A quiet boy, Luken was never meant for the competitive world of Palace courtesans, but his beauty and bloodline make any other fate impossible. In an empire divided by rigid gender roles, women compete for glory and gain while men fight for the attention - and lavish monetary rewards - of the highest-ranking Ladies. Eager to win the approval of his aloof parents and find his place in the Empire, Luken allows himself to be thrust into the gilded world of the Peacock Court. His ambitious mentor inducts Luken into the mysteries of the courtesan, and his status rises quickly, winning the interest of a powerful woman: the niece of the Empress herself. But among all the Ladies of the Court, it's Jes, a mere servant, who earns Luken's friendship and ultimately, love. Separated by the demands of the Court for years, Jes reappears in the midst of Luken's greatest romantic conquest and ignites a deep passion between them - just when Luken has the most to lose. In a way he never could have expected, the secret affair they carry on spirals into crippling loss and a shattering violation that forces Luken to confront his position in an empire where beauty is a man's only capital, and his greatest vulnerability.