Prince Cassian Rowe has been taught that love is the deadliest weakness in royal blood. The Onebound Heart chooses only once, and if the beloved is lost, the royal soul is said to hollow until duty remains without mercy. Cassian has watched that fate destroy someone he loved, so he enters the Rite of Celestial Vows determined to keep his heart safely untouched. Then Elara Voss enters the orbit of the palace, and the ceremonial flame begins answering feelings Cassian has spent years refusing to name. Elara does not see a flawless heir. She sees a man trained to mistake emotional starvation for strength. As buried records challenge the official story of the royal curse, their growing bond becomes dangerous to priests, courtiers, and political interests that depend on fear keeping the future king obedient. Cassian wants to protect the kingdom from the monster he has been warned he could become. Elara refuses to let that fear decide what either of them is allowed to choose. The closer they come to the truth, the more impossible it becomes to separate love from succession, grief from control, and sacred tradition from deliberate manipulation. Caeloria expects a prince who can rule without needing anyone. Cassian may have to risk the one thing the crown taught him never to trust: a living heart.
Prince Cassian Rowe has been taught that love is the deadliest weakness in royal blood. The Onebound Heart chooses only once, and if the beloved is lost, the royal soul is said to hollow until duty remains without mercy. Cassian has watched that fate destroy someone he loved, so he enters the Rit...