Secrets of the Ash Princess
To survive the elite Aethelgard Vanguard University, you must have a legendary bloodline or a death wish.
Loveth has none of those. She does have a stolen identity ring, a blood seal that blocks her forbidden magic, and a burning thirst for revenge against the noble family that threw her away like trash. She enters the academy under the name of a dead girl, aiming to keep her head down and climb the cutthroat ranking system from the absolute bottom at Rank 500, destroying her bloodline from the inside.
But her plan falls apart on the very first night when she comes face to face with Crown Prince Kaka.
Kaka is the academy’s undisputed rank 1. A lethal, arrogant storm-wielder weaponised by the royal court. But behind that perfect, untouchable facade, Kaka is dying. His magic core is cracking from a dark family curse, threatening to rip him apart from the inside out.
But when a midnight showdown forces Loveth to unleash her hidden ash magic, Kaka learns her deadly secret. But instead of revealing her, he sees that her forbidden power is the only thing that can stabilise his failing core.
Now, Loveth is bound to the school's most dangerous tyrant by a contract she didn't sign. He needs her power to stay alive; she needs his shadow to take her revenge. But when the academy’s trials turn deadly, and a darker conspiracy lurks beneath the school, the thin line between their mutual hatred and protective obsession starts to blur.
In a school where falling behind means death, trusting the enemy could be her best weapon. Or her last mistake.
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Chapter: The Cost of a GazeThe mud on my boots dried fast, turning into a crust that broke off with every step I took down the long, grey hallway. I didn’t look back at the courtyard. I didn’t need to. The angry shouts from Kaelen Vance’s friends still bounced off the stone walls, but they weren’t chasing me. First, they had to drag their leader to the medical wing.I squeezed my left hand into a tight fist. My skin still felt warm from the tiny bit of ash-magic I’d used to make the ground slippery under Kaelen’s feet. That was a stupid risk. If anyone with sharp eyes had seen that grey puff come from my fingers, the guards would’ve thrown me in the deep cells before sunset. But Kaelen was about to carve up my face in front of two hundred people. In the slums, if a girl lets a bully mark her, she’s as good as dead. I had a choice: get caught or get broken. I chose to live.“You walk fast for someone who just made a very dangerous enemy,” a voice said from the shadows ahead.I stopped. My breath caught.Kaka Obs
Last Updated: 2026-06-02
Chapter: The Blood Duel in the CourtyardThe wood of the door burned hot against my back. I could smell the varnish bubbling. Kaelen Vance wasn’t messing around. He really wanted to burn his way in.I slipped Evangeline’s note back into my boot, right next to the cold, jagged piece of metal hidden deep in the lining. The hard shape pressed into my ankle, a sharp reminder of whatever secret the dead girl had left me. My head spun. If I stayed inside, he’d wreck the room and find my street stuff. If I opened the door like normal, he’d see the fire in my eyes and use it to crush me.“One, two, three, rat,” Kaelen yelled from the other side.*Click. Click.* His knife tapped against his gold teeth, cutting through the thick air.I didn’t let him reach three. I grabbed a small clay water jug from the wooden chest, took a deep breath, and pulled back the heavy iron bolt. I flung the door open fast.Kaelen stood there with two big guys from the firehouses. Red sparks danced on his knuckles, and his fancy gold rings shone. His hand w
Last Updated: 2026-06-02
Chapter: The Moving CellsKaka’s fingers pressed hard on the fresh cut on my wrist. The pain burned like fire, but I didn’t flinch. If I pulled away, it would show I had something to hide. If I used my magic to push him off, the whole school would be after me by morning. “I told you my name at the gate, Your Highness,” I said. My voice stayed steady. I opened my eyes wide, trying to look like a confused, hurt girl from a small family house. “My name is Evangeline Cross. Why are you hurting me?”Kaka leaned in closer. His face was just a few inches from mine. His silver eyes searched my face for any tiny slip-up. “The real Evangeline Cross grew up in the southern valleys. Her family records say she had a small white scar on her left chin from a riding accident. You don’t have that scar.”A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. I had studied every detail of Evangeline’s life before she died, but she never mentioned a childhood scar on her chin. My mind raced. If he called the guards back, it was all over
Last Updated: 2026-06-02
Chapter: The cost of a lieThe ground shook hard and I hit the cracked stone flat on my back. Dust and sharp white bits from the broken Primal Stone rained down on my head. Students scrambled away from me, their fancy silk capes flapping like scared birds.Under the dirt, a low angry rumble went through my boots. It sounded like a huge creature clearing its throat after sleeping for a thousand years. The ancient stone giant under the school was waking up."The beast awakens!" High Magister Vane toppled from his high chair, papers flying everywhere. “Guards! Get the girl! She smashed the rock!”Four guards rushed at me with iron spears pointed right at my chest. The metal tips buzzed with blue sparks. I watched my whole plan fall apart before I even stepped inside a classroom. If they threw me in the deep cells, I’d never get close to Kaelen Vance. I’d never get my revenge.I glanced down at my left hand. The fresh cut from Evangeline’s ring was still pouring blood, mixing with the dust on the floor. The forbid
Last Updated: 2026-06-02
Chapter: The Crimson NumberFive hundred students stood in the school yard, and every single one of them knew I was supposed to be dead.The huge black scoreboard in the middle of the yard glowed with bright light. Right at the very top it showed Rank 1: Kaka Obsidian, shining in a deep, heavy purple. Down at the bottom was my stolen name, flickering like a candle about to go out.Rank 500: Evangeline Cross."Move it, trash," a guard barked, jabbing his iron spear into my ribs. "The testing stone doesn't play around. Either step up or get thrown to the giant."I didn't back down. I reached down and touched the thick silver ring on my right hand. It had belonged to the real Evangeline. She didn't cry when my real family, the Vances, came for her to hide their ugly secrets. She just looked at me with blood on her lips and pressed this ring into my hand. *"Run, Loveth,"* she whispered. *"Take my name. Punish them."*She was the only person from the starving slums who had ever shared her bread with me. Now she was g
Last Updated: 2026-06-02
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