Livia, daughter of Duke Blanche, is known for flawless noble etiquette, but her body now contains the memories of a reader who recognizes the world as a novel she never finished. She knows enough to fear the original fate awaiting her as empress and agrees to tutor Emperor Croft in courtly behavior while seeking a safer future. A magical marriage contract meant to improve Croft’s reputation ties them together just as political conspiracies begin making their supposedly temporary arrangement harder to leave.