She came to Thornwood Academy as a nobody. She left as a queen. But first, she had to survive Caelum.

Eira has spent twelve years in hiding, trained in silence, shaped for one purpose: return to Thornwood Academy, find the Relic of Rivenstar, and reclaim the throne stolen from her family. She has a false name, a threadbare disguise, and a plan that leaves no room for complications.

Caelum Thornwood is a complication.

The usurper's daughter. The girl who rules the dining hall with cold eyes and perfect posture. The one who memorized Eira's file before she'd been at the academy a full day. Caelum sees through disguises for sport?and she has decided to make Eira her particular project.

What begins as a battle of wits becomes something neither of them planned for. Caelum is not what her bloodline suggests. Eira is not as untouchable as she needs to be. And somewhere between stolen library hours, uneasy alliances, and truths neither of them wanted to speak aloud, the line between enemy and something far more dangerous begins to blur.

The Relic is waiting. The throne is waiting. But so is the look on Caelum's face when she finally says the words Eira has been terrified to believe.

A slow-burn sapphic dark academy romance with political intrigue, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a love story that costs everything ? and gives back more.