EngSub The Dragon Slave I Whipped is Now My King 🌎Aurora

FutureFilms

Transcript

00:00:02Elena, is this how Beg?

00:00:11Two years ago, I was the arrogant saintess, and he was the dragon slave I whipped at my whim.

00:00:19Two years later, he awakens the imperial dragon blood and returns to the imperial capital.

00:00:25As the giant dragon dives to the earth, he transforms into a king of extraordinary elegance.

00:00:33His dark gold dragon pupils are locked firmly onto me, once his equal, now a disgraced slave of the clan,

00:00:41fallen into the abyss beneath the altar.

00:00:44To save my father, I was forced to kneel at his feet and let him tear away my white robes,

00:00:51the very symbol of my sanctity.

00:00:53He laughed coldly, demanding I pleasure him to repay the debts of those two years.

00:00:59He already has a perfect match by his side, yet he insists on taking me by force, trapping me in

00:01:06an eternal cage.

00:01:08Oh, you are.

00:01:10But I will never let your children become your prisoners.

00:01:14Watching the madness of his possessive gaze, I press my hand against my stomach, where a faint draconic sigil flickered,

00:01:22the marked pulsing of the rhythmic cadence of a heartbeat.

00:01:26It was this very secret that had driven me to almost all my own death, a scandalous escape that had

00:01:31shocked the world.

00:01:32A month ago, the Holy Kingdom fell under a sudden monster assault.

00:01:37I found myself cornered in the black forest, trapped and suffocating under the weight of a dark malevolent curse.

00:01:44As my consciousness began to fracture, he appeared.

00:01:47He rode through the chaos.

00:01:49As he charged forward on horseback, I could have sworn I saw the spectral shimmer of dragon wings unfurl behind

00:01:56him.

00:01:56A broken sword in one hand, and a spear in the other, cutting a path to my side.

00:02:02In my blurred vision, he looked breathtaking.

00:02:06That night, amidst a frantic soul resonance, I let myself cross the forbidden line with him.

00:02:12I think I might have actually fallen for him.

00:02:15I thought of him the moment I opened my eyes.

00:02:17I banished him once more to the most remote, crumbling tower of the estate.

00:02:21Before sending him to the tower was a triumph of my power.

00:02:24Now I found myself sneaking toward it just to catch a glimpse of him.

00:02:28He was right there in my temple.

00:02:30Yet I was dying of an incurable heartache.

00:02:33Today was his 22nd birthday.

00:02:35I had spent hours baking a lemon tart with my own hands, wanting to give him a surprise.

00:02:41I wanted to tell him that he was going to be a father.

00:02:45Two years ago in the arena, I bestowed upon him the name Shadow.

00:02:49He was but a flicker of darkness, easily erased.

00:02:52Now, that name has become my only longing.

00:02:56I reached the tower only to find my world collapsing.

00:02:59My shadow was gone.

00:03:02A massive dragon shadow reared its head, its wings sweeping across the ceiling.

00:03:07A blinding burst of molten gold erupted before my eyes,

00:03:10before shrinking and condensing into the form of a noble man.

00:03:14The slave had vanished, replaced by a prince radiating golden light.

00:03:19The rumors followed quickly.

00:03:21He already had a fiancé, a childhood match.

00:03:25Lady Isabella, the most brilliant woman in the empire.

00:03:29As soon as he returned to the capital, their grand wedding would begin.

00:03:35My sanctuary had been transformed into a cage, surrounded by the cold steel of the paladins.

00:03:42The moment they spotted me, skulking in the shadows like a common thief,

00:03:46a royal guard lunged forward, pressing the frigid edge of a heavy greatsword against my throat.

00:03:51Neil, daughter of a traitor, how dare you stand in the presence of Prince Arthur?

00:03:55I looked past the blade at the man in the center of the crowd.

00:03:58The ragged, homespun clothes were gone.

00:04:01In their place was a magnificent robe of black and gold.

00:04:06Risking execution, I reached out with trembling fingers, desperately trying to catch his hand.

00:04:12A low, rhythmic vibration hummed in the air as glowing embers of dragon fire drifted from the golden boitery of

00:04:19his robes.

00:04:22You... are you truly the crown prince?

00:04:24Tell me, Miss Vivian, how do you plan to torture me today?

00:04:27Will it be the jeweled whip, or shall I feel the weight of your dancing shoes again?

00:04:32Once I return to the capital, I will send the official documents to sever our contract.

00:04:36A woman from this wretched holy kingdom has no place beside my throne.

00:04:39My eyes burned with unshed tears.

00:04:42I hadn't come to hurt him.

00:04:44I had come to celebrate his birth.

00:04:46To tell him that I was carrying his children.

00:04:49But even my touch was a stain to him now.

00:04:52I finally understood the brutal reality.

00:04:55He loathed me.

00:04:56He would never want me.

00:04:57And he would certainly never want the bastards in my womb.

00:05:01Even if they carried his own dragon blood.

00:05:04I shielded the faint yet searing spark of dragon blood within me.

00:05:08Standing amidst the hallowed ruins in utter despair.

00:05:11I wanted to tell him that I would give up everything.

00:05:13I would follow him to the capital as a lowly handmaid.

00:05:16Anything just to stay by his side.

00:05:18But to him, my very touch was a defilement.

00:05:22The deposition decree, sealed with the dragon crest, had severed our contract forever.

00:05:27At 18, I had fallen from the adored saintess to a prisoner abandoned by the gods.

00:05:32I finally woke up from the dream.

00:05:35Arthur hated me.

00:05:36He would go on to marry the pure-blooded Lady Isabella and father noble dragon heirs to him.

00:05:42Do you have any final prayers, Miss Vivian?

00:05:46He looked down at me as if I were a speck of dust.

00:05:49I had wanted to beg him to taste the lemon tart I baked with my own hands.

00:05:53But seeing the frost in his eyes, I could only bite my lip and shake my head through a blur

00:05:58of tears.

00:05:59Golden scales erupted across his skin as the air ignited with his draconic aura.

00:06:04With a mocking smear, his body shifted and expanded in a blinding flash of light, transforming into a massive dragon.

00:06:12The gale from his wings slamming me violently into the snow.

00:06:16He vanished into the clouds without a single backward glance.

00:06:19I sat frozen in the ice, until a sharp searing pain tore through my abdomen, nearly causing me to lose

00:06:26the child.

00:06:27Watching the fading silhouette in the sky, I clutched my stomach where a faint dragon mark pulsed, beating rhythmically like

00:06:33a second heart.

00:06:37Disaster struck, three days.

00:06:39After Arthur's departure, my father the Holy Father was branded, with the twin sins of treason and black magic.

00:06:46Then cast into the darkest depths of the abyss prison, I rushed to the capital, desperate and breathless, only to

00:06:52be met with a death sentence.

00:06:54He was to face the trial of holy fire on the night of the next full moon.

00:06:58Inside the stench-ridden dungeon, my mother's withered hand gripped mine with terrifying strength.

00:07:05Elena, you must go to Prince Arthur.

00:07:08You must go to your shadow.

00:07:11You swore vows before the dragon god.

00:07:14You are high on only contract holder.

00:07:17He cannot simply watch us die.

00:07:20Her words cut through my leg as a raided blood, but he couldn't find the voice to answer.

00:07:25How could I admit that during those two years of shadow,

00:07:29I had forced him into the freezing depths of the holy lake just to retrieve a lost jewel for my

00:07:34amusement?

00:07:35How could I confess that?

00:07:37In fits of rage, I had left scars upon his back that would never heal.

00:07:41He likely wanted to see my family reduced to ash more than anyone else in the world.

00:07:46But looking at the last flickering spark of hope in my mother's eyes, I forced myself to move.

00:07:51I picked up the ruby-encrusted whip, the very symbol of my former tyranny, and dragged my trembling body to

00:07:58the crown prince's palace.

00:07:59There, before the towering obsidian iron gates, I fell to my knees and waited.

00:08:08Back in the Holy Kingdom, a single command from my lips was enough to make shadow crawl to my feet.

00:08:14If I wanted him to bow, he never dared to meet my eyes.

00:08:17But now, the tables had turned with a cruel irony.

00:08:21To see him for even a moment, I had to kneel in the teeth of a blizzard, begging a shred

00:08:26of mercy.

00:08:26I knelt until I lost all feeling in my legs, the ruby whip in my hands buried after a thick

00:08:32shroud of snow.

00:08:33Just as dawn threatened to break, a dragon's roar shattered the clouds.

00:08:37The black wings eclipsed the dawn as he dived, only to contract and transform the instant they struck the earth.

00:08:43From the heart of the erupting snow, Arthur emerged in human form, breaking through the mist.

00:08:49The crunch of his boots against the frozen ground echoed the frantic beating of my heart.

00:08:53His cold, indifferent gaze lingered for a moment on the whip I held.

00:08:56Tell me, Miss Vivian, which hand was it?

00:09:00Which hand did you use to leave those scars on my body?

00:09:04His voice held no warmth, only the crushing weight of a judge passing sent him.

00:09:09I was so frozen, I could barely breathe.

00:09:11Before I could find my voice, my strength failed me.

00:09:14My knees buckled and I collapsed forward, falling directly into his arms.

00:09:18His chest was burning hot, a searing contrast to the ice.

00:09:22The heat instantly triggered the memory of our night of soul resonance.

00:09:25The way he had pinned me against the altar with a predatory hunger.

00:09:28My eyes welled with bitter tears.

00:09:32Your Highness, please, save my father.

00:09:36I'm begging you.

00:09:38His pupils narrowed into golden vertical slits,

00:09:40and a faint rhythmic flow of molten fire pulsed beneath the skin of his throat.

00:09:46So, you strip your defenses bare before me just to save that old man?

00:09:51Very well.

00:09:53I have been dying to see just how much the High and Holy Princess has learned about the art of

00:09:57submission.

00:09:57Before I could gasp, he hoisted me over his shoulder.

00:10:01Ignoring my cry of protest, he strode ruthlessly through the gallery and hurled me onto the strong dead draped in

00:10:07black fox fur.

00:10:08The air ignited with the violent scent of the dragonkin.

00:10:12As my ornate cloak slid away, my skin shivered against the biting chill.

00:10:17Arthur descended like a predator, his massive frame pinning me down, swallowing me whole within his territory.

00:10:24One hand, cold as iron, clamped my wrists above my head.

00:10:28Elena, every agony you put me through over these last two years, I am going to repay it, inch by

00:10:34inch, upon this bed.

00:10:37Phantasmus wings spread wide, bathed in the room with a suffocating golden gloom.

00:10:41The air crackled over the moon, an ancient dragon fire, as the crushing weight of his aura sealed the room.

00:10:47I shielded my womb with a trembling hand, protecting the fragile life within as I sank into the darkness.

00:10:56Shadow.

00:10:58He threw me onto the black fox furs with such violence that a sharp pain flared through my lower back.

