In a kingdom where appearances are everything, the second princess lives in the shadow of her beloved older sister. Ignored by the court and quietly abused by the king, she has learned to survive by staying silent while the world pretends not to see. When a quiet, observant guard named Ren Kurogana is assigned to protect her, he quickly realizes something is terribly wrong within the palace walls. Ren doesn’t yet know how to help her—or how to challenge a king—but he knows one thing for certain. He won’t look away.