The Apothecary and the Cursed Prince
In the crumbling Kingdom of Valon, haunted by the remnants of a shadow realm long forgotten, Eleonora is an apothecary—capable of healing both bodies and souls with her unique gift. Shunned by her village for a crime she never committed, Eleonora lives a quiet life on the outskirts, brewing potions and tending wounds.
So when she comes across an injured soldier in the dead of the night—stabbed, poisoned, and left there to die—Eleonora doesn't think much before bringing him back to her little cottage.
Her world is upended when the mysterious stranger turns out to be the Crown Prince of Valon, infamous for his cruel and merciless ways.
Feared for his brilliance, whispered about his indifference, and followed by rumours darker than the shadows at his back, Callahan Ashbourne is a man who plays people like chess pieces. He's a master strategist at work. A cloaked wielder of dark forces. His cursed powers transcend the living. He's everything she is meant to fear.
Eleonora avoids the nobles just as fire avoids water. But when Prince Callahan starts to take an interest in her, she realizes her days are numbered and her life span significantly reduced. He speaks in riddles. He tests her limits. And with every encounter, it becomes harder to tell if he's protecting her—or pulling her into something she won't survive.
But Eleonora is not so easily played. And as the lines between captor and confidant begin to blur, she must decide whether the prince’s interest is a calculated threat… or something far more dangerous.
Because in a kingdom where magic is forbidden and power is the deadliest currency, one woman who wants nothing to do with the throne might be the only thing standing between a prince and the ruin he was born to bring.
