Rass Tarlion was once a legendary mercenary capable of defeating a greater dragon, but years later he has become better known for excess and wasted potential. His former fiancée, Imperial Princess Fiarca—long believed dead—suddenly returns and brings him back to the palace because the country is approaching disaster. Her plan requires Rass to use charm and political maneuvering rather than brute force, beginning with a mission involving the crown prince’s foreign fiancée.