Seven years ago, Zara Valen was dragged from the palace as a cursed child.Her father—an innocent blacksmith—was executed by the king who desired what he could never have.Banished, broken, and hunted as a witch, Zara disappeared into the shadows of the world.But curses have a way of surviving.And so do daughters.On the night the king celebrates forty years on the throne, a woman dressed in black walks into the palace uninvited.The gates open for her.The guards cannot move.And before the court can understand what is happening…The crown lifts from the king’s head.Now the child they once condemned sits on the throne.But ruling a kingdom built on betrayal is far more dangerous than taking it.The nobles fear her.The people whisper her name like a warning.And the most powerful general in the kingdom may be the only man capable of stopping her… or destroying her heart.Because Zara did not return only for revenge.She returned to change the kingdom.Even if she must burn it to the ground.And this time…No one will cast her out again.