Crown's Wrong Kiss
Synopsis -
Isabelle Ellwood, a plain, fuller-figured 19-year-old, hides her poetic soul and dreams of teaching behind dry wit, overshadowed by her beautiful sister who is counted as a family jewel for her grace and beauty and an ambitious father dreaming of snagging a royal title.
When Prince Sebastian Nathaniel Winthorne, a bold, dark, and formidable warrior-king at 30, announces a bride-selection season at Cresthaven Palace, Isabelle dares to hope—not for love, but to glimpse the scarred-handed savior of her childhood.
Unbeknownst to her, and him, he’s Sebastian, whose commanding presence and passionate heart blind him to her worth, fixated instead on the angelic Amelia Everhart, Isabelle's dearest friend.
A secret library meeting shatters Isabelle’s illusions: Sebastian seeks her help to woo Amelia, praising her mind yet oblivious to her love. Their friendship deepens—his admiration grows, her longing festers—culminating in a rain-soaked confrontation where the lavender and breeze ignites his primal desire, clashing with her insecurities.
Public scorn and familial cruelty drive Isabelle to flee, forcing Sebastian to confront the void she leaves. As time apart unravels his obsession with Amelia, he pursues Isabelle, his awakening raw and relentless. Their reunion at a glittering ball sparks a dance of resentment and longing, leading to a climactic confession where love triumphs over doubt.
Isabelle’s journey from invisible dreamer to empowered princess, and Sebastian’s shift from idealized obsession to soul-deep love, crafts a tale of unseen hearts finding their place—a fiercely unique love story for readers craving wit, angst, and romance.
In the opulent yet unforgiving world of Regency-inspired Eldoria, The Crown's Wrong Kiss weaves a slow-burn romance of unrequited love, repressed desire, and transformative self-worth.
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Chapter: nineteen The palace gardens sprawled like a tapestry of verdant hues beneath the spring sun, alive with the gentle sway of flowers and the distant murmur of courtiers promenading along graveled paths. Isabelle stood with her sketchbook clutched against her chest, trying to appear composed as Sebastian paced before her, his tall frame casting a shadow that seemed to follow her wherever she moved.“A picnic,” Sebastian declared, hands clasped behind his back, “is the perfect setting for furthering my acquaintance with Miss Everhart. Intimate yet proper. I require your guidance, Miss Ellwood.”Isabelle swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth. “Of course, Your Highness.”She had become an architect of her own suffering, designing each interaction between the prince and her friend with painful precision. Yet she could not deny him anything—not his requests for assistance, not the flutter of her heartbeat when his gaze met hers, not the silent agony of watching him pursu
Last Updated: 2025-08-28
Chapter: eighteenThe sudden shift in his demeanor caught Isabelle off guard. “Of course.”“When I was sixteen,” he began, “I was desperately in love with Lady Margaret Beaufort. She was nineteen, beautiful beyond words, and utterly indifferent to my existence.” A self-deprecating smile curved his lips. “I wrote her poetry so terrible it would make your ears bleed. I sent her flowers, gifts, notes—all returned unopened. Finally, I cornered her at a garden party and declared myself, certain that my persistence would be rewarded.”Isabelle leaned forward despite herself, captivated by this glimpse into his past. “And was it?”Sebastian laughed, a short, rueful sound. “She looked me directly in the eye and said, ‘Your Highness, I would sooner marry my father’s stable boy than bind myself to a man whose only accomplishment is his birth.’”Isabelle gasped softly. “How cruel!”“But accurate,” Sebastian countered. “I was arrogant, entitled, convinced that my title alone made me worthy of her affection.” He sh
Last Updated: 2025-08-26
Chapter: seventeenThe palace library had become their sanctuary. Isabelle found herself there again, seated at the mahogany table across from Sebastian, her fingers tracing idle patterns on a sheet of parchment as she contemplated his latest request.“A locket for Amelia?” she repeated, keeping her voice steady despite the small fissure forming in her heart. “Yes, I think that would be quite perfect.”Sebastian’s face brightened with that boyish enthusiasm that made her chest ache. “You believe so? I thought perhaps it might be too forward.”“Not at all.” Isabelle reached for a fresh sheet and began to sketch. “Something delicate, I think. Gold, with perhaps a rose engraved upon it.” Her pencil moved with practiced ease, creating the outline of an oval pendant.“A rose,” Sebastian mused, his voice warm with approval. “Amelia mentioned once that roses were her favorite.”Of course , Isabelle thought bitterly. I was the one who told him that, three meetings ago. But she merely nodded, adding details to h
Last Updated: 2025-08-22
