The fairy tale may have ended—but the story has just begun. After barely escaping Shallon, Vera awakens in chains—her kingdom stolen, her brother gone, and doppelgangers still wearing the faces of those she once loved. But the resistance hasn’t given up on her. Rescued and thrust into a war she never chose, where her enemies want her dead, Vera decides she’s no longer a pawn to be used. She is a queen in the making—crowned by rebellion, and favored by prophecy. Across the continent, Lieve is a marked man—offered as a sacrifice for a sacred holiday where blood is spilled in the name of peace. Once a king, now their prey, hunted in a brutal ritual disguised as tradition, Lieve's only chance lies with Daphne—the one who loved him, the one he betrayed, and the only one left who believes in the man he used to be. The illusion has shattered. The throne demands truth...But the truth comes with a cost only few are willing to pay.