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It has been seventeen years since the Asterian Revolution, and all eyes are on Princess Aria and the long expected royal wedding. Having grown up in a world of royalty and wealth, Aria has been unable to imagine anything less than perfect for her life. But when an indiscretion threatens to ruin her reputation, the princess finds herself cast into a world of scandal. As rumors and heartbreak threaten to destroy her, Aria journeys to a distant seaport and sets sail on a merchant ship, hoping the voyage will give her the freedom she craves. Though the ocean holds promises of adventure and intrigue, the world may be too small for a royal to truly disappear. With her family desperately searching the kingdoms for her, Aria finds herself surrounded by strangers and realizes that her brashness may have been a deadly mistake…
It has been seventeen years since the Asterian Revolution, and all eyes are on Princess Aria and the long expected royal wedding. Having grown up in a world of royalty and wealth, Aria has been unable to imagine anything less than perfect for her life. But when an indiscretion threatens to ruin her reputation, the princess finds herself cast into a world of scandal.
As rumors and heartbreak threaten to destroy her, Aria journeys to a distant seaport and sets sail on a merchant ship, hoping the voyage will give her the freedom she craves. Though the ocean holds promises of adventure and intrigue, the world may be too small for a royal to truly disappear. With her family desperately searching the kingdoms for her, Aria finds herself surrounded by strangers and realizes that her brashness may have been a deadly mistake…
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PROLOGUE<br />
James<br />
T<br />
HE FIRST TIME I HELD ARIA, I was amazed at how small and<br />
beautiful she was. A servant had told me that Layla had left the<br />
castle, and I was furious she had done so without my permission.<br />
I stormed down the hall toward her chambers to find Mrs. Fallon.<br />
She would know where Layla had gone.<br />
Aria’s cries greeted me as I reached the thick wooden door, and I opened<br />
it to find Mrs. Fallon pacing the room with the wailing child.<br />
She looked up at me and shook her head. "I apologize if Aria has disturbed<br />
you, General," she said.<br />
"She didn’t," I replied, my anger receding for a moment. "I came up here<br />
to ask you where Layla is."<br />
"I believe she went for a ride through Kings City with Charlotte. Did she<br />
not tell you?"<br />
"No."<br />
Mrs. Fallon rolled her eyes as she hoisted Aria up onto her shoulder and<br />
began to pat her back. "I thought she would."<br />
"Does she ever do as she’s told?" I asked bitterly. Sometimes I swore Layla<br />
purposely worked my nerves. If I’d known the princess would be this<br />
complicated, I would’ve turned my duties over to someone else.<br />
The child began to cry louder.<br />
"I am never going to get her down for a nap. Can you hold her?" Mrs.<br />
Fallon asked.<br />
"What?" Her question caught me off guard.<br />
"It’s not that hard. I need to find her blanket." She held Aria out to me.<br />
Aria’s face was red and streaked with tears. I had never held a child before<br />
and was uneasy at the thought.<br />
"I don’t know," I said.
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