《Crown of Ashes》
Eleanor Valmont, an intelligent but overlooked noblewoman, is thrust into the heart of the royal court when she is betrothed to Prince Aldric, heir to the throne of Valeria. However, her marriage is not one of love but of politics—a move orchestrated by powerful noble houses seeking to manipulate the kingdom's future. From the moment she steps into the palace, she realizes she is nothing more than a pawn in a game of power, deception, and betrayal.
As Eleanor navigates the treacherous court, she discovers that Aldric harbors deep resentment toward her, his heart belonging to another. Meanwhile, she crosses paths with Prince Julian, the king’s bastard son, an exiled figure with his own ambitions. He warns her that the court is not just a place of luxury but a battlefield where the weak are sacrificed. Determined to survive, Eleanor begins weaving her own web of alliances, using intelligence, charm, and calculated risks to transform herself from an expendable bride into an indispensable force.
Her rise to power is not without bloodshed. She exposes treachery within the nobility, orchestrates the downfall of her rivals, and ultimately outmaneuvers those who seek to destroy her. Yet, with power comes difficult choices. As the kingdom teeters on the edge of war, Eleanor must decide: Will she remain a strategist in the shadows, or will she seize the throne for herself?
With enemies closing in from all sides, a fragile kingdom at stake, and a forbidden romance threatening to unravel everything, Crown of Ashes is the story of a woman who refuses to be controlled—a queen forged in fire, rising from the ashes of betrayal.