prologue

A royal kidnapping. A rebellion. A war. Tabitha Dinh never thought she would be caught in the middle of it all.

16-year-old Tabitha lives in a quiet, seaside town at the edge of a kingdom where social-class tension holds fast. She is able to move up from her "poor" little town to the Palace of Caesarea, along with many others like her, thanks to a reform that grants a noble-level education to anyone. However, there are those who aren't too happy with this reform.

As time passes, Tabitha realizes that things are not going to get better; in fact, they only get worse when the heir to the throne is kidnapped and held ransom. The hostage takers only have one demand: change everything.