Bastian

Summary of the Bastian

He knew how to play the game, but his bloodline wasn't enough. People whispered behind their hands, calling him names even though he'd clawed his way into respectable circles through sheer cunning. His grandmother was a dealer, his grandfather... well, let's just say he dealt in things others discarded.

And then there was Odette von Dyssen. A princess who lost everything and ended up scrubbing floors or selling day labor to survive? That seemed like one of life’s cruel jokes. He saw her potential – someone with that faded aristocracy could be his perfect pawn, a stepping stone disguised as mutual benefit.

He thought the deal was brilliant: a scrap dealer finds a princess, they marry under a temporary contract, each helping the other rise. It was supposed to be a win-win, a carefully crafted alliance for revenge and renewal wrapped in silk and circumstance.

But things went sideways fast. Bastian Klauswitz – that's his name now, isn't it? – thought he had Odette cornered by her desperation. He figured she'd leap at the chance to escape poverty just like he did. Boy was he wrong.

The damage? It felt insurmountable. His carefully built reputation as a sharp, ambitious player in the "Bastian" series suddenly looked tarnished and cheap. And Odette... well, what happened to her now?