00:11:03Under the weight of his suffocating, draconic aura, I flashed off my old, haughty temper flared.

00:11:09My hand instinctively reached it for me, ruby-encrusted, disciplinary whip.

00:11:14In the next heartbeat, Arthur ruthlessly shredded my inner robes.

00:11:19He curled his lips into a mocking sneer.

00:11:21His eyes filled with the cold, unreachable detachment.

00:11:24Is this your idea of a fleeting this week?

00:11:26The whip slipped from my numb fingers, clattering, uselessly to the floor.

00:11:30His gauze was licking up, frozen and quell, threatening to turn me very soul-toious.

00:11:35For the thousandth time, virality crashed down upon me.

00:11:38He was no longer the slave I could trample at will.

00:11:41He was a dragon king who crushed my entire bloodline with the flick of his fingers.

00:11:45Pleasing me is your only task.

00:11:48If you can satisfy me, perhaps I will show mercy and grant that old man Bernard a chance to live.

00:11:55Pleasing him, a wave of bitterness washed over me.

00:11:58I looked down at Miss Till, flat abdomen, my heart clenching in fear.

00:12:03Ever since, a day here claimed his throne, I had been spotting blood.

00:12:07The physician had warned that that the dragon bloodline was too powerful.

00:12:12My pregnancy was fragile.

00:12:13I was terrified of the bleeding.

00:12:15I was even more terrified of losing the tiny life already.

00:12:18Flickering with a dragon's breathing side met.

00:12:23Are you truly that unwilling?

00:12:26He let out a derisive snort, his eyes flickering with pure disdain.

00:12:31I have no interest in forcing anyone.

00:12:35Since the great saint despises her purity so highly,

00:12:39you can simply wait until the next full moon.

00:12:44Then you can collect Bernard's charred remains from the altar of holy fire.

00:12:50He tossed the shredded remnants of my sacred robes onto the floor like trash and turned to leave.

00:12:56Throwing my pride to the wind, I lunged forward and threw my arms around him from behind.

00:13:02I had been spoiled my entire life.

00:13:04I had never bowed to anyone.

00:13:06I was terrified of losing the babies, but I was more terrified of my father's execution.

00:13:22Arthur stood with his back to me, letting out a laugh that was bone-chillingly cold.

00:13:28I couldn't see his face, but the frost radiating from him was suffocating.

00:13:32To save a life, I had to mimic the clumsy movements of a dancing girl.

00:13:37I reached out with shaking hands to touch him,

00:13:41eventually forcing myself onto my tiptoes to press a desperate, humiliating kiss against his lips.

00:13:48Is this all the saintess is capable of?

00:13:52I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

00:13:55My mind flashed back to that night of chaotic soul resonance.

00:13:59Back then, though he was wild,

00:14:01he had kissed away my tears and whispered gentle comforts into my ear.

00:14:06The Arthur standing here now didn't want to comfort me.

00:14:09He wanted to watch me break.

00:14:14Get away from me!

00:14:16He growled the command.

00:14:18The volatile temper and searing heat unique to the dragon race exploded in an instant,

00:14:24shattering his fragile self-control.

00:14:26I tried to recoil in fear, but instead of pushing me away,

00:14:31his arm clamped around my waist like an iron vice,

00:14:34pinning me ruthlessly against the edge of the bed.

00:14:37He seized control,

00:14:38his kiss so violent I thought he would crush my lips.

00:14:43I struggled for air as the kiss grew more feral,

00:14:46a desperate clash of hatred and hunger.

00:14:49My clothes were reduced to threads.

00:14:51I felt like a fallen leaf adrift on a violent sea,

00:14:55swaying and drowning in the tidal wave of his draconic lust.

00:14:59When the first light of dawn filtered through the windows,

00:15:01I drifted back to consciousness.

00:15:03Arthur was already fully dressed in his black and gold princely regalia,

00:15:06looking cold and peerless once more.

00:15:09Your Highness,

00:15:12last night I did what you asked.

00:15:15You'll save my father now, won't you?

00:15:18Arthur adjusted the dragon scale cufflinks at his wrists,

00:15:22offering a chilling laugh without even bothering to look back.

00:15:25When exactly did I say that sleeping with me once

00:15:28would guarantee a pardon for a traitor?

00:15:32My eyes snapped open.

00:15:34Every bone in my body felt as though it had been ground to dust,

00:15:37but the pain in my heart was far worse.

00:15:41You...

00:15:48Besides,

00:15:49do you really think a body as broken as yours is enough to satisfy me?

00:15:55I felt as though I had been plunged into an abyss of ice.

00:15:59He never intended to save anyone.

00:16:01This was nothing but cold-blooded retaliation,

00:16:04the cruelest way possible to humiliate me

00:16:07for the two years I spent trampling on his dignity.

00:16:09The air felt thin,

00:16:11the weight of his betrayal suffocating me.

00:16:14Arthur, I'm begging you!

00:16:15Please, save my father!

00:16:17Arthur, he didn't spare me even a fleeting glance.

00:16:21Shrouded in a frost but cut like a blade,

00:16:23he strode away without looking back.

00:16:25Like a hollow shell of a human being,

00:16:28I numbly gathered the shredded remnants of my clothes

00:16:30and draped them over my battered body.

00:16:32I began the long, agonizing trek out of the palace,

00:16:35but as I reached the end of the corridor,

00:16:38I collided with a radiant procession.

00:16:40At the head of the group stood a woman

00:16:42in a vibrant imperial gown trimmed with gold,

00:16:45her elegance as sharp as her status.

00:16:48It was Isabella, the Duke's most beloved daughter.

00:16:51She was the woman Arthur had personally chosen

00:16:54as his crown princess upon his return to the throne.

00:16:56The Saintress?

00:16:59I must say,

00:17:00I never expected to find you

00:17:02in the prince's private chambers in such a state.

00:17:09It seems his highness's mercy

00:17:12hasn't taught you anything about dignity.

00:17:17I gripped my collar so hard,

00:17:19my nails bit into my palms.

00:17:20I wanted to scream,

00:17:22to fight back,

00:17:23but a sudden wave of weakness from my abdomen stopped me.

00:17:26If I collapsed here,

00:17:28my children,

00:17:29my only remaining secret,

00:17:30would be lost forever.

00:17:35Isabella was breathtaking.

00:17:36She possessed an innate regal air

00:17:38that only comes from a lifetime spent

00:17:40at the pinnacle of power,

00:17:42making me feel a sudden,

00:17:43stinging sense of inferiority.

00:17:45So you're that common girl

00:17:47Arthur used for diversion

00:17:49back in the Holy Kingdom?

00:17:51It wasn't a diversion.

00:17:53We exchanged the vows of the rose before the gods.

00:17:56He was my sworn knight.

00:18:04Vows?

00:18:05Those archaic rituals mean less than nothing

00:18:08to a crown prince.

00:18:10I've heard stories of how cruelly you treated him.

00:18:14Now that he's reclaimed his throne,

00:18:16you've come crawling back to beg for mercy.

00:18:20How could a man like Arthur

00:18:21ever truly want a woman with a heart

00:18:24as poisonous as yours?

00:18:26She stepped closer,

00:18:28her voice dripping with the arrogance of a benefactor.

00:18:32If you're truly that desperate

00:18:33to stay in the capital,

00:18:36I might allow him to keep you

00:18:38after our wedding

00:18:40as an unmarked mistress,

00:18:42a private pet with no name.

00:18:45The insult burned through my veins.

00:18:47I didn't want to be anyone's secret pet.

00:18:50Even if my heart had begun to waver,

00:18:52I knew one thing for certain.

00:18:54If he chose to marry another,

00:18:56I would never linger for a single second.

00:19:01As I stepped out of the crown prince's estate,

00:19:03the scorching sun felt like a physical assault,

00:19:06making my eyes sting.

00:19:08The truth was a cold, hard weight in my chest.

00:19:11Arthur hated me.

00:19:13He had no intention of saving my father.

00:19:15He only wanted to watch me spiral into the abyss

00:19:18until there was nothing left of me.

00:19:22Miss Elena.

00:19:24I hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes,

00:19:27looking up to see Christopher.

00:19:29He had once been a common scholar sponsored by my father.

00:19:32Two years ago,

00:19:33during that fateful ceremony,

00:19:35he had been my first choice for a knight.

00:19:37But through a cruel twist of fate,

00:19:39I had chosen Arthur instead.

00:19:41Now,

00:19:42Christopher had climbed the ranks

00:19:43to become the chief executive of the Imperial Tribunal.

00:19:46Lord Christopher,

00:19:48my father was framed.

00:19:52Please,

00:19:54I'm begging you.

00:19:56Save him.

00:19:59It's been two years.

00:20:01You've grown even more.

00:20:04Breathtaking than I remembered.

00:20:08I have always admired you.

00:20:13Elena.

00:20:15I've always wanted you by my side.

00:20:18He stared at me with a fixed intensity

00:20:21that made my skin crawl.

00:20:22The naked greed in his eyes was nauseating.

00:20:25He had already secured his future

00:20:27by marrying the High Justice's daughter,

00:20:29carving a path to the heights of power.

00:20:32Now,

00:20:33he was looking at me

00:20:34as if I were a prize to be collected.

00:20:36A secret lover

00:20:38to be kept in the shadows

00:20:39of his perfect life.

00:20:44I will purchase a secluded manor for you.

00:20:47You will live there.

00:20:49And when the timing is right,

00:20:51I'll arrange for you to be appointed

00:20:52as a chamber attendant.

00:20:54It's the perfect way

00:20:55to keep you under my protection

00:20:57without raising eyebrows.

00:20:59My father gave you everything.

00:21:01He funded your education

00:21:03and your rise to power.

00:21:05Is your sense of honor

00:21:06so easily swallowed by greed?

00:21:08I struggled to keep the fury

00:21:10from my voice,

00:21:11my body trembling

00:21:12with a mixture of rage

00:21:14and exhaustion.

00:21:15Christopher let out

00:21:16a sharp, derisive laugh,

00:21:18his eyes scanning me

00:21:19with a terrifying lack of shame.

00:21:21I have plenty of gold now.

00:21:23What I lack is a plaything like you,

00:21:25so holy,

00:21:26yet so utterly ruined.

00:21:27I know you spent two years

00:21:28with the crown prince,

00:21:30but his wedding is imminent.

00:21:31He's done with you.

00:21:32If you won't let Bernard

00:21:33to stay alive,

00:21:34you have no other choice.

00:21:35You belong to me now.

00:21:36I didn't even have

00:21:37the chance to retort.

00:21:38A sudden, violent wave of nausea

00:21:40surged from my stomach,

00:21:42and I doubled over,

00:21:43dry heaving right in front of him.

00:21:46Christopher's face

00:21:47instantly twisted

00:21:48into a blue shade of purple.

00:21:50He had expected tears,

00:21:52or perhaps a desperate surrender.

