One: Alina Starkov

Alina Starkov is the bastard daughter of the Duke of Keramsov. Having grown up around royalty, she's befriended Prince Nikolai, who has decided that now they're eighteen she's the perfect girl to become his future queen. But when the King's advisor, Lord Aleksander Morozova finds out that she's a bastard he instantly steps in and challenges Nikolai to a duel forcing Alina to either accept his hand in marriage or risk the life of the crown Prince. Lord Morozova doesn't want Nikolai, whose legitimacy is already questioned, marrying another bastard so he takes it upon himself to force Alina into marriage. To save the Prince, Alina agrees and finds herself in a marriage with the most dangerous man in all of Ravka.