After completing her “queen-consort education,” the duke’s daughter Elizabeth Russell is suddenly branded a “villainess” by her fiancé, the crown prince—“You’re the one who ruined her!” With her betrothed’s change of heart and a humiliating role forced on her by royal decree, Elizabeth cuts her losses and decides to start a free life in a neighboring country. She swears off love and power to chase the simple life…but what awaits her in this new land is a strange encounter with a mysterious man, and the very whirlpool of politics she meant to avoid.

Though she “retired” from being a villainess, trouble keeps knocking. Armed with the wit and poise honed during her queenly training, Elizabeth runs headlong after a happiness that’s truly her own. The story of a young lady in search of freedom begins here!