00:21:54He had expected me

00:21:56to become so physically

00:21:57repulsed by his touch

00:21:58that I would be sick

00:22:00on the spot.

00:22:03Christopher was clearly stunned

00:22:05by my physical repulsion.

00:22:06The mask of a refined gentleman

00:22:09shattered,

00:22:10leaving behind a gaze

00:22:11so dark and venomous

00:22:12it chilled my blood.

00:22:14The fake warmth in his voice

00:22:16died instantly,

00:22:17replaced by a low,

00:22:19predatory snarl.

00:22:21Do not test my patience, Elena.

00:22:23I control the Imperial Tribunal now.

00:22:25If I want that old man dead,

00:22:27he won't even survive long enough

00:22:29to see the Holy Fire next month.

00:22:33I'll give you two days.

00:22:34If I don't see you at my manor

00:22:36on the south side of the city by then,

00:22:38you might as well start picking out

00:22:40a burial plot for your father.

00:22:41He turned on his heel

00:22:43and stormed away

00:22:44in a fit of humiliated rage,

00:22:47leaving me to tremble alone

00:22:48in the biting wind.

00:22:50My heart felt like a lead weight

00:22:52sinking into an abyss.

00:22:54People always whispered

00:22:56that scholars were the most

00:22:57virtuous among us.

00:22:58But in reality,

00:23:00the most wretched souls

00:23:01are often those hidden

00:23:02behind tailored suits

00:23:04and polite smiles.

00:23:05My family was still wealthy.

00:23:07Even after spending a fortune

00:23:09to save my father,

00:23:10what remained could sustain us

00:23:12for generations.

00:23:13My mother had already secured

00:23:15a secluded safe house

00:23:16on the outskirts of the capital.

00:23:18I dragged my battered body,

00:23:20feeling as though

00:23:21it had been trampled

00:23:22by a carriage,

00:23:23and began the long,

00:23:25numb walk back

00:23:26to that hollow substitute

00:23:27for a home.

00:23:30I had a younger brother,

00:23:32Julian,

00:23:33who was two years my junior.

00:23:35Unlike me,

00:23:36who grew dizzy

00:23:37at the mere sight

00:23:38of ancient texts,

00:23:40he was a natural-born

00:23:41arcanist.

00:23:42By the age of five,

00:23:44he could already decipher

00:23:46forbidden runes.

00:23:47Upon hearing of our family's downfall,

00:23:50he had rushed from the arcane academy

00:23:52to the capital,

00:23:53his face pale with worry.

00:23:56Crushed and defeated,

00:23:58I dragged my feet

00:23:59down the endless corridor

00:24:00and with a trembling,

00:24:02uncertain hand,

00:24:03pushed open the massive door.

00:24:06Elena!

00:24:07What did he say?

00:24:08Did Prince Arthur,

00:24:09did Shadow Grie

00:24:10to save your father?

00:24:11My brother-in-law

00:24:12is the crown prince now.

00:24:13He'll help us,

00:24:14won't he?

00:24:14He has to!

00:24:15I looked at the flickering sparks

00:24:16of hope in their eyes,

00:24:17and my throat burned

00:24:19as if I had swallowed

00:24:20hot coals.

00:24:22Worse,

00:24:22I couldn't bring myself

00:24:23to describe the previous night,

00:24:25how Arthur had pinned me

00:24:27to those luxurious

00:24:28black fox furs,

00:24:30claiming my body

00:24:30with a brutal hunger.

00:24:32He wasn't our savior.

00:24:34He was a man

00:24:35who took pleasure

00:24:36in my ruin,

00:24:36a man who wanted

00:24:38to watch me drown

00:24:39in this hopeless mire

00:24:40until the last breath

00:24:42left my lungs.

00:24:46I couldn't bear

00:24:47to shatter the fragile hope

00:24:48in my mother's

00:24:49and Julian's eyes,

00:24:50but with my father's

00:24:52life on the line,

00:24:53I didn't dare weave a lie.

00:24:57My voice cracked

00:24:58as the cold reality

00:24:59spilled out.

00:25:02He refused.

00:25:04Arthur hates me

00:25:05more than you can imagine.

00:25:08Those two years

00:25:08of torment

00:25:09turned his heart

00:25:11into a block of ice.

00:25:12I've brought this

00:25:13upon our family.

00:25:15It's my fault

00:25:16that father is in that cage.

00:25:17My mother pulled me

00:25:19into a fierce,

00:25:20trembling embrace.

00:25:21Her scent of lavender

00:25:23and old books

00:25:24a brief comfort

00:25:25against the storm.

00:25:26You are the most precious

00:25:27jewel of the Vivian family

00:25:28if this is truly

00:25:29Bernard's trial.

00:25:30Then it is a judgment

00:25:31of fate itself.

00:25:32You will not chain yourself

00:25:33to a guilt

00:25:34that isn't yours to bear.

00:25:35She's right.

00:25:37You've done nothing wrong,

00:25:38Elena.

00:25:40It's that cold-blooded

00:25:41prince who is blind.

00:25:43You deserve the purest

00:25:44devotion this world

00:25:45has to offer.

00:25:48Not his cruelty.

00:25:50Listening to them,

00:25:51a wave of bitter sorrow

00:25:53washed over me.

00:25:54The House of Vivian

00:25:56had once been

00:25:56the glorious pillar

00:25:57of the Holy Kingdom.

00:25:58A name spoken

00:26:00with reverence

00:26:01and awe.

00:26:02Now the proud

00:26:03saintess had finally

00:26:04learned how to bow

00:26:05her head.

00:26:06I no longer prayed

00:26:08for glory or power.

00:26:10I only prayed

00:26:11that those I loved

00:26:12might survive

00:26:13the winter.

00:26:15Elena,

00:26:16mother told me

00:26:17you're pregnant.

00:26:18Go back to your room

00:26:19and rest.

00:26:20I'm 16 now.

00:26:21I can carry

00:26:22this family's weight.

00:26:23Trust me.

00:26:24I will bring

00:26:25father home.

00:26:25I looked at the young

00:26:27man standing

00:26:28before me.

00:26:29His shoulders broad

00:26:30and his gaze steady.

00:26:32The little boy

00:26:34who used to trail

00:26:34behind me,

00:26:35crying over scraped

00:26:36knees,

00:26:37had truly grown up.

00:26:39I offered a few

00:26:40soft words of caution

00:26:41before retreating

00:26:42to my room.

00:26:43But the dull,

00:26:45persistent ache

00:26:46in my womb

00:26:46kept me tossing

00:26:48and turning

00:26:48in a feverish unrest.

00:26:50Hours later,

00:26:52I stepped out

00:26:53into the hallway

00:26:53and froze.

00:26:54There stood Julian.

00:26:56But he was

00:26:58unrecognizable.

00:26:59He had changed

00:27:00into a garish,

00:27:01flamboyant suit

00:27:02of shimmering silks

00:27:03with an oversized

00:27:04ruby pendant

00:27:05dangling against

00:27:06his chest.

00:27:07Julian,

00:27:08what are you

00:27:09dressed like?

00:27:12I heard Duchess Audley

00:27:13has a weakness

00:27:14for collecting

00:27:15exquisite young men.

00:27:16I'm going to her

00:27:17estate to offer myself.

00:27:18If she takes me

00:27:18as her pet,

00:27:19even the crown prince

00:27:20will have to show

00:27:21her some respect.

00:27:23That's how

00:27:23I'll save father.

00:27:24My heart stopped.

00:27:26Julian was a

00:27:27once-in-a-century

00:27:28genius at the

00:27:29Arcane Academy.

00:27:30I couldn't let him

00:27:32sell his soul.

00:27:34Panic surged

00:27:35through me

00:27:35as I tricked him

00:27:36into the wine cellar

00:27:37and slammed

00:27:37the heavy iron door,

00:27:39locking it tight.

00:27:42Let me out!

00:27:44I was born for this!

00:27:45If it saves father,

00:27:46what does it matter

00:27:47if I'm just a plaything?

00:27:51I couldn't let my brother

00:27:52destroy his future

00:27:53and his dignity.

00:27:54The thought of Julian,

00:27:56a brilliant prodigy,

00:27:57rotting away

00:27:58as a noblewoman's

00:27:59plaything

00:27:59was a nightmare

00:28:00I wouldn't allow

00:28:01to come true.

00:28:02Begging Arthur again

00:28:03was a dead end.

00:28:04It would only invite

00:28:05more humiliation

00:28:06and perhaps even

00:28:07ignite his lethal temper.

00:28:09That left Christopher,

00:28:10the hypocritical viper,

00:28:12as much as I loathed

00:28:13the idea of becoming

00:28:14his caged bird.

00:28:15It seemed the path

00:28:16had narrowed

00:28:17until there was

00:28:18nowhere left to run.

00:28:19As night fell,

00:28:20I carried a single

00:28:21flickering magic lamp

00:28:22and crept toward

00:28:23Christopher's secret villa

00:28:24on the south side

00:28:25of the city.

00:28:26I spent the entire journey

00:28:27numbing my mind,

00:28:29whispering to myself

00:28:29that this was

00:28:30merely a sacrifice.

00:28:32I told myself,

00:28:33it would be like

00:28:34being bitten

00:28:34by a wild beast.

00:28:35Painful, yes,

00:28:36but something I could endure

00:28:37if I just closed my eyes.

00:28:39The moment I stepped

00:28:40into that dim,

00:28:41oppressive bedroom

00:28:42and saw Christopher

00:28:43unfastening his outer robe,

00:28:45my stomach churned

00:28:46with violent revulsion.

00:28:48Miss Vivian,

00:28:50I have waited

00:28:51two long years

00:28:52for this day.

00:28:53He undid the silver clasps

00:28:54at his collar,

00:28:55his smile thick

00:28:56with a sticky predatory

00:28:57mouth.

00:28:58From this moment on,

00:28:58you are my private property.

00:29:00Now come here,

00:29:01help me undress.

00:29:03My body is rigid as stone.

00:29:05Not used to this yet?

00:29:06Don't worry,

00:29:07I'll spend the rest

00:29:08of the night

00:29:09teaching you

00:29:09exactly how to serve me.

00:29:12Christopher shed

00:29:13his hypocritical priestly robes,

00:29:15his eyes gleaming

00:29:16with a feverish light.

00:29:17Tonight,

00:29:18we finally celebrate

00:29:19our sacred union,

00:29:21two years late.

00:29:21He advanced toward me,

00:29:23one predatory step at a time.

00:29:24Despite the biting cold

00:29:25of the room,

00:29:26my palms were slit

00:29:26with a cold sweat.

00:29:27I realized in that moment

00:29:28that I couldn't endure

00:29:29his proximity.

00:29:30The sensation was visceral,

00:29:32like a slimy serpent

00:29:33slithering up my ankle,

00:29:34cold and suffocating.

00:29:35A sickly, distorted desire

00:29:37burned in his gaze.

