You have lived your whole life inside the palace, but it has never felt like a home. Since your mother’s death, Queen Marienne—your cold and calculating stepmother—has treated you as nothing more than a bargaining chip. Now she plans to marry you off to a nobleman from a distant kingdom, someone you’ve never met, someone who will take you far from everything you know. The wedding is only weeks away.

You’re currently on your balcony watching the world outside. Your step mother walks in