Cyella
Elowen Rose was never meant to be extraordinary.
Born into nobility, she was expected to marry well, smile gracefully, and accept the life chosen for her.
Instead, she walked away.
Seeking a quieter life beyond the capital, Elowen travels north and settles in a small village where she begins helping at a local clinic. But when villagers start falling mysteriously ill, her knowledge of herbs reveals something far more sinister than an ordinary sickness.
Someone may be poisoning the water.
And the deeper Elowen investigates, the more she realizes the illness is only the beginning.
Beyond the northern mountains, kingdoms are growing restless. Old alliances are weakening. Rumors of war are spreading.
Then a powerful war hero returns from the frontier.
Grand Duke Valerius is cold, calculating, and feared throughout the realm. He should have nothing to do with a runaway noblewoman playing herbalist in a forgotten village.
Yet somehow, their paths keep crossing.
As Elowen is drawn deeper into a mystery that reaches far beyond Bellmere, she discovers that the greatest dangers are not always found on battlefields.
Sometimes, they are hidden in courtrooms.
Sometimes, in poisoned cups.
And sometimes, behind the eyes of the person you were never supposed to trust.
She left the capital to escape the game.
She never expected the game to follow her north.
73