The Bastard in the Mask. The House of Seven Masks, #1

In Veyrholm, there is no king. The city is ruled by seven ancient crime houses-each controlling money, religion, soldiers, assassins, medicine, law, or secrets. Their power is inherited through sacred magical masks, relics said to carry the wisdom of the ancestors. But every heir who wears one pays a terrible price: the mask slowly replaces the living with the dead. Nico Vale is the illegitimate son of a murdered crime lord, raised far from noble courts and blood-soaked inheritance games.
He wants nothing from House Vale, least of all its cursed legacy. But when the Mask of Secrets rejects the legitimate heir and chooses Nico instead, he becomes the most hunted young man in the city. Accused of killing the father who barely claimed him, Nico must survive a court of liars, assassins, priests, spies, and family enemies while uncovering the truth behind the murder. At his side stands Serena Morcant, daughter of the assassin house-beautiful, deadly, and impossible to fully trust.
Against him stands Dante Vale, his half-brother, who believes Nico stole the destiny meant for him. But the deeper Nico digs, the clearer one thing becomes: the masks are not symbols of power. They are prisons. And something ancient inside them is beginning to wake. The Bastard in the Mask is a dark fantasy royal crime saga of betrayal, forbidden inheritance, family rivalry, murder, and ancient magic.
Perfect for readers who love brutal court politics, gothic cities, dangerous houses, morally complex characters, and power that always demands a soul in return.