On a careless impulse, Ishtar promised her aunt, the Lady Ramia of La Naan, that she will marry the prince that wins the annual Martial Arts Competition in La Naan. Darres, Jill and Krai find out about this, and are furiously looking for a way to get her out of this fiasco. Ishtar, however, has a backup plan. The vampire Duzell, disguised as Ishtar, has been fighting in the competition, and winning. However, it may all be for naught, as Sharlen, a mysterious vampire, has been using black magic to help Prince Seiliez's quest for Ishtar's hand...Under Sharlen's spell, the prince is suddenly blessed with amazing strength and apparently cannot be harmed. Unsurprisingly, he has quickly become a contender in the competition, and now seems likely to win it. The simplest conclusion would be for Darres to fight the noble fight and defeat Seiliez in the tournament, however, things take a turn for the worse when they find out from Yujinn that the princes may have been adopted. If they're not blood descendants of Phelios, they are not eligible for Ishtar's hand in marriage. Darres, Jill and Krai scramble to find out the facts, and discover the truth may lie with Murra, a courtesan that Prince Seiliez regularly visits. This is a dangerous situation, intermingled with greed, magic, love, and family secrets. Can anybody help Ishtar out of this disaster...?