The Duke's Secret Mistress

When Frosthold's young lord falls into a coma after an attack, his wife Eshi makes a secret deal with Freman, the city's true ruler, to protect herself—and their arrangement deepens into real love as they face the scheming Oliver together. After the lord wakes and then dies, Eshi flees pregnant to a border town, where Freman silently watches over her for a year—until rebellion brings them together again, and they finally choose to face their feelings.