💌 AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hi, and welcome to Chandragad. 🩸

This is the first book in the Raktapushp Chronicles - a multiverse of dark historical romances, all set in the same fictional empire, all connected by one bloodline, one curse, and one cursed ruby that refuses to stay buried. Every book stands alone with its own couple, but if you stick around for the whole series, you'll start noticing the threads that tie them all together.

What this story has: morally grey characters who do questionable things for the people they love, a possessive and intense hero, a heroine who is soft-hearted but never weak, political scheming, real war stakes, a slow unraveling of trust between two people who start out as enemies, and a love story I promise you will feel in your chest long after the last chapter. This is a tragedy - I'm telling you that upfront, not to spoil it, but because I want you to feel every soft moment knowing what it's building toward.

What this story does not support: This is fiction, set in a fictional empire, and nothing in it is meant to reflect or comment on real history, real politics, or real people. The possessiveness and darkness in this book are written as complicated, sometimes harmful dynamics within a story - not as a template for real relationships. Nothing here is meant to romanticize actual abuse, and no character's cruelty is framed as something a real partner should replicate or excuse. Please read with that lens, and please don't take any of this as relationship advice. 😅

This book is intended for mature/18+ readers due to violence and intimate content.

Thank you for being here. I poured a lot of my heart into this one. 🕯️

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TRIGGER WARNINGS

Historical Dark Romance
War and battle violence
Captivity / forced imprisonment
Torture (of a secondary character)
Character death
Blood and injury detail
Arranged/political marriage under duress
Possessive and controlling behavior
Death of a parent (past, referenced)
Political betrayal and manipulation
Pregnancy under dangerous/secretive circumstances
Grief and mourning themes throughout
Mild-to-moderate sexual content

Reader discretion advised. Please prioritize your own wellbeing - skip forward or step away if any of this isn't right for you today.

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TROPES

Historical Indian Romance
Dark Romance
Enemy captor x captive
Forced proximity → obsession
Possessive / morally grey hero
Forbidden love across class lines
Secret marriage
Hidden pregnancy
Arranged marriage (political, not between the leads)
Slow-burn tenderness inside a fast-burn power dynamic
Royal court intrigue & betrayal
War-time romance
Only-she-can-reach-him
Tragic / bittersweet ending
Generational curse / dynasty saga

~With love,
Relle Aster