Ashes of Blood and Marigolds

Korani never expected to learn of her mother's death, nor the haunting legacy she left behind. But the truth comes crashing down harder than any battle, and it's only the beginning of her nightmare. With her mother gone and no one to guide her, Korani is forced to take on the family name-the same name her mother fled from when she was pregnant with Korani, a name tangled in shadows and betrayal.

The weight of this inheritance pulls her to Velspire Academy, a place of power and prestige, but it is no safe haven. Her grandmother's relentless demands push her into an arranged marriage to Eryx Virieth, the crown heir to the throne of Tonokia-a union that could cement her place in history, or shatter everything she holds dear. But there's something far darker at play within the academy's hallowed walls.

One by one, students are turning up dead, their bodies left in disturbing displays, and the whispers around campus speak of curses, forbidden pacts, and secrets buried deep in the academy's foundation. No one is safe, not even the heirs of the most powerful families. As Korani digs deeper into the history of Velspire, she begins to unravel unsettling truths-truths that seem to tie her own existence to the very bloodshed she's witnessing.

The more she uncovers, the more she realizes there's something monstrous lurking beneath the surface of this deadly game. Someone-or something-wants her silenced, and it will stop at nothing to keep its secrets hidden. But the deeper she plunges into the mystery, the more she risks losing herself, and everyone she cares about, to the same darkness that claimed her mother.

With a kingdom's fate hanging in the balance, Korani must navigate treacherous alliances, forbidden desires, and a deadly conspiracy that threatens to consume everything she loves. Will she survive the tangled web of lies, or will she become the next victim in a war far older than she could ever imagine?