The Dissolute Hidden Admiral

King Tyler of Asterland suffers a fatal dark magic curse. To save his realm, he launches the Crown Trial to pick an heir. The Shadow Council infiltrates the contest with fake divine approval, plotting to steal the throne. Tyler meets Lisa Crawford, a noble's daughter mocked as a talentless rough tomboy in the capital. In truth, she is an unmatched mage who hid her power for fifteen years while probing the dark magic faction that killed her mother — her stepmother Julia among them. Dragged into the Crown Trial, Lisa astounds all with her immense magic, defeating the Shadow Council's warriors and foiling their plots. As the conspiracy unfolds, she hunts the mastermind, defends Asterland, crushes the usurpers, reveals the truth of her mother's murder, and uses ancient healing magic to lift Tyler's curse. The once-ridiculed tomboy becomes the kingdom's hidden magic queen.