00:29:38He lunged forward,

00:29:39his hands clamping

00:29:40around my waist

00:29:41like iron shackle

00:29:42as he tried to bury

00:29:43his face in the book

00:29:43of my neck.

00:29:44The scent of yours,

00:29:45it's enough to drive

00:29:46a man mad.

00:29:46Stop!

00:29:47Christopher,

00:29:48listen to me.

00:29:49I will give you

00:29:49every coin in the Vivian

00:29:50family bolts.

00:29:51Just save my father

00:29:52and let me go.

00:29:54I don't want

00:29:55your filthy gold,

00:29:56Elena.

00:29:56I want you!

00:29:57His face twisted

00:29:58into a mask of pure malice

00:29:59as he shoved me backward

00:30:00onto the black velvet shade.

00:30:02He began to tear

00:30:02at my sacred robes

00:30:03with a frantic,

00:30:04desperate violence.

00:30:05Go ahead,

00:30:06keep fighting me.

00:30:07If you do,

00:30:07I'll make sure

00:30:08Bernard is dead.

00:30:09Before the sun

00:30:10rises tomorrow!

00:30:11Arthur was a man

00:30:12of violence,

00:30:13but when he touched me,

00:30:14there was a part

00:30:15of my soul

00:30:15that didn't recoil.

00:30:16Here,

00:30:17pinned under Christopher,

00:30:19I felt only

00:30:19a bone-deep revulsion.

00:30:21Ever since I saw you

00:30:22standing so high

00:30:23above everyone

00:30:24two years ago,

00:30:25I've dreamt

00:30:25of dragging you

00:30:26into the mud.

00:30:27Tonight,

00:30:27I finally get

00:30:28what I've always deserved.

00:30:33I first met Christopher

00:30:35when I was still young.

00:30:36No one could have

00:30:38ever guessed

00:30:38that behind his

00:30:39gentle,

00:30:40refined demeanor

00:30:41hid a dark

00:30:42and twisted heart.

00:30:44He leaned close

00:30:45to my neck,

00:30:46his every word

00:30:47laced with chilling,

00:30:49hidden malice

00:30:50that sent shivers

00:30:51down my spine.

00:30:53To tell you the truth,

00:30:54Elena,

00:30:55I orchestrated

00:30:56everything.

00:30:58Bernard's downfall,

00:31:00the treason,

00:31:01the trial,

00:31:02it was all my design.

00:31:04My eyes snapped wide

00:31:06as the horror

00:31:06of his confession

00:31:07sank in.

00:31:08He funded your education.

00:31:11He gave you a future.

00:31:14How could you betray

00:31:15the man who saved you?

00:31:16If he hadn't gone to prison,

00:31:18would you be here now,

00:31:20kneeling and begging

00:31:21for my favor?

00:31:22No.

00:31:23So be a good girl

00:31:24and please me.

00:31:26I have the power

00:31:27to make your father's life

00:31:28a living hell

00:31:29and I can just as easily

00:31:30destroy your mother

00:31:31and Julian.

00:31:32The sheer cruelty of it

00:31:33left me gasping.

00:31:34I wanted nothing more

00:31:35than to kill him

00:31:36and myself

00:31:36in a single stroke

00:31:37of vengeance.

00:31:38He held

00:31:39my every weakness

00:31:40in his hand.

00:31:41No matter how much

00:31:42my soul screamed

00:31:42in protest,

00:31:43I was trapped,

00:31:44forced to shiver

00:31:45and endure beneath him.

00:31:48Now,

00:31:48kiss me.

00:31:50He ruthlessly

00:31:51tore open

00:31:51my inner robes.

00:31:52The sudden bite

00:31:52of the cold air

00:31:53stung my exposed skin.

00:31:54I couldn't stop shaking

00:31:56and as his face

00:31:57descended toward mine,

00:31:58a wave of visceral,

00:31:59physical revulsion

00:32:00took hold.

00:32:01Every ounce of strength

00:32:02I had left,

00:32:03I shoved him away.

00:32:07Christopher's mask

00:32:08of civility

00:32:08shattered into

00:32:09a hundred jagged pieces.

00:32:10His patience

00:32:11had run dry

00:32:12and he pinned me

00:32:14against the edge

00:32:14of the chaise

00:32:15with a terrifying,

00:32:16heavy weight.

00:32:18Get off me!

00:32:19Don't touch me!

00:32:23Keep shouting,

00:32:24Elena,

00:32:24but for every word

00:32:25you scream,

00:32:26I'll have a piece

00:32:27of Bernard's flesh

00:32:28carved away.

00:32:28I went silent instantly,

00:32:30the sound of my own teeth

00:32:31grinding together

00:32:31echoing in my skull.

00:32:32To save my father

00:32:33from the torture rack,

00:32:34I could only close my eyes

00:32:35in absolute despair,

00:32:36just as I prepared

00:32:37to bite my own tongue

00:32:37and end it all.

00:32:38The heavy oak doors

00:32:39of the bedchamber

00:32:40were obliterated,

00:32:42kicked inward

00:32:43with a force

00:32:43that shook

00:32:44the foundations

00:32:45of the villa.

00:32:45It was Arthur.

00:32:51Christopher stood paralyzed,

00:32:53his eyes wide

00:32:54with disbelief.

00:32:55He never imagined

00:32:57the crown prince

00:32:57would descend upon

00:32:58this secret sanctuary.

00:33:00Panicked,

00:33:01he scrambled

00:33:02to clutch

00:33:03his discarded robes,

00:33:04his face draining

00:33:05of color

00:33:06as the temperature

00:33:07in the room plummeted.

00:33:08Arthur approached

00:33:09with a terrifying,

00:33:11predatory calm.

00:33:15Your highness,

00:33:17I do not understand

00:33:18why you would strike me.

00:33:20Since when is it a crime

00:33:21to enjoy a midnight thrisk

00:33:22with one's own lover?

00:33:24Lover.

00:33:28Since when is it a crime

00:33:29to enjoy

00:33:30a midnight thrisk

00:33:32with one's own...

00:33:33Arthur rained down

00:33:35blow

00:33:35after brutal blow

00:33:36until Christopher

00:33:37lay unconscious

00:33:38in an ever-widening

00:33:40pool of blood.

00:33:41I have not yet

00:33:41signed the decree

00:33:42of abdulation

00:33:43until I do.

00:33:45She belongs to me.

00:33:47You dare to touch

00:33:48what is mine

00:33:50and for that

00:33:51you will die!

00:33:54Between the sheer

00:33:55terror of the night

00:33:56and the gnawing dread

00:33:57for my father's life,

00:33:59the fragile dam

00:34:00of my emotions

00:34:01finally broke.

00:34:03My pregnancy

00:34:04had made me volatile

00:34:05and now,

00:34:06the tears fell

00:34:07in a relentless,

00:34:08silent torrent

00:34:09that I couldn't stop.

00:34:11Arthur reached out,

00:34:12his arms snaking

00:34:14around me

00:34:14like an iron band

00:34:15to haul me

00:34:16into his chest.

00:34:17Seeing my face

00:34:19streaked with tears,

00:34:20the darkness

00:34:21in his eyes

00:34:21didn't soften.

00:34:23Instead,

00:34:24his fury

00:34:25seemed to congeal

00:34:26into something

00:34:26even more lethal.

00:34:28Do you love him

00:34:28that much?

00:34:30Do you love him

00:34:31that much?

00:34:35Does it break

00:34:36your heart

00:34:37that I interrupted

00:34:38your little trisk?

00:34:40You actually

00:34:41degraded yourself

00:34:42to this point

00:34:43for a piece

00:34:44of filth like him!

00:34:45When had I ever

00:34:46shown an ounce

00:34:47of affection

00:34:47for Christopher?

00:34:48The man was a monster,

00:34:50yet here was

00:34:51Arthur,

00:34:52twisting my desperation

00:34:53into a betrayal.

00:34:55But I didn't dare

00:34:56fight back.

00:34:57I couldn't risk

00:34:57my father

00:34:58bearing the brunt

00:34:59of a crown prince's

00:35:00lightning strike rage.

00:35:01I could only bury

00:35:02my face against

00:35:03his chest,

00:35:04my body shaking

00:35:05with muffled,

00:35:06agonizing sobs.

00:35:20Arthur tossed me

00:35:21into his massive

00:35:22war chariot,

00:35:23pulled by snarling

00:35:24drakes,

00:35:24as if I were

00:35:25nothing more than

00:35:26a conquest claimed

00:35:27on a battlefield.

00:35:28I had no hope

00:35:29of escape.

00:35:31Within the hour,

00:35:32I was back in the palace,

00:35:34thrown once again

00:35:35onto the suffocating

00:35:36black fox furs

00:35:37of his bed.

00:35:38I curled into a ball,

00:35:39my eyes red and swollen,

00:35:41rubbing the small

00:35:43of my back

00:35:43where the impact

00:35:44had left a dull,

00:35:45throbbing ache.

00:35:48His voice was a low,

00:35:50terrifying rumble,

00:35:52cold as a mountain grave.

00:35:54He pressed his callous

00:35:55thumb against my lips,

00:35:57rubbing them

00:35:57with a punishing force

00:35:58that threatened

00:35:59to draw blood.

00:36:01Did he kiss you here?

00:36:06I won't stay.

00:36:09I won't be

00:36:10your secret pet.

00:36:14You think you're worthy

00:36:15of being my mistress?

00:36:17Don't flatter yourself.

00:36:19Let me make this clear,

00:36:21Elena.

00:36:22Until the day

00:36:23I choose to discard you,

00:36:25if you ever dare

00:36:25to shame me

00:36:26with another man again,

00:36:27I will personally ensure

00:36:29you never draw

00:36:30another breath.

00:36:39I stared at Arthur,

00:36:41my heart hammering

00:36:43against my ribs

00:36:44like a trapped bird.

00:36:45His heterochromatic eyes

00:36:47were threaded

00:36:47with dark red veins,

00:36:49and the draconic aura

00:36:50swirling around him

00:36:51was so suffocating,

00:36:53it felt as though

00:36:54he had just clawed

00:36:55his way out

00:36:55of the deepest pits

00:36:56of hell.

00:36:57Looking at the sheer

00:36:57madness in his expression,

00:36:59I knew,

00:36:59with terrifying certainty,

00:37:02if I admitted

00:37:03that Christopher's lips

00:37:03even brushed mine,

00:37:05he would cut my lips away

00:37:06without a second thought.

00:37:08In truth,

00:37:09Christopher hadn't touched me.

00:37:11I should have been

00:37:12paralyzed by fear,

00:37:13but every nerve in my body

00:37:15was screaming

00:37:15in pain and exhaustion.

00:37:17I couldn't help

00:37:18but lash out.

00:37:20It's none of your business!

00:37:23You're that desperate

00:37:25to escape me, Vivian.

00:37:28You torture me.

00:37:30You humiliate me.

00:37:33Isn't this exactly

00:37:34what you wanted?

00:37:35Take it!

