"The Unwanted Bride, or A Winter’s Tale at the Academy of Magic" by Anna Jane, summary Automatic translate

Anna Jane’s novel was written in 2021 and published in 2022 under the title "Heir to the Black Dragon" as the first installment of the "Unwanted Bride" series. Its plot is built on a blend of academic fantasy, courtly struggle, and a forced engagement, which, from the very beginning, stems not only from personal drama but also from a long-held legacy connected to the black dragon. The protagonist, Isabelle Bertheil, experiences the Night of Winter’s Fulfillment not at a ball, but in the rector’s office, where she ends up after being attacked by several senior students. From the very first scenes, it’s clear that Böll is accustomed to maintaining dignity even when humiliation is almost inevitable, and this inner composure becomes one of her key character traits.

A festive night, when it’s customary to make wishes, changes her life abruptly and without warning. Böll asks for true love, but instead of quiet happiness, she receives a magical connection with Crown Prince Darrell, a proud, caustic man clearly unwilling to see her as his chosen one or his equal. Their engagement emerges not as a romantic choice, but as an almost violent twist of fate, which leaves both dependent on ancient rules and the decisions of others.

It quickly becomes clear that there’s more to the matter than just the strange engagement. Old secrets surrounding Böll begin to surface, and her name becomes linked to the legacy of a black dragon, about which others know more than she does. From an ordinary student at a magic academy, she transforms into a figure watched by aristocrats, mages, and those hoping to exploit her heritage for their own ends.

The academic part of the plot doesn’t fade into the background, because it’s in Everlane that Böll must live alongside people who sometimes hate her, sometimes fear her, sometimes try to subjugate her. Her engagement to the prince makes her a visible target: every word, every gesture, every dance at the ball takes on political and personal meaning. Böll and Darrell’s relationship is long based on mutual irritation, ridicule, and a struggle for the right to stand firm.

Darrell is portrayed not only as the arrogant heir to an empire, but also as a man conditioned from childhood to live under the pressure of power, duty, and the expectations of others. Therefore, his rudeness is often combined with jealousy, outbursts of protectiveness, and the anxiety he tries to hide even from those closest to him. Böll, for her part, doesn’t dissolve into the role of the prince’s fiancée: she argues, is stubborn, responds to barbs with barbs, and refuses to accept the imposed order as natural.

As events unfold, the circle of danger around the heroine tightens. She must navigate not only the nature of her own power, but also old agreements between powerful houses, the roots of hatred lingering from the past, and why her fate seems to have been determined long before her birth. Against this backdrop, her engagement to Darrell appears in two senses: as a threat to her personal freedom and as a fragile defense against those who would seek to obtain it in other ways.

Additional tension is created by the other men around Böll and the court circle itself, where any alliance easily turns into a test of loyalty. A dangerous warlock also appears in the plot, whose attention to the heroine only heightens the anxiety, as he is connected to a world of magic that even the strong fear. Against the backdrop of such figures, Darrell’s jealousy ceases to be simply the whim of a spoiled prince and becomes part of his inner struggle to retain the woman he initially barely tolerated.

Gradually, a significant shift occurs between Böll and Darrell. They still spar and argue, but at critical moments they begin to act as allies, and a growing trust emerges beneath the familiar hostility. Böll sees in the prince more than just a cold heir to the throne, while Darrell notices that before him is not a convenient figure for a dynastic plan, but a lively, bold, and stubborn woman capable of changing the course of his thoughts and actions.

In the middle section of the novel, the feelings between them grow stronger against a backdrop of balls, conversations, clashes with rivals, and constant pressure from the imperial entourage. This is especially evident in scenes where Darrel reacts painfully to Böll’s attentions to Ashtan and no longer hides his jealousy even from his closest confidantes, Art and Call. These episodes demonstrate that the previous pattern of "obligatory hatred" is no longer working, because emotional dependence has already developed, although neither of them can calmly and directly name it.

The final chapters lead the characters to a celebration in the Sky Castle, where tension briefly gives way to an almost happy intimacy. After much barbs, arguments, and internal resistance, Böll and Darrell finally allow themselves to kiss, and this moment feels not like a casual concession, but rather an acknowledgement that their connection has become personal, not merely magical or political.

But there’s no denouement in the usual sense. Almost immediately after the scene of intimacy, a madman appears in the Marble Hall, screaming of a Guest emerging from the Sea of Dreams, of the dark god’s command, and of the destruction of the world, which even Arthas’s daughter cannot prevent. The man is immediately led away by guards, but his words shatter the sense of festive peace and leave the heroes facing a new, far darker threat, which is where the first part ends.