Elodie nunca soñó con cuentos de hadas. Lo único que desea es ayudar a la gente de su reino, Inophe, su tierra, a sobrevivir. Por esa razón, cuando el emisario de un país misterioso ofrece una fortuna por su mano, Elodie acepta viajar a la resplandeciente Aurea, donde queda cautivada por su belleza y por su prometido, el príncipe Henry. Sin embargo, extraños sucesos siembran la duda en su mente y, demasiado tarde descubre que la prosperidad de Aurea se paga con un alto precio: en cada cosecha, sacrifican una princesa a un dragón hambriento. Y ella es la siguiente. El pacto ya ha conducido a centenares de doncellas a la muerte, pero estas mujeres no aceptaron su destino sin más y en su sangre albergan poder y recuerdos que serán la clave para la victoria de Elodie. Obligada a luchar, la joven damisela deberá usar su ingenio para vencer al dragón, descubrir los secretos de Aurea y salvar no solo su vida, sino también el futuro de su reino. Elodie never dreamed of a lavish palace or a handsome prince. As she grew up in the famine-stricken realm of Inophe, her deepest wish was to help her people survive each winter. So when a representative from a rich, reclusive kingdom offers her family enough wealth to save Inophe in exchange for Elodie’s hand in marriage, she accepts without hesitation. Swept away to the glistening kingdom of Aurea, Elodie is quickly taken in by the beauty of the realm—and of her betrothed, Prince Henry. But as Elodie undertakes the rituals to become an Aurean princess, doubts prick at her mind as cracks in the kingdom’s perfect veneer begin to show: A young woman who appears and vanishes from the castle tower. A parade of torches weaving through the mountains. Markings left behind in a mysterious V. Too late, she discovers that Aurea’s prosperity has been purchased at a heavy cost—each harvest season, the kingdom sacrifices its princesses to a hungry dragon. And Elodie is the next sacrifice. This ancient arrangement has persisted for centuries, leading hundreds of women to their deaths. But the women who came before Elodie did not go quietly. Their blood pulses with power and memory, and their experiences hold the key to Elodie’s survival. Forced to fight for her life, this damsel must use her wits to defeat a dragon, uncover Aurea’s past, and save not only herself but the future of her new kingdom as well.