Anna Wellster went to the mirror. She fixed her hair and checked the folds of her dress where it stretched across her chest.

"Wait a moment, my dear." Her elderly lady's maid pinned up a lock of hair and pushed her toward the door. "Your father won't want to wait."

Anna shivered, but she wasted no time. She feared and hated her father, and for a good reason. He was Gardwig the Twelfth, his Majesty the King of Wellster. Gardwig had ruled for over a decade and was known for his hot temper, cruelty and shrewd opportunism. He'd been married seven times and had no intention of stopping there. The Holy Throne disapproved of divorce, but they had to bend the rules for Gardwig. If a priest had ever dared to inform him that divorce went against God's law, Gardwig would have answered, "As king, I am no less than a god. I have my own laws." Any priest who tried to excommunicate him would have found himself facing a death sentence.

Gardwig won all the fights he started and most of the ones he didn't. Other countries criticized him freely, but at home in Wellster, they tried not to annoy him. As a rule, people didn't want to die just so they could present a list of their complaints to Aldonai.

In the end, Gardwig married, divorced and executed his wives whenever he saw fit. He paid his soldiers on time so they would remain loyal, and the simple folk were proud of his powerful image without caring much what he did. They were too busy planting and harvesting their crops.

Anna's mother was his second wife. She had been executed. He divorced his first wife because she was too old, but he executed his second wife for cheating on him. Despite that, he recognized Anna as his lawful daughter and sent her into the country to be educated. He divorced his third wife for giving birth to too many girls. Anna had four sisters who were raised alongside her. None of them could stand the others.

Gardwig's fourth wife died in childbirth along with the child. It was a girl, so Gardwig didn't feel too bad. His fifth wife was caught cheating and put to death before he could get her pregnant. The sixth tried for two years to give the king an heir. In the end, she threw herself at the king's feet and begged for a divorce. If she couldn't give him a son, she felt it would be a sin to deprive him of the love he deserved and the kingdom of its heir. Gardwig met her halfway, and they put the petition to the Holy Throne in her name just to keep things interesting. The religious leaders grumbled a bit, but they felt sorry for the poor woman and finally approved the divorce.

Gardwig's seventh wife proved once and for all that seven is a lucky number. Mila of Shelt, the quiet, gray-eyed daughter of a baron, with a long, thick braid of dark hair, loved her tyrant husband sincerely. She surrounded the ageing Gardwig with loving care, making sure that he ate well and giving him two sons. To top it off, she was pregnant again. Gardwig seemed to enjoy his last marriage with no thought of divorce or execution.

Anna was sure of one thing—if her father learned of her dalliance with her teacher, he would have her put to death, and even Mila wouldn't be able to dissuade him.

Buy the full book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2SnmD4U

Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited

If you like my story then please join my Facebook page: https://goo.gl/2URgxU