The Problematic Prince

Erna Hardy, the daughter of a ruined noble house, finds herself utterly out of place among the elite circles of Lechen’s high society. Yet the provincial newcomer creates an unexpected stir when her formal debut is upended by none other than Prince Björn Dniester—infamously known throughout the kingdom as the "Royal Poisonous Mushroom." Overnight, Erna becomes the subject of relentless gossip, and the prince seizes upon the notion of courting her as a convenient means to deflect his persistent ex-wife’s attempts at reconciliation. Only too late does Erna realize she has unwittingly become a piece in the prince’s toxic machinations, fully grasping how he came by his venomous reputation. Despite her every effort to distance herself from his royal chaos, a single innocent misstep leaves her bound to him by an unpayable debt. Now trapped in his orbit, she must labor to settle what she owes—but she cannot help wondering whether this royal mushroom is truly as lethal as the whispers claim.