Chapter: sixteen “I’m glad to be of service.” The words tasted bitter.“Would you… would you help me craft this into something worthy of her? I know it’s an imposition—”“Not at all,” Isabelle said, too quickly. “Though I should—” She stopped, searching for an excuse.The library door swung open abruptly, and Priscilla swept in, her golden curls bouncing with each step. “Isabelle! Mother is positively seething. You refused the gown she selected and now you’re wandering the palace corridors in something so—” She stopped short, finally noticing Sebastian standing by the window.“Your Highness!” Priscilla dropped into a deep curtsy, her cheeks flaming. “I didn’t realize—forgive my intrusion.”Isabelle closed her eyes briefly. Of course. Her mother had sent Priscilla to drag her back for another lecture on propriety and appearances.“No intrusion, Lady Priscilla,” Sebastian said smoothly, though his brow had furrowed. “Your sister has been kind enough to assist me with a matter of correspondence.”Priscil
Last Updated: 2025-08-22
Chapter: fifteen“Forgive me,” she said, smoothing her skirts. “I’ve disrupted our pleasant outing with my clumsiness.”“Nonsense,” Sebastian replied. “A garden tour without at least one unexpected encounter with nature would be terribly dull.”The remainder of the afternoon passed without further incident, though Isabelle remained acutely aware of every step she took. When they eventually returned to the palace, the sun was beginning to lower in the western sky, casting long shadows across the manicured lawns.“Thank you for the delightful tour, Your Highness,” Amelia said with a perfect curtsy as they reached the entrance.“The pleasure was mine,” Sebastian replied. “Perhaps next time, you might bring your water colors? There are several views I think would benefit from your artistic interpretation.”Amelia brightened visibly. “I should like that very much.”Sebastian turned to Isabelle. “And you, Miss Ellwood? Will you join us again?”The proper answer was to decline, to remove herself from a situa
Last Updated: 2025-08-22
Chapter: fourteen Amelia squeezed her fingers. “You’re too kind, Isabelle. Though I suspect His Highness would benefit from someone of your intelligence and wit as a companion. Heaven knows I haven’t your facility with words or books.”“You have a gentle heart and natural grace,” Isabelle countered. “Far more valuable qualities in a royal consort than an excessive fondness for dusty tomes and impractical dreams.”The conversation shifted to safer topics, but Isabelle’s mind remained fixed on the impending garden tour. An afternoon watching Sebastian court Amelia while she played the supportive friend—surely there were gentler forms of torture.The palace gardens were resplendent in the afternoon sun, the recent rain having refreshed the blooms and greenery to vibrant life. Isabelle walked slightly behind Sebastian and Amelia, watching as he pointed out various plants, his knowledge impressive for one not primarily concerned with horticulture.Amelia looked enchanting in a pale pink walking dress, her g
Last Updated: 2025-08-21
Chapter: nine| where he's finally on the right track Edward's POV —"What in the name of everything miserable are you talking about? Did you two fight? Again—""We broke up. It felt like dragging a soulless animal and the weight was just too much to carry anymore than was necessary."Emily's eyes melted into moisture as she crossed the much needed two steps between them and grabbed his shoulders. Tipping on her toes, she engulfed him fully in the whirl of her femininity and emotions.Edward couldn't breathe, he didn't even dare move a muscle lest the moment should break and disappear into the bubble of longing and misery. Again.He was abhorrently tired of dreaming of her each night — whimpering, sighing, moaning and clinging to him just like she was doing now — and equally tired of having to play the role of a gentleman each time she was around him in reality.His hands found her back, shifting her weight,
Last Updated: 2023-11-24
Chapter: eight| where their happiness is about to bloomEdward's POV —Marry me, Emily . Be my wife. Seize your rightful place in my heart. Be my queen as this king couldn't possibly rule his kingdom alone anymore while he still writhed each day for you and — your touch.The words were stuck in his head, singing their own emotions and their own feeling of happiness if ever they could come true.He gazed at her with adoration, not being able to play this game of cat and mouse anymore. Either he be the man and let her know he couldn't care a whit about how she thought of that fake marriage — because he was very well about the way on his knees again to offer the real one — or he be the coward and suffer his fate by seeing her getting snatched by someone else.But Emily wasn't a property. And it mattered to him a whole lot than he'd still hesitate to admit— about what she thought of him as her life partner in general.Perhaps, he should go about this in the modern way and not just jump right into the marriage. He didn't want to scare her away w
Last Updated: 2023-11-20
