, rumored to be dead, fulfilling an old contract in exchange for a hefty sum. The Duke was supposedly ambushed and killed while returning from war, making the marriage a symbolic sacrifice—a life sentence of desolate widowhood for Laritte. Bound by duty and with no escape, Laritte is sent to the Duke’s imposing estate, bracing herself for a life of mourning and isolation. But whispers of the Duke's survival begin to surface, turning her grim expectations upside down. He lives, scarred and reclusive, haunted by the horrors of war. As Laritte tends to the Duke's wounds, a fragile bond forms between them. She sees beyond his disfigurement and finds a broken soul yearning for solace. Their shared vulnerability ignites an unexpected passion, defying the darkness that surrounds them. But their newfound connection is threatened by lurking enemies—those who want the Duke dead and will stop at nothing to ensure his demise. Laritte, once powerless, must now find strength within herself to protect the man she has come to love. As she navigates treacherous court politics and battles shadowy figures, she begins to unearth long-buried secrets that could shatter the very foundation of the kingdom. Will Laritte and the Duke overcome the conspiracies and betrayals that surround them, or will their love be sacrificed at the altar of power? And can Laritte, the illegitimate daughter, finally find her place in a world that has always sought to diminish her?