Baroness Goes on Strike
Volume 1 - Print Edition
Although Baroness Cassia is on her deathbed, she's relieved that it means she's finally free from her loveless marriage to her mercenary husband, Zester. Oh, how she regrets her tireless efforts to keep his territory afloat! If only she had taken more time for herself. Her wish becomes reality when Cassia wakes up to find herself ten years back in the past. With this second chance, she's determined to live a stress-free life. But can Cassia find the courage to rebel against Zester? Or is she doomed to repeat her nightmare of a past life?
Cassia vowed this life would be stress-free - no wars, no politics, and definitely no chasing after her husband. But when Zester marches off to Viscount Viche's territorial war, Cassia has no choice but to follow... But Viche's ploys are dirtier than expected, and Cassia soon finds herself entangled in power plays, backroom deals, and a husband far too naïve for his own good. And just when she thinks she's got the upper hand, Zester starts to act different - gentler, warmer... dangerously close to the man she once wished he could be. One misstep, and Cassia won't just risk her hard-won peace - she might lose herself to him all over again.
From one territorial dispute to the next, Cassia knows the pattern too well. Another war looms, and with it the certainty that Zester will once again leave for battle to keep Greze afloat. Yet fate has shifted its footing. Caught between unease and resolve, Cassia reaches out to the family she once cut ties with in her previous life, beginning with a father she long believed cold. In doing so, she returns to Ruberno alongside Zester for the first time in years. The city welcomes her warmly, and for a fleeting moment, everything seems to fall into place. Except for Zester. To the Rubernos, he is unworthy of standing beside a woman so clearly above his station. Their quiet disdain hardens into trials, each one demanding that Zester prove the sincerity of his devotion in ways neither of them anticipated. And as prosperity begins to bloom, the shadows of Cassia's past stir once more. Will this fragile happiness endure, or will the tides turn again?