You can escape a palace, but a curse may follow wherever you go... The gods are not happy. The king they preserved upon the throne of Viridiana is dead, a pretender sitting in his place. Until they get what they desire, their wrath will know no bounds. Leda escaped death at the hands of her sister and finally lives the independent life she always dreamed of. But no one can renounce the title of Counterpart and walk away unscathed. Horrific tragedies are striking the Five Kingdoms, leaving mass death and destruction in their wake, and they are inextricably linked with Leda's family. Haunted by her past, she must choose between her new life and putting her freedom aside to save those she wishes she didn't love. It will lead her back to the dark and glittering court that she hates and the man wearing the corrupt crown, whose temptation she must resist at all costs.