Laila Vaish is the Nightshade.

After fleeing her family and vanishing into the Lower City, Laila survives by selling secrets and sabotage, burying the moral cost beneath the gold she earns. But when a high-profile job goes sideways, she's caught by the cunning councilman Jelani Cadmar, known for his defiance of the royal vizier. He offers her a choice: rot in prison or spy for him inside the palace.

To protect her own secrets, Laila agrees.

Disguised as one of the Aristocracy, Laila is swept into the personal and political intrigue surrounding the Council of the Sultan. But when she begins to fall for the prince she's meant to manipulate, the lines between duty and desire blur. As the royal vizier closes in and the lies pile up, Laila must decide: save herself or risk everything to save Aveena.