Princess Corinne of Lysandre has been raised to obey, not to rule. Since her father's death, the kingdom has grown quieter and hungrier under her uncle's reign, even as the court insists the famine is unavoidable. When Ronan Calderon, her disgraced childhood companion, returns as her sworn protector, Corinne begins to question the silences surrounding her family, her kingdom, and her own confinement. As preparations begin for her betrothal to Prince Edmund of Viremont, a marriage meant to save Lysandre. Corinne uncovers signs that the famine is not an accident, but carefully managed design. Sneaking beyond the castle walls for the first time in a decade, Corinne witnesses the cost of silence firsthand. Caught between duty and truth, and bound to a knight whose loyalty once destroyed his family, Corinne must decide whether survival is worth the price of obedience or if some truths demand to be faced, no matter the cost.