oliviamiller0518
Empress Talix has a crown, but no control over her own life.
The Empire believes she is responsible for the ban on magic. The truth is far more complicated. Behind the throne stands Valerian, a ruthless Chancellor who has controlled the Empire-and Talix-for years, using her deepest trauma to keep her obedient.
Niekochet wants nothing to do with the Empire or its rebellion. He only wants a life beyond its reach. But circumstances drag him back into a conflict he never wanted, sending him to the palace with one impossible mission: kill the Empress.
He saves her instead.
After Chet is captured and tortured, his secret is exposed. He is a Noxhealer, one of the forbidden few who possess magic. His tears can heal deadly poison, but his gift comes with a devastating price.
When Talix secretly visits Chet in the dungeons, distrust becomes questions. Questions become understanding. And understanding slowly becomes a forbidden love neither of them expected.
But Chet isn't the only one caught in Valerian's web.
Leonidas, Talix's former love and the Chancellor's son, has never understood why she suddenly ended their relationship years ago. Believing she simply stopped loving him, his heartbreak turns to bitterness, and his father's influence draws him deeper into a plan against the woman he still loves.
As secrets unravel and loyalties shift, Talix must find the courage to become her own woman, while Chet is forced to confront a rebellion he never wanted-and feelings he never expected.
In an Empire built on fear, magic may be forbidden-but the truth cannot stay hidden forever.