The Poisonous Queen-Lana-has ruled over Orsadia for three long years. The curse lives inside her head, persuading her every decision to take lives and use souls to do her bidding, and the people will not let her forget all those she's wronged.
When Luka returns from his endeavors overseas, it takes Lana by surprise, but also dredges up memories. Pain floods her heart at what could have been. Seeing the huntsman in the flesh, who once stood at her side, creates a divide within her mind: wanting to play the hero again, or living forever as the stain left on Orsadia.
She's just not so sure she wants to play the villain anymore. She's tired. She wants to fix what she's broken and try to rekindle relationships again. Of course that comes at the cost of admitting her faults and coming to terms with the inevitable.
Luka is not hers anymore; he's had to move on. Being the hero means letting go of the past and promising a future to her people. If she can't suppress her deadly urges, the new princess will fall into the same pattern every queen has before her.