Chapter: chapter seven| where he seems to have found every answer within himLike for-ever.Suddenly Edward was so shook to the core he pursed his lips in a thin line, trying to determine what that meant after he had this earth shattering conclusion in his mind.Or more precisely, what he should do next to give himself the release from this agony of having to wait upon Emily's every word, her every sigh and her thoroughly agonizing stories about her dates — with men — from a distance, just as her friend, as she did the same to him in his time of need — while also allowing himself the patience of watching her fall in love with someone else.That was not him.A sound escaped his throat, dangerously close to a growl and he heard Emily whimper in response. His jaw clicked, hands fisting on the back of her dress, nearly ripping the fabric to shreds.Emily found his eyes, asking for something, and he was sure he knew what she was searching for. He damn well knew he was b
Last Updated: 2023-10-30
Chapter: chapter six| where he's coming in terms with some crazy realisations Edward's POV —And now that bleak dot of happy memories, their marriage, their home, their friendship, their relationship as husband and a wife — not only didn't even exist but was more on the verge of burning him alive than anything he ever had to face in his life.How he regretted each moment of his foolishness with every fibre of his being. How he would do anything, anything, to get back to that phase life again and make amends so that he would never have to face himself in the mirror each day — with shame, guilt, regret, misery, desperation and longing.As his thoughts turned to a more dangerous direction, he trapped her waist in his demanding hands, his fingers curling possessively at the curve of her hips. He closed his eyes in the damn efforts to calm his feelings down lest he should do what he shouldn't be doing to Emily now that they weren't married anymore, or bloody hell, what he shouldn't be doing — to her — even during
Last Updated: 2023-10-22
Chapter: chapter five| where fumbling hearts find they beat for each otherEdward's POV —Edward didn't really have any problem with Eric succeeding him, animosities of supposed jealousy aside which he was sure would do him no benefit in the future, both in their status as blood-related cousins or the business partners.But he wasn't sure Eric would be up-to this deal. As far as he remembered his achievements and the future ambitions he had for himself, Eric already established and owns a Gaming Company. And it'd be too difficult for him to operate both at once if he would be pressured too much to take over the Jones.On the other hand, Eric wasn't as diligent as he let on and so he wouldn't necessarily agree to take over the Company by leaving his own dream which he worked so hard on for years behind him. So would that make him selfish to wish for his cousin to just take over Jones and employ someone else as a substitute for his own Company? Yes, it sure was selfish, he thought. He had already lost
Last Updated: 2023-10-19
Chapter: chapter four| where he is coming in terms with his desiresEdward's POV—"Am I too late to beg for your forgiveness and perhaps for you to provide me with something to eat as well?" Edward asked tentatively, gauging Emily's reaction. "I mean to say if you're not still in habit of collecting dead bodies, or if you're looking forward to adding me in your special collection."Emily looked at him in mock disbelief and he added with a wink, "That'd cost you billions by the way, and you should also add millions spent in kneeling in front of judges to get you out of jail for the possible murder due to starvation and hiding the remains. And the public interest wouldn't be of much support either since'' He added with a great dignity, "I'm kind of an important person and from what I've known from my secretary and tabloids, I have a supposed FanClub too. You'd be confined to life imprisonment forever. I'd never wish for you to-""Or I could just drag your half-dead corpse across this snow and dump it on the oil con
Last Updated: 2023-10-13
Half Hope, Half Love
[ ᴜɴʀᴇǫᴜɪᴛᴇᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ]"Let me go, Heath. You know it's wrong." I whispered, as he shifted himself closer towards me. "What's wrong with me hugging you?"I took a deep breath. "You just got cheated on by my sister who you were about to marry in some weeks! Not to mention, you loved her so much you fought against your whole family to marry her. Is that enough of a reason now?"With that being said, he left me abruptly and I could feel him still standing behind me. "You just have to mention that now, don't you? When I'm trying to cope up with the truth?""It's the truth. You really were getting married to-""Is that the reason you're leaving me?!"I frowned. "What?""I was going to marry Kiara. You didn't like it-""Why wouldn't I like it if you'd marry my sister?!" I yelled, my own temper rising at his random observation. "It's simple. You were jealous." ___Eight years working your butt off for someone you love, only to watch them fall in love with your own sister and propose a marriage by your help, is not something everyone have guts for, to do. Follow the journey of Heath Evercrest and Hazel Scarlett, as Hazel struggles to put up with her employer's sudden unexpected odd request, while her own heart threatens to betray her sooner or later, in her own quest.___Warning - Contains kisses and scenes that might make you blush.Copyright © StarryRitika 2020.