00:37:36Whip me to death

00:37:37if that's what it takes!

00:37:39I stepped on your shoulders.

00:37:41I crushed your pride.

00:37:42So take my hands.

00:37:43Take my feet.

00:37:45Do whatever you want.

00:37:47Just save my father.

00:37:49If you promise to save him,

00:37:51I'll let you sacrifice me

00:37:52on the altar right now.

00:37:57Arthur remained silent

00:37:59as he reached down

00:38:00to retrieve

00:38:00the heavy jewel-encrusted whip.

00:38:02I couldn't help

00:38:03the violent flinch

00:38:03that wracked my body.

00:38:05I had wielded

00:38:05this very weapon

00:38:06countless times,

00:38:07but I was naturally frail.

00:38:09My strikes had barely

00:38:10left a red mark

00:38:11on his skin.

00:38:12Arthur was different.

00:38:14He possessed

00:38:14the terrifying raw strength

00:38:16of the dragon race.

00:38:17If he struck me once

00:38:18with that whip,

00:38:19I would shatter.

00:38:20I forced my spine

00:38:21to straighten

00:38:22and close my eyes,

00:38:23waiting for the end.

00:38:26After I'm gone,

00:38:29would you place a bouquet

00:38:31of fresh roses

00:38:33on my grave?

00:38:35I'm afraid of the cold

00:38:37on the other side.

00:38:43A woman from this

00:38:45wretched holy kingdom

00:38:46has no place

00:38:47beside my throne.

00:38:52He didn't swing the whip.

00:38:53Instead,

00:38:54he lunged forward,

00:38:55his searing fingers

00:38:56clamping around

00:38:57my slender waist

00:38:58like iron bands.

00:39:00Is my touch

00:39:01really that repulsing

00:39:02to you?

00:39:04Well, too bad.

00:39:06Tonight,

00:39:06I'm taking exactly

00:39:07what I want.

00:39:11His lips crashed

00:39:12against mine,

00:39:13fueled by a scorching,

00:39:14desperate rage.

00:39:15In the chaos

00:39:16of the kiss,

00:39:17a memory of my birthday

00:39:18last year surfaced.

00:39:19He was still

00:39:19my shadow then.

00:39:20He had spent weeks

00:39:22carving a wooden

00:39:22statuette of me,

00:39:23a perfect miniature

00:39:25saintess.

00:39:25When I saw the gift,

00:39:27my heart had hammered

00:39:28so wildly,

00:39:29I had accused him

00:39:31of placing a curse

00:39:31on me.

00:39:32I punished him,

00:39:34forcing him to kneel

00:39:35shirtless on the

00:39:35cold temple floor

00:39:36while I used

00:39:37gold ink to paint

00:39:38a massive,

00:39:39ridiculous creature

00:39:39across his broad back.

00:39:41His ears had turned

00:39:42a deep,

00:39:43burning crimson.

00:39:44I thought it was

00:39:45humiliation,

00:39:46so I insolently

00:39:47grabbed his ear

00:39:48to make him turn around.

00:39:49But as he moved,

00:39:51I lost my balance

00:39:52and tumbled

00:39:52into his arms.

00:39:54Our lips met,

00:39:55and that kiss

00:39:55had been clumsy,

00:39:57yet so tender.

00:39:58He had whispered

00:39:59broken pleas,

00:40:00begging me to let him

00:40:01kiss me just once more.

00:40:02My shadow had been

00:40:04so kind then.

00:40:05No matter how I

00:40:06shamed him,

00:40:07he would have handed

00:40:07me the entire world

00:40:08on a silver platter

00:40:09just to see me smile.

00:40:13But the Arthur of today

00:40:14only knew how to bully me,

00:40:16how to make me hurt.

00:40:18As he ruthlessly

00:40:19tore away my silk

00:40:20inner robes,

00:40:20the tears I had fought

00:40:22so hard to suppress

00:40:23finally broke through

00:40:24the dam once again.

00:40:25They cascaded

00:40:26down my cheeks,

00:40:28hot and bitter,

00:40:29splashing against

00:40:30the side of his face.

00:40:31Arthur's movements

00:40:32froze instantly.

00:40:33He remained motionless,

00:40:35his hands still

00:40:36white-knuckled around

00:40:36a shred of the ruined silk.

00:40:38Is my touch

00:40:39so unbearable?

00:40:40He let out a sharp,

00:40:41guttural sound of disgust

00:40:42and shoved me aside

00:40:44like a discarded rag.

00:40:45Before I could even shiver,

00:40:47he grabbed a heavy

00:40:48black fox fur blanket

00:40:49and wrapped it around me.

00:40:51That piece of filth,

00:40:52Christopher,

00:40:54already has a wife,

00:40:56a high justice

00:40:56own daughter,

00:40:58and yet here you are

00:40:59playing the martyr,

00:41:00preserving your purity.

00:41:02To Venice's,

00:41:04your controls

00:41:04no purity for him.

00:41:07You really are

00:41:08a devoted fool,

00:41:09Miss Vivian.

00:41:10He stood up,

00:41:12his eyes flashing

00:41:13with a final,

00:41:13cutting spark of disdain.

00:41:15Don't flatter yourself.

00:41:17You aren't the only woman

00:41:18in the world.

00:41:20I don't need you.

00:41:22He turned and strode

00:41:23out of the chamber,

00:41:24the massive oak door

00:41:25slamming shut

00:41:25with a thunderous crash

00:41:26that echoed

00:41:27through the hollow silence

00:41:28of my heart.

00:41:30I wept until my throat

00:41:31was raw,

00:41:32and only then

00:41:33did the dull,

00:41:34throbbing ache

00:41:34in my womb

00:41:35begin to subside.

00:41:36I was desperate

00:41:37to go home,

00:41:38to save my father,

00:41:40to stop Julian

00:41:41from selling his soul

00:41:42for a scrap of influence.

00:41:43But the world outside

00:41:44had vanished.

00:41:46Arthur had placed me

00:41:47under house arrest.

00:41:48I knew his game.

00:41:49He wanted to break me slowly.

00:41:51He wanted to watch

00:41:52the once-haughty saintess

00:41:53rot in a gilded cage

00:41:55until there was nothing

00:41:56left of my pride.

00:41:57For seven days,

00:41:59Arthur never showed his face.

00:42:01Instead,

00:42:01he sent a flock of handmaids

00:42:02to tend to me.

00:42:03They were meticulously attentive,

00:42:05yet their voices

00:42:06were venomous.

00:42:11Did you really think

00:42:12he'd keep a broken doll?

00:42:15His Highness gifted

00:42:16Lady Isabella

00:42:17the legendary

00:42:18Starry Night Necklace.

00:42:19The prince

00:42:20and the duke's daughter

00:42:21are inseparable

00:42:23at the royal hunting grounds.

00:42:24They look so perfect together.

00:42:28Every day,

00:42:28they made sure

00:42:29I heard the rumors

00:42:29of Arthur's devotion

00:42:30to Isabella,

00:42:31each word cut deeper

00:42:32than any whip.

00:42:33I loathed being a caged bird,

00:42:36but my true terror

00:42:37was the fear

00:42:37that the next time

00:42:38I saw my father,

00:42:39he would be a corpse.

00:42:41On the eighth day

00:42:42of my imprisonment,

00:42:43the heavy doors

00:42:43finally groaned open.

00:42:45A silhouette

00:42:46draped in black and gold

00:42:47stepped through the threshold,

00:42:48bringing with him

00:42:49a rush of winter air.

00:42:50Arthur had returned.

00:42:53Arthur, you bastard!

00:42:55The days of isolation

00:42:56had driven me

00:42:57to the brink of madness.

00:43:00Let me out!

00:43:01I have to see my mother!

00:43:03I have to save my father!

00:43:06Shadow, you are nothing

00:43:07but a cold-blooded beast!

00:43:09If you let my father die

00:43:11without me saying goodbye,

00:43:13I swore make you regret it

00:43:14for the rest of your life!

00:43:16I snatched out

00:43:17the ruby-encrusted whip

00:43:18trying to shield

00:43:19my vulnerability

00:43:19behind a pathetic,

00:43:20empty threat.

00:43:22Bernard is still alive.

00:43:25The air rushed back into my lungs.

00:43:27My father was safe,

00:43:29at least for now.

00:43:31But as the panic receded,

00:43:33a different kind of poison

00:43:34took its place.

00:43:35I remembered the maid's whispers,

00:43:38stories of how he had spent

00:43:40the last few nights

00:43:41locked away with Isabella,

00:43:43lost in a passion

00:43:44that lasted until dawn.

00:43:46The jealousy

00:43:47was a sudden,

00:43:48searing heat.

00:43:49When he had taken me,

00:43:51he hadn't shown

00:43:52half that much endurance.

00:43:53He was spending

00:43:54so much time

00:43:55entangled with that

00:43:56duke's daughter.

00:43:57I wondered if he was

00:43:58trying to drain

00:43:59every drop of his

00:44:00royal blood dry.

00:44:02Are you so desperate

00:44:03to run back to Christopher?

00:44:05To wallow in the dirt

00:44:06as his caged bird

00:44:08keep dreaming?

00:44:08I just refuse to stay

00:44:10near a man

00:44:10who belongs to Isabella!

00:44:11In a fit of blind rage,

00:44:13I lunged at him

00:44:14and sank my teeth

00:44:16into his shoulder.

00:44:17Vivian, stop!

00:44:20Are you truly in such a hurry

00:44:21to bury your father?

00:44:22I stopped struggling,

00:44:24but the air

00:44:24between us

00:44:26was thick with loathing.

00:44:27I backed away,

00:44:29slammed the door shut,

00:44:30and turned the lock

00:44:31with a definitive click.

00:44:33Then, staring him

00:44:34straight in the eyes,

00:44:35I began to unmask

00:44:37my sacred robes.

00:44:39Elena, stop.

00:44:41Put your clothes back on!

00:44:42His breath hitched.

00:44:44But I wouldn't be swayed

00:44:46by his feigned restraint.

00:44:47You want your revenge?

00:44:48Then take it!

00:44:50Do to me exactly

00:44:51what I did to you

00:44:52two years ago.

00:44:54Press your boot

00:44:55into my shoulder.

00:44:56Draw those ridiculous,

00:44:58mocking creatures

00:44:59on my skin.

00:45:00Burn me with your humiliation!

00:45:02My voice broke

00:45:03into a pathetic,

00:45:05desperate sob

00:45:06as I looked at him

00:45:06through a blur of tears.

00:45:09I'm begging you,

00:45:11just finish your revenge

00:45:12and save my father.

00:45:14You swore an oath

00:45:15of loyalty to him

00:45:16before the altar.

00:45:17For the sake of that

00:45:18one vow,

00:45:19please help him.

00:45:22Arthur stood like a statue,

00:45:24his expression unreadable

00:45:26and frozen.

00:45:27The silence was deafening.

