Julie Rowan grows up under her father's neglect and her stepmother's cruelty. On the eve of her half-sister's coronation, her mother is murdered. To avenge her, Julie makes a deal with the feared regent—trading her face to take her sister's place in marriage. Inside the palace, she's torn between obeying the regent's order to kill the Emperor and falling for the Emperor's unexpected tenderness. Fake pregnancies, hidden identities, and treasonous plots soon unravel. When the truth emerges, the Emperor breaks free of the power struggle and shields Julie with his heart. What begins as revenge becomes a love born of blood and betrayal.