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Chapter: 14| Something In The Rain-Part VIIIThe minute the words were out from my mouth, he removed his hand from my cheek. His green eyes darkened, black pearls of hues swiveling under them. Suddenly, he took my hands and pinned them above my head, pressing them harder against the wall. I bit my lips in pain, as he glided his long fingers along the length of my own, rather harder."What're you doing muhhh-" He pressed his hot lips against mine, opening his mouth, kissing them, nibbling them, licking them. His teeth rolled my lower lip and he sucked roughly on it.I felt alarmed by his sudden actions but couldn't deny that my body was reaction otherwise to his ministrations.My mind was in haze, his mouth moving like a lava on my lips, tasting them, gliding them, feasting on them.When I got the nick of the situation, I tried to struggle against him, pushing him away with my free legs but he put his one leg in between m
Last Updated: 2020-10-02
Chapter: 13| Something In The Rain-Part VIIMy eyebrows furrowed. "What're you saying? I told you I have nothing to say to you!""I can't let you walk around the street in these clothes. You have to come with me."I looked at him as if he had gone insane. "I'm not going anywhere with you!""I'm not asking for your permission." He said, as he grabbed my arms and started to drag me with him, towards his car."What the hell is wrong with you?! I can take care of myself! You don't fucking need to look out-" I kicked on his knees. He staggered a bit and his grip on me loosened. I took it as a chance to run but he took hold of me from behind, lifting me up and wrapping his arms around me tightly."Don't touch me! Leave me alone! I don't want to stay one more minute with you!" I kicked him from behind, missing it altogether but when I kicked him again, I heard him wince in pain."What's fuck
Last Updated: 2020-10-02
Chapter: 12| Something In The Rain-Part VIHe didn't say anything for a while. Just continued to walk side by side with me. And I decided not to break this silence. I didn't even know why he came after me."You still didn't tell me your reasons.""I was going to. But I chose not to.""Why?""If you're worried about your new PA, I have kept the loads of profiles of experienced professional PAs who have trained in better environment for this service, with Mrs Rothy. You can have those profiles from her anytime you want and read them thoroughly to decide who you want to be your next P-""I asked you a question, Scarlett." He demanded.I ignored him and continued with my advise. "And you know a very interesting thing. They can fight too. I mean they can use their fists. I used to be very sorry when you'd require to hire the bodyguard for your safety-""You're not answering
Last Updated: 2020-10-02
Chapter: 11| Something In The Rain-Part VHis eyes furrowed. "What?""I'm quitting." When he eyed me with confusion, I decided to elaborate. "I'm leaving this job, if that makes you understand the meaning of this letter.""Oh, so you've decided to put me back in place by emotional blackmail now? I didn't know you'd stoop that low to achieve your goals, Scarlett.""I'm not stooping anywhere, Mr Evercrest. I had been meaning to give that letter to you for a long time-""How long?""I don't know. Maybe three years. Maybe four. I just don't remember anymore. All I knew was I don't want to do this job anymore. I've always wanted to do something that I'd love to do. Something that would make me happy. But I saw I couldn't do it if I continued working 16 hours a day.""You can still do what you want while working for me.""Says the one who threatened me just some minutes ago." I saw gui
