Crossed Hearts, a newly established English publisher, has officially announced its entry into the market with the acquisition of three Korean manhwa licenses: Baroness Goes on Strike, From a Knight to a Lady, and The Archduke’s Adopted Saint. In addition, the publisher has secured the English print rights for the popular web novel series, Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion. This move signals a significant expansion in the availability of popular Korean webcomics and novels for English-speaking audiences.
Introducing Crossed Hearts: A New Player in Asian Content Publishing
Crossed Hearts is a new publishing house with dual bases in Los Angeles and Bengaluru, India. The company’s primary focus is on localizing and distributing Japanese manga, Korean webcomics, and Asian light novels to English-language markets worldwide. With a team of over 50 employees, Crossed Hearts plans to release 30 titles across 20 different series by 2027.
A key strategy for Crossed Hearts is to streamline the adaptation process, aiming to bring print editions of ongoing webcomics and manga to market more efficiently than traditional methods. The publisher intends to sign contracts that cover the duration of a series, ensuring timely releases. The inaugural slate of titles will kick off this fall, with print books featuring premium full-color presentation and over 300 pages per volume. These print editions will also include exclusive interactive features like pop-up spreads, extendable pages, and never-before-seen bonus content to enhance the collector’s experience.
The Newly Licensed Manhwa Titles
Crossed Hearts’ initial lineup includes three highly anticipated Korean webcomic series, all falling under the popular romantasy genre:
Baroness Goes on Strike
This title is set to be one of the first releases from the publisher, with its print edition expected to launch in October 2025. A limited-edition format will be available for pre-orders made through the Crossed Hearts website, which is slated to launch in October.
From a Knight to a Lady
Another significant acquisition, From a Knight to a Lady, has been highlighted as a flagship series for Crossed Hearts, boasting over 130 million reads online globally. The first volume is scheduled for release in December 2025.
The Archduke’s Adopted Saint
Rounding out the initial manhwa licenses, The Archduke’s Adopted Saint is scheduled for a spring 2026 release.
Each of these titles will debut in premium full-color print editions, with U.K. releases slightly preceding their U.S. counterparts. Distribution will cover the U.K. and U.S. (handled by Publishers Group West), Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India, and parts of Latin America, with further expansion planned for Southeast Asia, South Africa, and the Middle East next year.
Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion Novels Get English Print
In addition to the manhwa, Crossed Hearts has secured the license for the novel series of Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion. This beloved South Korean web novel, written by Milcha, has garnered immense popularity, leading to a successful webtoon adaptation and an anime television series that aired from April to June 2023.
The story follows Eunha Park, who after dying in modern-day Seoul, reincarnates as Raeliana McMillan, a side character in a novel destined to be poisoned by her fiancé. To avoid her grim fate, she enters a fake engagement with Duke Noah Volstaire Wynknight. While the webtoon adaptation has been available in English, this license marks the first official English print release for the original novel series, which was serialized on KakaoPage and consists of 159 chapters collected into three volumes plus a side story volume. This will be a welcome development for fans who have previously only had access to digital English translations of the novel via platforms like Tappytoon.
The launch of Crossed Hearts and its robust initial slate of licenses underscores the increasing demand for Korean webcomics and novels in the global market, promising more diverse and high-quality content for English readers.
