Anike is the royal artist, kept extremely busy by a demanding prince who wants every illustrious moment of his reign recorded in ink and paint. His latest task is recording the visit of the ambassadors from the country of Marana, long closed off from the world and only just newly opened. But when they arrive, and Anike catches his first glimpse of the exotic Maranans, painting is the very last thing on his mind—and all that could go wrong by falling for them the first.