of fire, of water | ✔

In the kingdom of Aeziris, a rebellion is rising, but its reins are not in the hands of its citizens. With a fine string entwining her heart with that of its chieftain, Esméralda must walk a knife-edge while navigating her way through a palace of masks and smiles that stab, and maybe just not lose her all in the process.

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Book #1 in 'of aether' duology.

Esméralda Alby has been hammered two things her whole life. One, she is beneath her step-sister; two, to work like a machine. Despite being the first-born daughter of a wealthy merchant, she is never introduced as such, let alone be treated with its honor. After her mother's death, the word love, for her, resonated with the hollow of meaninglessness until she met him, a charismatic man with a persistent aura of mystery.

Eirik, the blossom to her flower, the blue to her sky - he who brought spring to her wilting life. He isn't a king as his name suggested, but to her, he had become hers.

But when her father's orchards get infected, drastically dwindling their income, Esméralda is forced to leave to the palace to work as a handmaiden for a lady of The Queen's Trial, an event hosted to choose a suitable wife for the Crown Prince of Aeziris. It was supposed to be a job freeing her from the chains of the past, but how long could she stay sane when Eirik stands in front of her as the only heir to the throne of Aeziris, as Crown Prince Aedric Emsworth?

There might just be more to the rebellion than what met the eye.