LOGINLiam’s POVSteel rang against steel, the sound sharp enough to split my skull.I barely managed to lift my blade in time.The impact shuddered down my arm, pain flaring hot and immediate as my grip slipped. My opponent didn’t bother hiding his surprise. He recovered faster than I did, twisting his wrist and driving his shoulder into my chest.I staggered back.The training yard blurred at the edges. Sand crunched beneath my boots as I barely caught myself before falling flat on my back like a novice.“Again,” Rurik said, brows knitting together. His voice was respectful, but there was confusion in it now. “You’re late on your parries today, my lord.”“I’m fine,” I snapped, raising my sword again.The lie tasted like iron.We circled. Morning sun cut through the mist, glinting off armor and sweat-slicked skin. The other warriors had slowed, their attention drifting toward us despite themselves. They could see it too.I lunged.Too slow.Rurik sidestepped easily and struck my wrist with
Elizabeth’s POVThe mirror did not lie to me.It has always been the first thing I ran too when I needed clarity.I stood naked from the waist up, candlelight licking my skin in slow, golden tongues as I traced the sigils carved just beneath my collarbone. They were faint, thin lines etched with precision, healed just enough to pass for scars if anyone looked too closely. Anyone except me.I knew every curve. Every angle.Each symbol was layered. Protection over protection. Wards braided so tightly that even Selena wouldn’t have recognized half of them if she had peeled my skin apart and studied it like scripture.She had taught me the basics once. Long ago. The surface magicMy fingers lingered over the final mark, the smallest one, tucked close to my heart. It hummed faintly beneath my touch, warm in a way flesh should not have been. Surrogacy magic was not gentle work. I lowered my hand and met my own gaze in the mirror.There had been a time I loved Selena with a devotion so comp
Aurelia’s POVMy hands no longer felt like they belonged to a part of my body.They throbbed with a deep, wet heat that pulsed in time with my heartbeat, each throb sharp enough to steal my breath if I let myself focus on it. Blisters swelled beneath torn skin, some already ruptured, others tight and shining like glass stretched too thin. Every time my fingers brushed against fabric or stone, pain flared up in me.Selena made sure of that.Every day was a new punishment. A new lesson. A new means to humiliate me infront of everyone.And still, she would not allow me treatment.“Pain keeps you in check,” she’d said once, watching me cradle my hands against my chest. Her smile had been small and satisfied. “That way you'd have a glimpse of what your children will go through if you decide to double cross me.”By the time night fell, I was barely upright.I finished my final task with my head bowed and my spine locked straight, even as my knees trembled beneath me. The corridor outside Se
Selena’s POVFrom my balcony, the palace looked calm like every other day.The night air carried the faint scent of ash from the earlier fire incident, though the walls had already been scrubbed clean. I lifted my goblet and took a slow sip of wine, letting it coat my tongue.Aurelia.The flames had not lied.No matter how much she bowed her head or dirtied her hands, the truth burned beneath her skin. Power can't be hidden for ever. It tore its way out, and hers was doing so faster than even I had predicted.Faster than I liked.I set the goblet down with a soft clink and straightened.If power was rising in her, then I have to make sure she never goes out of control. I have to still show her who's in charge of this realm.“Summon her,” I told the guard behind me without turning. “Now.”Aurelia arrived exactly three minutes later. Honestly, this was the longest she had taken to answer my call.Her eyes stayed lowered as she knelt at the threshold of my chambers, her movements precise
Lyra’s POVOver time I've learnt and master the act of being quite. It happened way before Selena chopped off my tongue.In this palace, silence was your only assurance to survive. You can't say nothing about anything, or even act like you saw it. Ever since Selena became queen we've all had to act blind just so we're not the next to dieI moved through the corridors with my head bowed and my shoulders slightly curved inward, the way they preferred us. My hands were never empty. A basket of linens. A bucket of water. A broom worn thin at the bristles. If you looked busy enough, people stopped looking at you.Since Selena’s order, the air itself had changed.I could literally feel as the guards will never take off their eyes from me. I didn't have much of a choice, I've come to accept this life of mine until the day that I'd get a chance to revenge and give Selena just a taste of her own pill.Guards who used to nod absently now watched me like they were counting my steps.Other maids
Aurelia’s POVI knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into the children’s quarters.It wasn’t loud. There was no screaming from Keiran, no broken furniture, no blood on the floor. Everywhere was still very organized and quiet.Kieran’s bed was empty.Not rumpled the way it usually was when he climbed out of it too early. Not messy from his restless turning at night. It was bare. Sheets folded too neatly. Pillow missing.My breath caught. I was too scared to admit the rising suspicion in my gut, I just stood there and took in all the sight before me.“No,” I whispered, already stepping closer, my hands shaking as I touched the mattress. It was cold and seemed and untouched for days.Madeline sat on her bed across the room, knees pulled to her chest, her small fingers twisting the hem of her dress. She looked up at me slowly, her eyes too calm for a child her age.“Where is your brother?” I asked, forcing my voice to stay steady.She didn’t answer, she only started tearing up as