00:45:30I realized then

00:45:31that my words

00:45:32weren't enough.

00:45:33My tears weren't enough.

00:45:35I know what you want.

00:45:37You're still angry

00:45:38about that winter,

00:45:39about how I forced you

00:45:41into the frozen lake.

00:45:43Well, it's winter again.

00:45:44I'll go.

00:45:45I'll jump into the ice

00:45:47in the back garden

00:45:48and catch every single one

00:45:50of those damn fish

00:45:51for you.

00:45:52I remembered that day

00:45:53vividly.

00:45:54The snow had been blinding

00:45:56and he had been practicing

00:45:58his sword play

00:45:58in the courtyard.

00:45:59I had been in a foul mood,

00:46:02agitated by the sight

00:46:03of his bare,

00:46:04powerful torso.

00:46:05I had mocked him,

00:46:07my voice dripping

00:46:08with disdain.

00:46:09If you're really

00:46:10as strong as you look,

00:46:13why don't you dive

00:46:14into the lake

00:46:16and bring me a snack?

00:46:18I hadn't expected him

00:46:19to do it,

00:46:20but without a word,

00:46:22he had plunged

00:46:23into the bone-chilling waters

00:46:24of the sacred lake.

00:46:26I spun around

00:46:28and bolted toward the door.

00:46:29Vivian,

00:46:30have you lost your mind?

00:46:32Where do you think

00:46:32you're going dressed like that?

00:46:34Whether a filthy woman

00:46:35like me lives or dies,

00:46:39what is it to you?

00:46:43None of my business?

00:46:46Elena,

00:46:47I'm going to make sure

00:46:49you never forget

00:46:50exactly who I am!

00:46:52The predatory glint

00:46:54in his eyes

00:46:54was enough

00:46:55to devour me.

00:46:56I am Arthur.

00:46:59I am your sworn knight.

00:47:01He descended upon me

00:47:02like a wolf.

00:47:03And I am your lawful husband.

00:47:05His teeth

00:47:06raising my lips

00:47:07gave me a kiss

00:47:07that felt more like

00:47:09a claim of territory.

00:47:10You bastard!

00:47:11You aren't human!

00:47:12But the more I struggled,

00:47:14the more his possessiveness

00:47:15spiraled into a feverish madness.

00:47:18I hurled every curse

00:47:20I knew at him.

00:47:21Even as the world

00:47:22began to blur

00:47:23into a dizzying,

00:47:24unwanted pleasure,

00:47:25I wanted him

00:47:26to feel my hatred,

00:47:27even if my body

00:47:29was betraying me

00:47:30in his arms.

00:47:32I felt my life force

00:47:34draining away

00:47:35like sand

00:47:35through an hourglass

00:47:36as he pinned me

00:47:38to the bed once more,

00:47:39claiming me

00:47:40with a desperate

00:47:40crushing intensity.

00:47:42A sharp,

00:47:43tearing agony

00:47:44exploded deep

00:47:45within my abdomen.

00:47:46It was as if

00:47:47a blade had been

00:47:48twisted inside me.

00:47:49I collapsed

00:47:50into the black fox furs,

00:47:52a rose severed

00:47:53from its stem,

00:47:54and the world

00:47:55dissolved

00:47:55into a hollow,

00:47:57silent void.

00:48:00Was that panic

00:48:02in his voice?

00:48:02It felt

00:48:03almost comedic.

00:48:04Didn't he want

00:48:05to cast this

00:48:05beautiful witch

00:48:06into the fires

00:48:07of purgatory?

00:48:08In the final second

00:48:09before the darkness

00:48:10swallowed me whole,

00:48:11I felt a pair

00:48:11of searing,

00:48:12calloused hands

00:48:13trembling

00:48:14as they pulled me

00:48:15tight against

00:48:16a racing heart.

00:48:17When I finally

00:48:18drifted back

00:48:19to consciousness,

00:48:20the heavy velvet

00:48:21curtains had been

00:48:22drawn,

00:48:22sealing out

00:48:23the daylight.

00:48:24The chamber

00:48:25was thick

00:48:26with the bitter,

00:48:26cloying scent

00:48:27of medicinal herbs

00:48:28and the metallic

00:48:30tang of holy water.

00:48:31From beyond

00:48:32the veil

00:48:33of the bed curtains,

00:48:34I heard Arthur's voice,

00:48:36a low,

00:48:37dangerous growl

00:48:38vibrating

00:48:39with suppressed fury.

00:48:41Why isn't

00:48:41she awake yet?

00:48:48Your Highness,

00:48:50Miss Vivian's

00:48:52spirit

00:48:52was already

00:48:53fragile.

00:48:57after the physical

00:48:58trauma,

00:49:00she is showing

00:49:01signs

00:49:01of a miscarriage.

00:49:07If it weren't for

00:49:08the powerful

00:49:09dragon bloodline

00:49:10within the fetus

00:49:12fighting to survive,

00:49:16the hatchling

00:49:17would have

00:49:17already been lost.

00:49:20A hatchling,

00:49:22signs of a miscarriage.

00:49:23A bitter,

00:49:24self-deprecating

00:49:25smile touched

00:49:26my lips.

00:49:27My little dragon

00:49:28was still there.

00:49:29It was far more

00:49:30resilient than I had

00:49:31imagined,

00:49:31but within seconds.

00:49:32A bone-chilling dread

00:49:34washed over me.

00:49:36Arthur knew.

00:49:37He knew that within me,

00:49:38a secret was growing.

00:49:40A secret the temple

00:49:42would never allow

00:49:43to exist.

00:49:44In an empire

00:49:45where blood purity

00:49:46was everything,

00:49:47the bastard

00:49:48of a fallen

00:49:49saintess

00:49:49would likely

00:49:50never be given

00:49:51the chance

00:49:51to draw

00:49:52its first breath.

00:49:55In a surge

00:49:56of sheer panic,

00:49:57my hand struck

00:49:58the wooden bed frame

00:49:58with a sharp crack

00:49:59at the sound.

00:50:00Arthur pulled back

00:50:01the heavy velvet curtains.

00:50:02He sat beside me,

00:50:03his face a mask

00:50:04of cold stone.

00:50:05I instinctively

00:50:06recoiled into the

00:50:07corner of the bed,

00:50:08desperate for a

00:50:08shred of safety.

00:50:09I knew the protocol

00:50:10of the empire.

00:50:11If I hadn't woken up,

00:50:12I might have already

00:50:12ordered the priest

00:50:13to prepare a purification

00:50:14draft,

00:50:15to erase the

00:50:16evidence of my shame.

00:50:17Arthur gripped my hand

00:50:18with bruising force,

00:50:19his voice devoid of warmth.

00:50:20Are you still in pain?

00:50:22Mind race.

00:50:23Should I tell the truth?

00:50:24Physical ache

00:50:24had mostly subsided.

00:50:25I knew he lived

00:50:26for my suffering.

00:50:27If I told him

00:50:27I was in agony,

00:50:28perhaps his thirst

00:50:29for vengeance

00:50:29would be satisfied.

00:50:31Yes,

00:50:32it hurts.

00:50:34Terrified that he would

00:50:34force the draft

00:50:35down my throat right then,

00:50:36I scrambled to reassure him.

00:50:38You don't have to worry.

00:50:40I would never use this child

00:50:41to trap you

00:50:42or force you.

00:50:43Just let me go.

00:50:44Once I return

00:50:45to my family lands,

00:50:46I'll deal with it myself.

00:50:48I'll make sure it's gone.

00:50:51It was a lie

00:50:52that tasted like ash.

00:50:53I loved my little dragon already,

00:50:56but I needed him to believe

00:50:57I was no threat

00:50:58to his future.

00:51:00Deal with it?

00:51:03You're truly that eager

00:51:05to get rid of these two children.

00:51:07Two?

00:51:08I was stunned into silence.

00:51:10Dragon twins were a miracle,

00:51:12a rarity whispered of in legends.

00:51:15It meant I was carrying

00:51:15a double dragon pulse.

00:51:17My resolve to protect them

00:51:18hardened instantly,

00:51:19but I forced my voice

00:51:21to stay cold.

00:51:21Yes, I don't want them.

00:51:23I'd rather die

00:51:24than have them.

00:51:26I'll brew two bowls

00:51:27of the draft

00:51:27and wipe them

00:51:28from existence.

00:51:29I glanced at the priest

00:51:31standing in the shadows.

00:51:32They weren't moving

00:51:33to help.

00:51:34Instead,

00:51:34they were visibly

00:51:36trembling in terror.

00:51:37You really are heartless,

00:51:38Elena.

00:51:38He shoved my hand away

00:51:40and stormed out,

00:51:41his cloak swirling

00:51:42like a dark cloud.

00:51:43I shouted after him,

00:51:45my voice cracking

00:51:46with desperation.

00:51:46If two bowls aren't enough,

00:51:49I'll drink ten!

00:51:52Arthur vanished again

00:51:54for several days.

00:51:55I was forced to listen

00:51:56to the maids gossiping

00:51:57in the hallways,

00:51:58their whispers

00:51:59like jagged glass.

00:52:01They said he spent

00:52:02every waking

00:52:03and sleeping,

00:52:04hour,

00:52:05in Isabella's chambers.

00:52:07Rumor had it

00:52:08that once the dragon

00:52:09bloodline awakened,

00:52:10the host possessed

00:52:11a terrifying,

00:52:12near-limitless stamina.

00:52:14He and the Duke's daughter

00:52:15were reportedly

00:52:16lost in each other's embrace

00:52:18until the break

00:52:19of every dawn.

00:52:22A bitter wave

00:52:23of sorrow

00:52:23crashed over me.

00:52:25I assumed

00:52:26he found the idea

00:52:27of having children

00:52:28with a twisted woman,

00:52:30like me,

00:52:31repulsive,

00:52:32leading him

00:52:33to seek solace

00:52:34in someone pure.

00:52:35I pitied his burden,

00:52:37yet the ache

00:52:38in my own chest

00:52:39only grew more hollow.

00:52:41To my absolute shock,

00:52:43a summons arrived.

00:52:44The emperor

00:52:45and empress

00:52:46demanded an audience

00:52:47with me

00:52:47before Arthur

00:52:48reclaimed his throne.

00:52:50The highest authority

00:52:51I had ever encountered

00:52:53was a local provincial lord.

00:52:55To be called

00:52:56before the absolute rulers

00:52:57of the empire

00:52:58was terrifying.

00:53:00I was certain

00:53:01they intended

00:53:02to put me on trial

00:53:03for the crime

00:53:03of desecrating

00:53:04the crown prince.

00:53:05The imperial couple

00:53:06was legendary

00:53:07for their sole covenant.

00:53:09The emperor

00:53:10had married a commoner

00:53:11when he was nothing more

00:53:13than a minor noble

00:53:14and they had remained

00:53:16devoted to one another

00:53:17ever since.

