Maxim Volt has defended his rule against the depredations of industry, but a greater challenge awaits him. For not only does he have to organize a rite of fealty, where the various powers of the Grimm Valley swear loyalty to him and his house, but he must fend off a bevy of sometimes murderous brides eager to become the mistress of the castle. Be they from the Hundred Houses of Europe, the vampire courts, or even the witch covens that lurk in the shadows of the forests, all would delight to rule