Eris Elena Elhan has always known her place. As the daughter of a renowned scholar-but without noble blood-her future depends on strategic alliances, not romantic whims. Pragmatic and sharp-witted, she views marriage as a means of securing stability, not love. But when her carefully laid plans unravel-one suitor engaged, another lost to her best friend-Eris finds herself entangled with the one man she never considered: Crown Prince Theodore of Areta. Theo was raised to rule, taught to value strategy over sentiment. But Eris challenges him in ways no one else dares-unafraid to debate him, unimpressed by his title, and oblivious to the growing hold she has on him. What starts as intellectual rivalry turns into something deeper, something neither of them can ignore. And Theo? He's already made up his mind. Even if he has to outmaneuver an entire kingdom to have her.