I totally messed things up! Choosing between going back from the capital to my hometown village and a dubious bargain with a handsome aristocrat, I consciously chose the second. He promised to pay for my education at the academy, and all that was required of me was to become his magical “anchor.” Only he somehow forgot to warn me that his power is dark, that in his subordinates there are living shadows, and that for him I’m simply a way to hide his forbidden magic. And it doesn’t matter that we’re supposedly married — it’s temporary and just for the sake of the deal. Now I’ll have to somehow master someone else’s darkness, keep our communication secret, find a way to get a grant for my studies, and, most importantly, do everything possible not to fall in love with the one… who doesn’t need me.