What happens when a human girl slaps a Fae lord at a royal ball?

He smiles. And the court can't stop talking.

Ardelia Zorov didn't come to Prylon to start a scandal. She came to survive the marriage season, secure a proposal, and save her father from a life she can't afford. As a human in a Fae court, she's already the least interesting option in the room.

The plan was simple. Smile. Curtsey. Don't make enemies with immortals.

She is very bad at this plan.

Her mentor is a High Lady with exacting standards. Her competition has magic, money, and better cheekbones. And then there's Lord Andos Kadawn—shadow fae heir, shameless rake, and the man who apparently thinks "training her for court" means showing up shirtless to mock her at every opportunity.

He's betrothed. He's untouchable. He's insufferable.

He's also the only one who doesn't treat her like she's invisible.

The more Ardelia sees of Prylon, the more she realizes the glittering court hides something rotten. And Andos? He's hiding most of all.

She came to survive the season.

She's beginning to suspect survival was never the game.

For fans of Bridgerton and ACOTAR—a romantasy of sharp banter, slow-burn tension, and the kind of trouble that starts with a slap.