Following his father's unjust treason accusation and execution, Ryker, heir to the Duke of Westerwyn, witnesses his world collapse. Left with his sister and mother, they teeter on the brink of catastrophe.
A glimmer of hope, however, arises as news circulates that the Cadilaria Empire's emperor plans to get his heir married—an enigmatic woman, shrouded in a half mask due to an alleged curse.
Given an unwelcome choice, the King compels Ryker to either wed the Masked Princess as the Duke of Westerwyn or face execution. Faced with this grave decision, Ryker, driven by the need to protect his family and restore honor, chooses to court the Masked Princess.
Determined to win her heart and avenge his father's demise, Ryker treads a perilous path, even if it means manipulating a potentially deadly royal ally.

The Masked Princess (Behind the Mask)

Raquel slowly sipped her wine, watching the ball happening around her. They had been there for two hours already and she was starting to get bored standing around.


She wanted nothing more than to sit down and remove her heels. Too bad she had too many eyes on her to do that. No one would say anything to her, especially after what happened at her tea party but there would be some weird rumors.


Besides, she still had some things to do here.


The tea party was meant to help her get influence in the kingdom but that had flopped. Well, not completely but she needed to use this ball to build her influence.


Something wasn’t sitting right with her about the temples. Raquel wasn’t sure what exactly it was but she had a feeling it was going to be bigger than what they could ever think of.


 As she gazed over the ball, Raquel suddenly spotted a group of young noblewomen gossiping in the corner. She recognized a few from her tea party and smiled.


The Royal Ball (2)