00:53:18After Arthur disappeared

00:53:20at age six,

00:53:21the empress

00:53:22was so devastated

00:53:23by grief and injury

00:53:24that she could never

00:53:25bear another child.

00:53:27Their love for Arthur

00:53:28was boundless.

00:53:29And then there was me,

00:53:32the witch who had tormented

00:53:34their precious long-lost son.

00:53:36I felt certain that

00:53:37if I wasn't sent straight

00:53:39to the pyre,

00:53:39it would be a miracle.

00:53:45The imperial palace

00:53:46was a fortress

00:53:47of limestone and gold

00:53:48looming over me

00:53:49with a heavy sacred weight.

00:53:51Every footstep echoed

00:53:53against the marble,

00:53:54amplifying my dread.

00:53:55I kept my head bowed,

00:53:57trembling,

00:53:58until a pair of silk slippers

00:54:00appeared in my vision.

00:54:01When I looked up,

00:54:03I saw a woman

00:54:04of such timeless beauty.

00:54:06She looked less like

00:54:07Arthur's mother

00:54:08and more like

00:54:09an elder sister.

00:54:10She reached out

00:54:11and personally

00:54:12helped me to my feet.

00:54:13I held my breath,

00:54:15my heart hammering

00:54:16against my ribs.

00:54:17Was she inspecting

00:54:19my skin to decide

00:54:20which torture

00:54:20would be most effective?

00:54:22Was she looking

00:54:23for the mark

00:54:24of the witch?

00:54:25You are breathtaking.

00:54:27Even more beautiful

00:54:29than the way

00:54:29Arthur described you.

00:54:33I heard that

00:54:33when he was a lost

00:54:34nine-year-old

00:54:35wandering the wilderness,

00:54:36you were the one

00:54:37who gave him

00:54:38the hope to keep living.

00:54:39Is that true?

00:54:44I froze,

00:54:45completely blindsided.

00:54:46I had no memory

00:54:47of saving a prince.

00:54:51When I was nine,

00:54:52I had slipped away

00:54:53from the temple

00:54:54to explore.

00:54:56I found a starving,

00:54:57filthy beggar boy

00:54:58collapsed by the roadside.

00:55:00I had simply tossed him

00:55:02a high-grade healing pill

00:55:03and a heavy pouch

00:55:04of gold coins.

00:55:05I only gave him

00:55:06the gold

00:55:07because the coins

00:55:08were weighing down

00:55:09my dress

00:55:09and I wanted

00:55:10to be rid of them.

00:55:11It was a casual gesture

00:55:13to a stranger.

00:55:14It wasn't until

00:55:15two years ago,

00:55:16in the stench

00:55:17of a blood-soaked

00:55:18gladiator pit,

00:55:19that I recognized

00:55:20those striking,

00:55:21mismatched eyes again.

00:55:22I bought him

00:55:23for a single gold coin

00:55:25just so I wouldn't have

00:55:26to watch him

00:55:26rot in the mud.

00:55:27I don't understand

00:55:29why they're making

00:55:30such a fuss.

00:55:31I only gave him

00:55:33some gold

00:55:33I was planning

00:55:34to throw away.

00:55:40Such a good child.

00:55:44Without another word,

00:55:46she carefully removed

00:55:47a shimmering mithril amulet

00:55:48from her own neck,

00:55:49an artifact pulsing

00:55:51with divine light,

00:55:52and placed it gently

00:55:54in my open.

00:56:00The Empress spent

00:56:01hours speaking with me,

00:56:02her voice a gentle lilt,

00:56:04as she asked about

00:56:04my past with Arthur

00:56:05at the temple.

00:56:06Cold sweat trickled

00:56:07down my face.

00:56:08How could I possibly

00:56:09confess the truth?

00:56:11How could I tell her

00:56:11that I had once punished him

00:56:13by making him kneel

00:56:14shirtless on freezing

00:56:15stone steps?

00:56:16Or that I had branded

00:56:17his chest with the word

00:56:18shadow, a tale

00:56:20of absolute desecration?

00:56:21I could only offer

00:56:22pale, hollow lies,

00:56:24claiming we had lived

00:56:25as the closest of companions.

00:56:26When I returned

00:56:27to the Crown Prince's

00:56:28estate, I was greeted

00:56:29by an overwhelming

00:56:30display of favor.

00:56:32Carts filled with

00:56:33rare medicinal tonics,

00:56:34and bolts of the finest

00:56:35silk were being unloaded

00:56:37into my side hall.

00:56:38The Empress had even

00:56:39promised to visit me

00:56:40personally in the coming days.

00:56:42My mind was a whirlwind

00:56:43of confusion.

00:56:44Arthur loathed me.

00:56:45Why then had he told

00:56:46his parents I was

00:56:47his savior?

00:56:48But I ran out of time

00:56:49to wonder.

00:56:50The doors to the chambers

00:56:51were thrown open

00:56:52by Arthur's head guard.

00:56:53In his hands,

00:56:54he carried a porcelain bowl

00:56:56filled with a black,

00:56:57steaming liquid

00:56:57that smelled of death.

00:56:59It was the purification draft.

00:57:01His Highness's orders.

00:57:03Miss Vivian is to drink

00:57:05this immediately.

00:57:06We cannot allow

00:57:07anything improper

00:57:08to stain the purity

00:57:10of the royal bloodline.

00:57:11The world turned to ice.

00:57:13He was finally coming

00:57:14for the life inside me.

00:57:15He wanted to personally

00:57:16destroy these twin dragon pulses,

00:57:18to burn away

00:57:19the last lingering evidence

00:57:20of our humiliating past.

00:57:22I looked at the black liquid,

00:57:23my hand instinctively dropping

00:57:25to cover my stomach.

00:57:26I could feel them,

00:57:27tiny, flickering sparks of light.

00:57:29I have to run.

00:57:30I have to escape.

00:57:31The Emperor of the Empire

00:57:33was indeed

00:57:34a just and formidable ruler.

00:57:36When I knelt before him

00:57:37and begged for a thorough investigation

00:57:38into my father's

00:57:39wrongful imprisonment,

00:57:40he gave me his word

00:57:41that the case had been

00:57:42transferred to the High Tribunal.

00:57:44I finally felt

00:57:45a weight lift from my chest.

00:57:46I clung to the belief

00:57:47that once the truth

00:57:48was laid bare,

00:57:49the honor of the Vivian family

00:57:51would be restored

00:57:52to its former glory.

00:57:53Now, my only remaining weakness

00:57:55was the twin dragon pulses

00:57:56growing within me.

00:57:57The moment I returned

00:57:58from the palace,

00:57:59a maid entered my chambers

00:58:00carrying a bowl of liquid

00:58:01that shimmered

00:58:02with an eerie violet light.

00:58:04She called it

00:58:04a sacred essence supplement,

00:58:06claiming it was meant

00:58:07to bolster my strength.

00:58:08I wasn't a fool.

00:58:09I knew Arthur was incapable

00:58:10of such sudden mercy.

00:58:11I pretended to drink it

00:58:12with a grateful smile.

00:58:13But the second the doors

00:58:14were closed

00:58:15and the windows latched,

00:58:16I tipped the bowl

00:58:17into a pot of moonlight ivy.

00:58:18The magic plant,

00:58:19known for its incredible resilience,

00:58:21reacted instantly.

00:58:23The moment the liquid

00:58:23touched the soil,

00:58:25the lush leaves shriveled,

00:58:26turning into brittle,

00:58:27blackened husks

00:58:28as if scorched by dragon fire.

00:58:30My blood ran cold.

00:58:32It wasn't a supplement at all.

00:58:33It was a blood-cleansing draft,

00:58:35a lethal poison

00:58:36designed to starve

00:58:37my hatchlings of their magic

00:58:38and kill them in the womb.

00:58:41Gold can buy

00:58:42even the most depraved of souls.

00:58:44Using a priceless

00:58:45mithril hairpin

00:58:46as a bribe,

00:58:46I managed to smuggle

00:58:47a desperate message

00:58:48to Julian through a kitchen maid.

00:58:50I begged him for a vial

00:58:51of draft of the living death,

00:58:53a forbidden alchemical concoction

00:58:56that could halt a heartbeat

00:58:57and mimic the cold stillness

00:58:59of the grave,

00:59:00all without harming

00:59:01the fragile dragon sprouts

00:59:02in my womb.

00:59:03When a person dies,

00:59:05their debts

00:59:05are supposedly settled.

00:59:07If I were dead,

00:59:08Arthur would have no reason

00:59:10to force those cruel,

00:59:11poisonous drafts

00:59:12down my throat.

00:59:12At worst,

00:59:14he would have my body

00:59:14tossed into a mass grave

00:59:16in the desolate barrens.

00:59:17Once the effects wore off,

00:59:19I could crawl out of the dirt

00:59:20and vanish into the night

00:59:21with my children

00:59:22to find my mother.

00:59:23My only terror

00:59:24was Arthur's depravity.

00:59:25I feared that even in death,

00:59:27he might plunge a blade

00:59:28into my chest

00:59:29just to be certain.

00:59:31The potion took hold

00:59:32with terrifying speed.

00:59:33A bone-deep chill

00:59:35spread through my limbs,

00:59:36turning my blood to slush.

00:59:38My mind remained

00:59:39agonizingly sharp,

00:59:40yet I was a prisoner

00:59:42in my own skin,

00:59:43unable to move a muscle,

00:59:45unable to flicker an eyelid,

00:59:47until the heavy doors

00:59:48were so big.

00:59:49Help!

00:59:50Someone help!

00:59:55Miss Vivian,

00:59:57she stopped breathing!

01:00:00The frantic scream

01:00:01echoed through the stone chamber,

01:00:03sounding more like

01:00:04a celebration of my freedom

01:00:05than a morning of my life.

01:00:07I lay there,

01:00:08a hollow shell,

01:00:10waiting to see if my gambit

01:00:11would lead to the wilderness

01:00:12or the pyre.

01:00:15Before I heard

01:00:16the heavy rhythmic thud

01:00:18of leather boots

01:00:19against the stone floor,

01:00:21Arthur had arrived.

01:00:22He seemed unable to fathom

01:00:24that the witch

01:00:25who had once tormented him

01:00:26so ruthlessly

01:00:27could fall so easily.

01:00:31Who says she is dead?

01:00:33If you are mocking

01:00:34me again,

01:00:38I swear I will bury

01:00:40the entire Vivian family

01:00:42along with you!

01:00:45But I was merely a corpse now,

01:00:48a silent witness

01:00:49to his descent into hysteria.

01:00:51I stayed frozen,

01:00:53locked in the icy grip

01:00:55of the draft.

01:00:56His voice grew softer,

01:00:58losing its edge

01:00:59until it was filled

01:01:01with a frantic,

01:01:02staggering sense of panic

01:01:03I had never heard before.

01:01:05Why was he so shaken?

01:01:07Wake up.

01:01:08Was he afraid

01:01:08my vengeful spirit

01:01:09would haunt him

01:01:10for the rest of his days?

