Princess Merine Velor has never resisted her role as a political pawn. She knows she will end up in a marriage of state, where the best she can hope for is to respect her husband and perhaps find a measure of contentment. Then her father announces that she will marry a man more than twice her age. Merine begins to look for other options, but her father is not going to accept anyone less than a prince.

Andros is no one, and he likes it that way. He can mingle with craftsmen, laborers, and servants and learn exactly what he wants to know. He doesn’t mix with the rich and powerful—except when he reports to his mentor, Baron Orlant. When his job places him in the path of Princess Merine, however, he ends up falling for the foreign princess. Merine just might be the answer his kingdom needs, but can he really step back and let her marry the crown prince?

With the succession on the line, Merine and Andros must decide how to balance their feelings against an entire kingdom.