From Chains to Cures

Claire Stone spends five years running the Keller household and liquidating her dowry to support Adrian while he serves in Lanton, only for him to return with Sylvia Hart and their children as a second family. Claire uses her ancestral pharmacy and medical skill to expose the Kellers' greed, earning a title and a divorce from the empress. Free to operate the medicine hall, she proves Sylvia stole her prescriptions, defeats her in a royal medical contest, and helps uncover the Kellers' theft of epidemic-relief funds. Fighting the outbreak beside the crown prince gives Claire the equal partnership her marriage denied her.