Yara of Arestia: The Usurper's Crown

In the opulent yet treacherous halls of Arestia, King Theron's sudden demise plunges the kingdom into a bitter succession crisis. Nineteen-year-old Princess Yara, calculating and acutely observant, finds herself pitted against her older sister, Neel, for the throne. As the palace becomes a viper's nest of intrigue, Yara's quiet ambition is overshadowed by her desperate need for legitimacy, a deep-seated fear of being seen as a lesser heir. On the very eve of Neel's coronation, a clandestine discovery shatters everything: Neel is not of the royal bloodline. The revelation propels Yara onto the throne, but her crown is heavy with the secret, and the true game of power has only just begun. Can she protect her stolen legitimacy from those who would expose her own carefully constructed facade?