Sold by her gambling‑addicted father for a sack of gold, common‑born Aila is forced to become the seventh sacrificial bride of Duke Sevrin of Blackthorn, feared as the brutal “Bride‑Slayer”. She awakens a rare mind‑reading power, hearing his shy, tender inner thoughts beneath his cold outward mask. Trapped in the castle tangled by the hundred‑year‑old Black‑Thorn curse and manipulated by the hypocritical Holy Order, Aila gradually uncovers the buried truth: the so‑called annual bride sacrifice is a conspiracy fabricated by power‑hungry high priest Corvin. Together with Sevrin, she faces political suppression, mortal danger and public slander. At the Heart of Thorns, Aila dispels century‑old grievances with genuine‑hearted testimony, frees the wronged spirit Moira, defeats Corvin, lifts the curse, abolishes the cruel old ritual, and gains sincere love without relying on her supernatural hearing ability.
