Her Silver Prosthetic Was Never an Ornament: The Princess Who Refused to Be Sacrificed for Peace

Princess Mariabelle returns from war without her right arm—only to have her fiancé reject her before the entire court. Then the kingdom that praised her sacrifice decides she must make one more.The palace wants her silent, graceful, and fitted with a beautiful prosthetic that cannot move. Mariabelle wants something else: a hand that can open her own doors.Her last hope is Kyle Ashford, a blunt craftsman from the lower district who builds working limbs for wounded soldiers and refuses to mistake endurance for consent. He will not make her an ornament. With him, she must train, fail, speak honestly about pain, and decide what happens to her own body.As silver joints begin to answer her movements, forbidden trust grows between princess and craftsman. But a blackthorn curse is spreading beneath Mariabelle's scars. Her new arm is reacting to secrets buried in the border war, and powerful figures at court are determined to control what her body—and her blood—can unlock.With a dangerous armistice ceremony approaching, Mariabelle must decide how much she is willing to risk for a future of her own. If she obeys, she may survive as the kingdom's perfect symbol. If she resists, she could shatter a fragile peace—and lose the one man who has never tried to choose for her.A complete standalone fantasy romance featuring a disabled war heroine, a forbidden princess-and-craftsman slow burn, royal court intrigue, magical prosthetics, and a clean, emotionally charged love story about reclaiming power, trust, and choice.