Some princesses follow rules. Lucinda Nightbane breaks them. At eleven, Princess Lucinda can reshape reality with a gesture and has zero interest in diplomacy. When her sister Millicent leads an imperial mission to assess a newly discovered world, Lucinda tags along-against orders.What should be routine becomes personal when Lucinda encounters something unexpected: people who make her feel protective for the first time. Outcasts who don't fit in. Misfits who see her not as a threat, but as hope.While Millicent attempts peaceful contact, Lucinda must choose between imperial protocol and her instinct to protect those who need her. Between her sister's careful diplomacy and her own rebellious nature. The Empire has rules for first contact. Lucinda is about to rewrite them. An alternate timeline exploring what happens when the Empire of 12 worlds doesn't fall