Cyril Valentin believed he'd left his old life well behind him when he ran away to live freely as a New Man. When a former suitor attempts to murder the entire ruling family of Vodomeria- including Cyril- he must choose whether to return to the safety of self-imposed exile or journey home to face both his would-be murderer and his estranged family.
Concerned for his young half-brother despite the years apart, Cyril undertakes the journey into the heart of his homeland with his lover Daumantas- an ogre with secrets of his own. Dodging agents of the rival house Zhupensken, the two men have their fledgling romance tested as they navigate a realm in disarray as well as the secrets they've been keeping from one another.
In order to restore peace to the realm, Cyril must come to terms with his past as the Dueling Princess of Vodomeria and face the men who saw him as a prize to be won. Can Cyril set aside his complex feelings and locate his family before the Zhupensken agents that wish to do them harm? Will his relationship with Daumantas endure as both men reveal hidden sides of themselves?
