Tallia is a universal mage, though no one is supposed to know it. Sold by her parents into service at the court of a young princess when she was only ten, she learned early that love could be betrayed, trust could be used as a weapon, and a girl with a rare magical gift could become nothing more than a prize for someone else's bloodline. To survive, Tallia hid her power, buried her heart, and forbade herself to hope. Mar ri Kurt, head of the Secret Chancellery of the Mist Principality, has long since stopped believing in love. His world is built on duty, danger, secrets, and enemies who know how to strike where it hurts most. Yet one woman with amber eyes begins to thaw the ice around his heart, and Mar does the unthinkable: he asks the prince to issue a decree binding Tallia to him in marriage. For Tallia, the marriage is unexpected, frightening, and far too tempting. Mar offers protection, tenderness, passion, and a future she never dared to imagine. But the ghosts of the past do not release her easily. Can Tallia overcome old wounds, defy prejudice, and trust the man who chose her not for her gift, but for her heart?