Evie returns to the aristocratic House Ashborne as their true bloodline daughter, only to be vilified as an omen of bad luck while her family dotes upon Chloe, a fraudulent foundling who secretly siphons Evie’s cosmic blessing. To clear an ancestral curse, her relatives callous send Evie to be slaughtered inside Ravenhold, the grim fortress of an infamous dark duchess.
Instead of executing the terrified sacrifice, the dark countess recognizes Evie’s purity, sheltering her until Evie awakens dormant underworld vitality that cures the fortress's blight. As Ravenhold blooms into wealth and majesty, House Ashborne collapses into famine and ruin, prompting the envious impostor to scramble in vain to reclaim her stolen glory.
