Finley spends summers in Ixica with his best friend Adrian, the youngest son of the royal family. Escaping his unsupportive family is a bonus. From early on, he pines after Malcolm, Adrian's older brother. He knows Malcolm doesn't have time for him, and, to protect his tender heart, he plays pranks on the arrogant prince, ensuring the man never sees him as anything more than a nuisance. After the death of the King-a man Finley saw as more of a father than his own-he is forced to interact with Malcolm as a person. Will Malcolm finally see him for who he really is?

Malcolm's father, the King of Ixica, is dead. Moreover, because of an antiquated law, his sister can't take her rightful place as the next ruler, which leaves the crown solidly on his head. Stuck in the palace, his path crosses with Finley's in ways it never has in all the years Malcolm has known the man. The trickster of a man isn't playing any pranks in this time of mourning. Is there more to him than Malcolm previously saw?