LOGINAurelia’s POVI had barely finished scrubbing the eastern wing floors when a sharp voice sliced through the air.“Aurelia! You're needed right now.”Two guards appeared at the doorway, their hands on my elbows before I could resist. I stumbled, my knees weak from exhaustion, but they ignored it. One shoved me forward, the other walked silently beside me, eyes flicking everywhere as if they expected an attack.“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended.“Orders from the council,” one replied, voice neutral but filled with warning. “No questions.”I forced my jaw tight, letting my hands remain steady despite the burns on my palms and the ache radiating through my arms. Every step toward the council chambers felt like walking through ice. My heart thudded in my chest, loud enough that I was sure the guards could hear it.When the heavy oak doors opened, the chamber beyond greeted me with a cold formality. The council members sat in high-backed chairs. Their g
Liam’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 POVThat night, I didn’t even remember walking back to the basement.My body moved on instinct alone, one foot in front of the other, down the narrow steps, through the familiar damp corridor that smelled of mold, sweat, and quiet despair. My muscles screamed in protest with every step, m
Aurelia’s POVPain throbbed through my face in hot, blinding waves.I groaned before I could stop myself, the sound ripping out of my chest as I curled inward, my fingers digging into the cold stone floor. My cheek burned like it had been branded, my ears ringing so loudly it drowned out the world
Aurelia’s POVMy hands fumbled over the keys, fumbling, shaking, trembling so violently that I dropped one onto the floor. It clinked against the wall like a harsh alarm, and I froze as my heart hammered so loudly it felt like Dominic would hear it from inside the cell.“Please, please, please,” I
Selena’s POVThe candles would not stop flickering.I stood at the center of the hidden chamber, fingers clenched at my sides, watching the flames bend and stretch like they were being pulled by unseen hands. The altar before me pulsed faintly, dark stone veined with crimson lines that glowed and d







