The Dragonless Maid's Dangerous Royal Mate

“I am a lowly "Dragonless" handmaiden in a world ruled by powerful dragon-shifting nobles. For years, I secretly loved Courtland Beaumont, the flawless heir to the fortress. When I finally gathered the courage to approach him at a grand banquet, he publicly humiliated me. Standing next to his high-born lover, he laughed and coldly declared that a worthless Dragonless girl like me would never be his type. My heart shattered. I fled the hall in tears, only to crash into a tall, terrifying stranger in the dark corridor. He grabbed my wrist hard enough to bruise, mocked my crying face, and sneered that a kitchen maid like me didn't belong there. Furious and completely broken, I lost my mind and screamed at him, calling him an arrogant, rude bastard before running away. But when my friend dragged me back to the hall for the main ceremony, my blood ran cold. The stranger I had just cursed out was standing on the high dais. He was Hardin Beaumont, the Dragon Lord's infamous, violent second son who had just returned from exile. And his dark, cruel eyes were locked right on me. I had offended both the heir I loved and the dangerous prince I feared in a single night. I kept my head down, desperately trying to sneak out the back door to escape my doomed fate. But a lazy, chilling voice suddenly echoed through the quiet crowd, stopping me in my tracks. "Leaving so soon? Is it because you look down on me, or the Beaumont family?"”