Zenia Cham longs to prove herself worthy of King Targyon’s trust and her new position working for him as Crown Agent. With her fellow agent, Jev, she investigates the oddly selective “disease of the blood” that killed Targyon’s cousins and left him ruling a nation at barely twenty years of age. Zenia and Jev soon learn the disease isn’t entirely natural and that the person who infected the king’s relatives may still be in the city. Since Targyon shares the blood that flowed through his cousins’ veins, he could be the next target. As Zenia and Jev work together, and he stands up for her against those who question her right to her new position, she learns that he also shares some of that royal blood. As unwise as it is, since he’s noble and she’s common, Zenia has developed feelings for Jev. The idea of losing him is even more distressing than that of losing her king. But if they can’t get to the bottom of the mystery before the murderer strikes again, Zenia might be forced to watch both men die of a horrible illness before her eyes.