Under threat from the Duke of being locked up for life, Princess Olivia is pressured into accepting an engagement to Lord James. She agrees to the three-year betrothal, seeing it as a chance to reclaim what's hers, but stipulates that their union remain a business transaction, with affection only feigned in public. At home, after striking her half-sister who mocked her, Olivia faces further accusations of arrogance. She seizes the moment, telling her father she will marry James only if he grants her control over the eastern lands.