Killer of the Crown

By Rose Marlowe

An assassin walks into the Pale Palace with one job: kill the crown prince before his coronation.

Sylvain Auvraine expects a guarded heir, a clean escape, and a future that belongs to the people who trained him. He does not expect Crown Prince Julien Westervale to recognize him almost immediately. Julien is already dying from an unknown poison, his court is full of people lying about it, and he has a dangerous reason for keeping an assassin close.
An old succession law gives the would-be killer power no rival house anticipated. If Julien dies, Sylvain will become the Knife: the man legally responsible for naming Tarsenhold's next ruler.

As a palace conspiracy closes in, Julien and Sylvain must decide whether trust can survive the truth of what Sylvain was sent to do. The only cure lies with the house that wants Julien dead, and the only person who can reach it is the man who was supposed to end him.

KILLER OF THE CROWN is a standalone dark M/M royal romance and political thriller featuring an assassin/royal pairing, secret identities, a poisoned prince, palace intrigue, morally gray choices, forced proximity, and a hard-won happy ending.

A dark M/M captive-prince fantasy romance featuring a conquering prince, enemies-to-lovers tension, palace intrigue, hostage politics, morally gray royalty, and a continuing-story ending.

Content Note: Intended for mature readers 18+. Contains explicit adult sexual content, BDSM/power-exchange dynamics, sexual coercion and dubious-consent situations, invasion, captivity, violence, threats, imprisonment, war, and trauma. Ends with a continuing-story hook.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HMJNJ4XG
• ISBN13: 9798161223468
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 98 Pages
• Weight: 0.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"