In Dorian’s mind

Dorian’s POV

I rolled my eyes as I glanced out the window. Outside, a group of women were gathered in the garden, chattering away, fluttering around my estate as if they were the mistresses of the house. They were dressed in their finest, giggling and casting glances toward my home, hoping I'd notice them.

I didn’t.

I ignored their attempts to get my attention because they were nothing more than pawns. The only reason I kept them around was because their families were powerful. Greedy nobles, all of them, hungry for status and favor. If I let them believe that, when I became king, I might marry one of their daughters, then they’d remain loyal. And I needed their loyalty, even if it was built on lies.

But that wasn’t going to happen. Marriage? To one of them? No. I only wanted one woman. The woman who had consumed my every thought, every breath, since the day I laid eyes on her.

Avery.

She was the reason I was willing to start this war. Yes, there were other reasons. Things I h