I returned to Caldrith to save my sister but now I’m trapped, a prisoner in my own court.

My sister is alive, tortured, and hidden by the man who raised me, and I stormed the castle to save her. Now I’m trapped behind gilded walls, forced to smile at suitors who might be assassins, while the rebel king I love pretends to be my bodyguard. Every stolen glance could expose us. Every touch is a risk we can’t afford to take.

Trew followed me into enemy territory, disguising himself to stay at my side. But my father suspects something, and the castle is crawling with spies. If anyone discovers who Trew truly is, he’ll die in the same dungeons where my sister suffered. I need to find her and discover why my mother’s name keeps surfacing in connection to the wasteland’s darkest secrets.

Twenty-three innocent people are scheduled to die on the upcoming Day of Mercy, and my father has told me I must choose a husband to control me before that time. And somewhere beyond these walls, a conspiracy is unfolding that connects my bloodline to the magic my kingdom has spent decades trying to eradicate.

I’ve worn the mask of a dutiful princess for sixteen years. Now it’s cracking, and everyone will see what lies beneath. I wield forbidden magic. I love a rebel king. And I will burn my father’s kingdom to the ground before I let anyone I love die.

Mercy wore a white mask. Vengeance wears a crown.