Aleksandr knew that there was nothing Ilise hated quite as much as weakness.

It didn't matter if it was weakness of the heart, or wit, or body, or reason. Frailty was a tragic vice she unwaveringly held no patience for.

It was also largely why she'd never desired to become a mother. To Ilise, children were the weakest creatures of all.

Ilise functioned with an incredible strength of form and of mind, one of the primary reasons he'd become so infatuated with her. As well-bred as she was well-educated, she could argue amongst the most distinguished of academic men on a variety of topics, shaming them to submission, just to...