Last Updated: 2020-10-02
Chapter: 10| Something In The Rain-Part IV"You really don't realize what influence I have on you? Or on your future, right?" He asked, glaring at me, his voice laced with controlled rage while he took one step towards me.I took one step back, glaring back at him. "You think I care about my future after I had been living like a servant for a person like you for eight years?!""You talk about respecting the person in heirarchy and power and yet you don't respect your own boss?!" He said, taking another step towards me and for a second, I flinched seeing his eyes darkening with burning rage but I continued on anyway, taking two steps back from him."You don't need to be respected to feel as a boss, Heath." I said, eyeing him warily as his gaze flickered down my face, to my half-exposed heaving chest, lingering there for longer than I expected. His tempting gaze then shifted to my bare thighs and legs, leaving a trail of tingle down my burning core, mak
Last Updated: 2020-10-02
Chapter: 9| Something In The Rain-Part III"What're you-" I started but was cut off when he started to drag me with him."It's enough. Let's go now." He replied, taking me with him.I looked at him in confusion. "But-""Shut up and just come with me, will you!?" He suddenly barked at me and I felt the anger rising in his voice.Nevertheless, I put my hand over his hand clutching my wrist and tried to release myself from his grasp. But his fingers didn't budge one inch from his grip. I sighed loudly and tried again but due to the rain, my fingers were slipping over his knuckles while he continued to drag me with him."Let go of my hand, Heath! You've been treating me so roughly this whole night, do you even know that?!"He stopped in the middle and turned towards me. "Why do you think I've been doing this in the first place?!"I opened my mouth to speak but
Last Updated: 2020-10-02
The Devil Who Owes Me A Kiss
She was always the shadow. He was always chasing the light.
Lavinia Hartwell had learned early that love was rarely for girls like her. She was the quiet one, the overlooked one—always second to her luminous best friend, Verity Langford. Even Henry Wynthorne, the boy whose compassion had unexpectedly caught her heart in high school, only had eyes for Verity.
But years change people.
Henry’s dreams of studying abroad collapsed with his father’s death. Verity left. Success became his only compass, and alcohol his only escape. And somehow, in the wreckage, there was Lavinia—never demanding, never judging, quietly holding him together in ways he never noticed… until she was gone.
When an arranged engagement threatened to give her to him, Henry assumed she was being forced into it and set her free. Lavinia smiled, thanked him—and walked away, taking with her the steady presence he had taken for granted.
Only then did Henry begin to notice the ache. The way her absence unsettled him. The way another man’s hand on her waist ignited a heat that was not anger, but something darker, sharper, and dangerously possessive.
A single night blurred the lines forever—her lips on his, soft at first, then desperate, as though she’d loved him all her life. Desire flared, undeniable. But in the morning, she was gone again.
Now, with Verity back and the past colliding with the present, Henry must face the truth: he no longer loves the woman he once chased. But has he realized too late who truly held his heart all along?
Slow-burn, sensual, and laced with aching restraint, this is a story of unspoken devotion, of a man’s reluctant fall, and of the quiet girl who was never anyone’s first choice—until she became the only choice.
