All Chapters of The Butcher of the North: Rejected by the Crown Prince: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

AURELIA’S POVThe morning air in Queen Persephone’s memorial garden smelt like lavender and white roses, these were the flowers she had loved most.I knelt beside the flowerbed, using my fingers to gently brush away the rose petals that had fallen from the stone path. This place was the only part of the palace that still felt like home to me. The only place where I still heard her voice whispering to me through the rustling leaves.I closed my eyes and let the memories fill my mind. I was barely eight when my mother went berserk from a plague that raided the Southern Regions. My father worked for Queen Persephone but he left to rescue my mother and I, but eventually died in a carriage accident on the southern road. The palace guards brought me here, dirty, scared, and alone. Queen Persephone had taken one look at me and opened her arms. “You will stay with us, little one,” she had said, she was as warm as the sunlight. “This is your home now.”She raised me alongside Prince Lucien.

AURELIA’S POVThe Moon Blessing Festival had finally begun, and the entire palace came to life with celebration. Banners of silver and deep red hung from every tower, while lanterns glowed along the pathways like captured stars. Nobles from every territory had arrived, lords and ladies dressed in fine silks and jewels that probably cost more than everything I owned. Laughter and music filled the halls, but everywhere I went, eyes followed me.Some eyes were kind. An older duchess smiled warmly as I passed, murmuring, “The future Luna graces us already.” Her companion nodded in agreement. “She has the late queen’s grace. The Goddess will surely bless this union.”But others….others were simply devilish.I overheard two young ladies whispering behind their fans near the fountain. “A servant girl? Truly? She may have grown up here, but blood is blood. The prince deserves better than a wolfless orphan playing at royalty.”Their giggles followed me down the corridor. I kept my head high

AURELIA’S POVThe night of the mating ceremony had finally arrived. The Silvercrest Royal Palace looked like something out of a fairytale. Thousands of lanterns hung from the grand hall’s ceiling, casting a golden glow over the assembled nobles. Representatives from every territory packed the space—lords in velvet robes, ladies adorned with jewels and warriors standing tall in their colors. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation, the scent of incense, roasted meats from the earlier feast, and nervous excitement.My heart pounded so hard I could barely breathe as I walked down the long aisle toward the raised platform. I wore a simple but elegant white gown that Queen Persephone had once gifted me, the silver embroidery glimmered under the light with every step I took and whispers followed me as I moved.“She looks radiant. The Goddess will surely bless them.”“A servant as Luna? Times are indeed changing.”I kept my chin high, just like she taught me. This was it. The day I h