In the kingdom of Dresha, power is everything and ordinary subjects are used as pawns.
Alyx was not raised to kill, yet an orphan's life leaves her no other choice, so she takes up a blade and becomes part of the infamous underworld gang known as the Daggers.
Years later, she saves a man from something crueler than death and learns that he is the king.
He offers a bargain she cannot refuse: pretend to be his betrothed, expose whoever is plotting to kill him, and claim anything she has ever wanted in return.
Alyx accepts with revenge, not his reward, as her true aim, while friendships threaten to break and the kingdom's future remains unresolved.
