Throne of Gilt Betrayal: A Forbidden Crown, A Traitor’s Kiss (Throne of Gilt Betrayal – Books 1–5

A forbidden crown. A traitor’s kiss. One lie will ignite a war—and the only way to survive is to fall for the enemy.

When orphan-scholar Elara Maren is conscripted to decode treasonous letters, she discovers a cipher that points straight to the palace—and to Kade Vesper, the ruthless heir whose blade ended the rebellion that raised her. He’s everything she swore to cold, crowned, untouchable. But when an assassination shatters the court, Elara is ordered to serve as Kade’s “temporary archivist” until the killer is found. The posting is a cage—and a front-row seat to the prince’s secrets.

Kade has been forged by the crown on his brow is paid for in blood, and the court wants him dead before he’s ever crowned. Elara’s sharp mind is the only weapon he trusts near his back. Her quiet defiance slices through his armor; her dangerous brilliance is a key he needs to unlock the cipher threatening the realm. Keeping her close is a risk. Letting her go might cost the throne.

Trapped in the velvet jaws of the palace, the two are forced into proximity—long nights in the archive stacks, whispered strategies behind locked doors, the brush of hands as they trace the same map. Elara’s vow to bring down the house that broke her collides with the prince who refuses to break her. Kade’s duty demands a future without her; his heart rewrites every rule. As the cipher unspools a conspiracy that reaches the crown itself, desire burns into something neither of them can survive denying.

He’ll trade his birthright to keep her safe. She’ll risk her vengeance to save his life. And when the final code reveals the traitor, Elara must protect the man she loves—or expose the prince to the justice she promised the dead.

• Enemies to lovers
• Forced proximity
• Slow burn with high heat
• Secret identity & palace intrigue
• Redemption arc
• Found family vs. blood loyalty

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