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Chapter: forty For a moment, she thought he might actually answer honestly. Something vulnerable flickered in his expression, a flash of the younger man she’d once known who hadn’t yet learned to hide his emotions behind layers of professional composure.But the moment passed. Henry straightened in his chair, his features settling back into their familiar lines of polite authority.“Nothing’s bothering me,” he said with a casualness that didn’t quite ring true. “I simply want to ensure that our working environment remains… professional.”The word ‘professional’ seemed to echo between them, carrying all the weight of their shared history and the careful boundaries they’d constructed around their impossible situation.“Of course,” Lavinia said, her voice matching his tone of studied neutrality. “Completely professional.”* * *The afternoon brought an unexpected visitor, and with her, a complication Lavinia hadn’t anticipated.Verity Langford arrived like a burst of sunlight, all golden hair and nervo
Last Updated: 2025-10-31
Chapter: thirty nine The first thing Lavinia Hartwell became aware of was warmth. Not the tepid morning sun filtering through her bedroom curtains, but something altogether more solid, more present. Her eyelids fluttered open to find herself mere inches from Henry Wynthorne’s sleeping face, his dark lashes casting shadows across his cheekbones in the pale light.Her breath caught in her throat. Sometime during the night, they had gravitated toward each other like planets pulled by invisible forces, and now she could count the faint freckles scattered across the bridge of his nose, could see the slight part of his lips as he breathed. The urge to close that small distance, to press her mouth to his, struck her with such fierce intensity that she had to dig her fingernails into her palms to anchor herself to reality.Get up. Move. Before you do something irreversibly foolish.She extracted herself from the couch with the careful precision of someone defusing a bomb, each movement calculated to avoid disturb
Last Updated: 2025-10-31
Chapter: thirty eight “I was walking past the animal shelter on my lunch break, and she was in the window. The volunteer said she’d been returned twice by families who couldn’t handle a puppy’s energy.” Henry’s expression was almost sheepish. “Before I knew it, I was filling out adoption papers.”Despite everything, Lavinia felt a smile tug at her lips. “Henry Wynthorne, the impulsive dog owner. I never would have predicted that.”“Neither would I, to be honest. Which brings me to my problem.” He scrolled to another photo—the puppy apparently having destroyed a throw pillow, stuffing scattered across an expensive-looking rug. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve scheduled a vet appointment for tomorrow evening, but I’m terrified I’m going to do something wrong before then.”Lavinia found herself leaning closer to see the photos, her professional composure finally cracking completely. “She’s beautiful. What did you name her?”“That’s… actually another problem. I keep calling her ‘puppy,’ which hardly seems
Last Updated: 2025-10-31
Chapter: thirty seven The clock on Lavinia’s computer screen read 9:47 PM when she finally pushed back from her desk, rubbing her tired eyes. The Wynthorne Enterprises building had emptied hours ago, but she’d volunteered to stay late finishing the quarterly reports—partly because the work needed doing, mostly because her small apartment felt suffocating when she had nothing to distract her from her thoughts.She was gathering her things when footsteps echoed in the hallway. Henry appeared in the doorway of her office, his tie loosened and sleeves rolled up, looking as surprised to see her as she was to see him.“Miss Hartwell.” He paused, studying her face in the lamplight. “Working late again?”“The Morrison reports needed finishing,” she said, her voice carefully neutral despite the way her pulse quickened at his unexpected presence. “I didn’t realize anyone else was still here.”“I could say the same.” He stepped into the office, and she noticed he carried two steaming cups from the coffee machine down
Last Updated: 2025-10-31
Chapter: thirty seven “NOTHING I DO IS EVER GOOD ENOUGH!” The words tore from her throat in a sound that was half-scream, half-sob. “Nothing! And now you stand there and tell me I’m throwing my life away because I finally, FINALLY had the courage to remove myself from a situation that was killing me by degrees!”Tears were streaming down her face now, hot and angry and long overdue. “What have I done to deserve such criticism from everyone? What terrible crime have I committed by loving someone who doesn’t love me back? By trying to preserve what little dignity I have left?”Diana stared at her daughter as if seeing her for the first time. The girl who had never raised her voice, never talked back, never caused trouble, stood before her shaking with rage and grief and desperate, bone-deep exhaustion.But understanding and shame were luxuries Diana Hartwell had never learned to indulge in. After a long moment, she simply turned and walked from the room, leaving her daughter standing among the wreckage of wo
Last Updated: 2025-10-31
Chapter: thirty fiveThe week after the stalker incident passed in deliberate silence. Henry Wynthorne made no attempt to follow Lavinia Hartwell’s evening routines, telling himself he’d done enough damage simply by being discovered. But by Thursday, the restlessness had returned—a gnawing uncertainty that pulled at him like an undertow. He found himself lingering near the office windows as five o’clock approached, watching the street below with the careful attention of someone pretending not to care. When Lavinia emerged that evening, her shoulders bore the same tired slump he’d noticed before. Something about the sight made his chest tighten with an emotion he refused to name. Without conscious decision, his feet carried him to his car. The distance he maintained was greater this time, more careful. He told himself it was prudent caution after her obvious displeasure at being followed. But the truth sat heavier in his stomach—he couldn’t bear to stop, and he couldn’t bear
Last Updated: 2025-09-22
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