Nina arrives in Galgada and quickly discovers that the situation is not what she expected. When she learns that her marriage to the First Prince of Galgada isn't certain, she steels her resolve and sets out to carve a place for herself.

Sett is confined to his wing of the castle for violating tournament rules. Realizing conquering Fortna may be more difficult than expected, the king reschedules Nina's wedding for one month from now.

Sett remains unconscious after the attempt on his life, and Nina is accused of attempting to kill him.

The princes of Galgada begin vying for Nina's hand in bids for the throne. After hearing rumors from the other princes, Nina asks Sett about the Temple of Blood and learns about the childhood that made him the man he is.

Nina meets the King of Galgada and is surprised to learn she is a woman. Later, Nina abandons her plans to remain calm and collected when the tournament takes a dangerous turn.

A group of messengers arrive from Fortna, and Az appears to be among them. Nina wrestles with her feelings for Az and her growing affection for Sett.

In Sett's absence, the castle's guard captain begins blatantly abusing his power. Nina quickly concocts a plan to put him in his place. However, Sett immediately confronts her about it once he returns.

Sett comes to Nina's rescue, and the two are stuck together for the rest of the night as they await help. Sett's brothers come to greet them as they arrive in the capital, and Nina's strong personality very quickly makes an impression.

As Nina and Azure's feelings for one another deepen, Nina becomes desperate to find a way to protect him from whoever is targeting him. She's given the opportunity in a one on one meeting with the king.

In the wake of the death of Fortna's princess-priestess, Prince Azure purchases a young woman from the slums who shares her most defining feature. He sets out to turn her into a convincing impostor to cover up the death of his half-sister.

After sneaking out of her quarters, Nina runs into First Prince Muhulum, who is also out and about where he's not supposed to be. As the castle prepares to celebrate the Festival of Stars, Nina considers sneaking back into the city.

When it becomes apparent that Azure's life is in danger, Nina escapes the castle to seek help from the former king. However, the former king's wisdom and cleverness quickly puts Nina in danger.