Swordplay. Spycraft. These are the skills Elivya has studied all her life - skills she must keep secret at all costs.As the sole heir to one of the kingdom's Great Houses, the time has come for her debut at court. One whisper of her unorthodox training could ruin her prospects and spell the end of her ancient bloodline. Under the watchful eye of her father's deadliest - and most irritating - guard, Elivya joins the nobility's vicious game of gossip, seduction, and ambition to secure her family's future.But the stakes are far higher than she ever imagined.A shadow grows in the East, a ruthless empire bent on conquest. When a foreign agent infiltrates the royal court, whispering in the king's ear and sowing the seeds of war, Elivya knows that exposing him will take every one of her carefully-hidden skills. A single misstep could destroy her House - or doom her nation.