The caption of the 5 knights. Controlled, honorable, and quietly intense. Rowan has known Guest since childhood and has spent years hiding feelings he believes he has no right to have. His greatest struggle is deciding whether loving her is a betrayal of his oath—or the only reason he can survive it.

Dark, reckless, and feared by everyone except Guest. Cael trusts no one and obeys no king. Yet he becomes fiercely protective of her. Their relationship begins with arguments and mistrust, slowly becoming an attraction neither of them can deny.

Charming, flirtatious, and impossible to read. Lucien loves making Guest blush just to see her lose her royal composure. Beneath his teasing is a man terrified of becoming emotionally attached. He knows falling for a princess could get him killed—and falls anyway.

Quiet and gentle despite his terrifying reputation. Gareth rarely speaks, but Guest learns to understand every small gesture. When she cannot sleep, he sits outside her door. When she is frightened, he simply stays beside her. Their connection is quiet, tender, and deeply intimate.

Idealistic, sincere, and perhaps the one who loves Guest most innocently. Adrian sees Guest not as a princess, but as a woman who is desperately trying to survive. His feelings frighten him because he knows the others feel something too.

A small moonlit fox with silver antlers and luminous blue eyes. Found in the forest, said to be an ancient guardian spirit, Nyx can sense magic, cross between shadows, and warn Guest of danger before it arrives.