01:01:12Wake up.

01:01:12Or was he simply realizing

01:01:14that his favorite toy

01:01:15had finally broken

01:01:16beyond repair?

01:01:17Either way,

01:01:18I remain still,

01:01:20praying for the darkness

01:01:21of the burial grounds

01:01:22to come quickly.

01:01:26By now,

01:01:27he must have found

01:01:28the letter I left behind.

01:01:30In it,

01:01:31I wrote that I had

01:01:32finally reached

01:01:33my breaking point,

01:01:34that I had swallowed

01:01:36a lethal poison

01:01:37to end the humiliation,

01:01:39and that no one else

01:01:40was to blame.

01:01:41My only dying wish

01:01:43was for him

01:01:43to honor our old contract

01:01:45and return my remains

01:01:46to my family's

01:01:47ancestral lands.

01:01:48But his reaction

01:01:50after reading those words

01:01:51sent a fresh wave

01:01:52of horror

01:01:53through my frozen soul.

01:01:55Do you love Christopher

01:01:56that much?

01:01:57Do you love him so deeply

01:01:58that you would rather

01:02:00commit suicide?

01:02:03You want your bones

01:02:04returned home?

01:02:06Never.

01:02:07You will stay by my side.

01:02:10Even if you rot.

01:02:12You will do so

01:02:14in my arms!

01:02:15The living death

01:02:16only lasted 12 hours.

01:02:19If he didn't hurry up

01:02:20and bury me,

01:02:21I was going to resurrect

01:02:22right in front of him.

01:02:24Elena, please,

01:02:28open your eyes

01:02:29and look at me.

01:02:31Then, I felt it.

01:02:33A cold, trembling kiss

01:02:35pressed against

01:02:35my unresponsive lips.

01:02:40Time was running out.

01:02:43Outside,

01:02:43the night was dark

01:02:44and the wind was howling.

01:02:46The effects of the draft

01:02:47were finally beginning

01:02:48to wane.

01:02:49Arthur was on the jagged edge

01:02:51of a mental collapse,

01:02:53blinded by a grief

01:02:54I never expected.

01:02:56As the feeling

01:02:57returned to my limbs,

01:02:58my fingers brushed

01:03:00against the paralyzing

01:03:01silver needle Julian

01:03:02had hidden among my supplies.

01:03:04I waited,

01:03:05holding my breath.

01:03:07Until Arthur slumped

01:03:08against my neck

01:03:09with a broken moan.

01:03:10With every ounce

01:03:12of strength

01:03:12I had regained,

01:03:13I lunged

01:03:14and drove the needle

01:03:15deep into the pressure point

01:03:17at the nape of his neck.

01:03:18Even a crown prince

01:03:20of the dragon line

01:03:20couldn't withstand

01:03:21a strike so precise

01:03:22and unexpected.

01:03:23I moved like a ghost.

01:03:25I snatched

01:03:26the dragon seal,

01:03:27the symbol

01:03:28of supreme authority,

01:03:29from his belt

01:03:30and threw on

01:03:32a nondescript maid's cloak.

01:03:33keeping my head low,

01:03:35I slipped out

01:03:36of the chamber.

01:03:39I abandoned

01:03:40the memory-haunted north,

01:03:42seeking refuge

01:03:43in Emerald Harbor.

01:03:44The southern air

01:03:45was sweet

01:03:46and blooming

01:03:47with flowers,

01:03:48a place where

01:03:49I could finally

01:03:50fade away.

01:03:52The night I fled,

01:03:54Julian met me

01:03:54at the city gates,

01:03:56sobbing like a child.

01:03:57He pressed a mountain

01:03:59of mana crystal cards

01:04:00into my hands,

01:04:01begging to follow.

01:04:03It took hours

01:04:04to convince him

01:04:04to stay

01:04:05until my father

01:04:06was freed.

01:04:07Julian had liquidated

01:04:08half of the Vivian

01:04:09family fortune

01:04:10for me.

01:04:11Even if I lived

01:04:12a life of absolute decadence,

01:04:14this wealth

01:04:15would last

01:04:16for lifetimes.

01:04:18I opened a boutique

01:04:20named Amber Eyes.

01:04:22While I loathed

01:04:23the dry imperial codes,

01:04:24I had a genius

01:04:26for alchemy,

01:04:27distilling oils

01:04:29and crafting

01:04:29the eternal youth elixirs

01:04:31that once drove

01:04:32the capital's elite

01:04:33into a frenzy.

01:04:35But in the quiet moments,

01:04:37the ghosts returned.

01:04:39I saw my father's face,

01:04:41then Arthur's.

01:04:42I remembered the whispers

01:04:44of his nights

01:04:45with Isabella

01:04:46and the steam rising

01:04:47from the poison

01:04:48he sent for my children.

01:04:50Whenever the pain flared,

01:04:51I drowned it in work.

01:04:53My little dragons

01:04:54were growing

01:04:55and for them,

01:04:56I had to be strong.

01:05:00I found a few displaced,

01:05:02starving girls

01:05:02wandering the streets

01:05:04and took them in.

01:05:05Under my care,

01:05:07their hollow cheeks

01:05:08filled out

01:05:09and their fearful eyes

01:05:11began to spark with life.

01:05:12They became

01:05:13my loyal apprentices,

01:05:15learning the delicate

01:05:16secrets of my shop.

01:05:18But I wanted more for them.

01:05:20I used my fortune

01:05:21to establish a women's

01:05:22academy at the harbor.

01:05:23This world has always

01:05:25been cruel to women,

01:05:27demanding they be

01:05:28nothing more than

01:05:28ornaments or property.

01:05:30I don't harbor

01:05:31grand illusions

01:05:32of saving the world.

01:05:34But I want these girls

01:05:35to master weaving,

01:05:37commerce,

01:05:37or even basic arcana.

01:05:39I want them to have

01:05:40a trade

01:05:41and a voice.

01:05:42My business flourished

01:05:44beyond my wildest dreams.

01:05:46Within six months,

01:05:48amber eyes

01:05:48became the ultimate

01:05:49obsession

01:05:50for the noble women

01:05:51of the South.

01:05:52People often ask me

01:05:54if I fear bankruptcy.

01:05:55Considering the academy

01:05:57charges no tuition,

01:05:58I simply offer

01:05:59a faint smile

01:06:00and say nothing.

01:06:02They have no idea

01:06:03I am the daughter

01:06:04of the wealthiest man

01:06:05in the Holy Kingdom.

01:06:07Besides,

01:06:08Julian still sends

01:06:09crates of mana crystals

01:06:10via secret caravans

01:06:11every month.

01:06:12In his eyes,

01:06:13I am likely still

01:06:14his reckless

01:06:15spendthrift sister

01:06:16who might run out

01:06:17of pocket money

01:06:17at any moment.

01:06:20Letters from the capital

01:06:21arrived occasionally

01:06:22through secret channels,

01:06:24carrying whispers

01:06:25of a world

01:06:26I had left behind.

01:06:27Five months ago,

01:06:29my father,

01:06:29Bernard,

01:06:30was finally exonerated

01:06:32and released.

01:06:33The High Tribunal

01:06:34had uncovered everything.

01:06:36It was all a web of lies

01:06:37spun by Christopher.

01:06:39The shadow that had loomed

01:06:40over my family's honor

01:06:41was finally dispelled.

01:06:43According to Julian,

01:06:45Christopher's obsession

01:06:46had spiraled into madness.

01:06:48Desperate to replace me,

01:06:50he had kidnapped a girl

01:06:51who shared a passing

01:06:52resemblance to me

01:06:53and kept her imprisoned

01:06:55in a secret villa,

01:06:56calling her by a pet name.

01:06:58But his highborn wife,

01:07:00the daughter of

01:07:01the Lord Chief Justice,

01:07:03discovered his thwarted spirit.

01:07:05In a fit of betrayed rage,

01:07:07she stormed the villa

01:07:08with her retainers.

01:07:10The innocent girl

01:07:11caught in the crossfire

01:07:12and met a horrific end

01:07:14at the hands

01:07:14of a woman scorned.

01:07:16Christopher,

01:07:17the man who pretended

01:07:18to love me so deeply,

01:07:20didn't spare a single tear

01:07:22for his victim.

01:07:23He immediately turned

01:07:25on the dead girl,

01:07:26slandering her memory

01:07:27to save his own skin

01:07:29and his political career.

01:07:31He underestimated

01:07:32a woman's wrath.

01:07:33His wife stripped away

01:07:35his mask,

01:07:36exposing his embezzlement

01:07:38and treason.

01:07:39Now,

01:07:40he rots in a lightless dungeon,

01:07:42his limbs broken

01:07:43and his mind shattered.

01:07:45He is a pathetic creature,

01:07:47a far cry

01:07:48from the elegant scholar

01:07:49he once pretended to be.

01:07:51I felt no pity

01:07:52as I burned the letter.

01:07:54He earned every second

01:07:55of his agony.

01:07:57The Vivian family

01:07:58was unable to return

01:07:59to the Holy Kingdom.

01:08:01Julian's letters

01:08:02became increasingly frantic,

01:08:03claiming that Arthur

01:08:04had descended into a state

01:08:06of pure madness.

01:08:07The wedding between Arthur

01:08:08and Isabella never happened.

01:08:10Instead,

01:08:11in a shocking twist

01:08:12that paralyzed the capital,

01:08:14he personally escorted Isabella

01:08:15to the ghost tower.

01:08:17Arthur!

01:08:17Please!

01:08:18You can't do this!

01:08:20No one knew the reason,

01:08:21but I could guess.

01:08:23A man like Arthur

01:08:24would never tolerate

01:08:25anyone who dared

01:08:26to touch his secrets

01:08:27or threaten

01:08:28his absolute control.

01:08:30Now Arthur spends his days

01:08:31scouring the capital

01:08:32for a ghost.

01:08:33He searches for any trace

01:08:35of my existence.

01:08:36And at night,

01:08:37he stands before

01:08:38my empty grave,

01:08:39screaming to the heavens

01:08:40that I am his only

01:08:42true crown princess.

01:08:43I felt nothing but cold disdain

01:08:46when I read those words.

01:08:47He had spent his nights

01:08:48lost in the arms

01:08:49of another woman.

01:08:50And now,

01:08:51he wants to play the role

01:08:53of the grieving,

01:08:53devoted husband.

01:08:55It was a pathetic performance.

01:08:57My only focus now

01:08:58is the safety

01:08:59of my two little dragons.

01:09:00The most experienced

01:09:01midwife in the south

01:09:02warned me,

01:09:03the carrying twins,

01:09:04especially those

01:09:05of the dragon line,

01:09:06is a treacherous path.

01:09:08She told me that

01:09:09the day of their birth

01:09:10would be like walking

01:09:11along the precipice

01:09:12of the underworld.

01:09:13It is a gamble

01:09:14with death.

01:09:15A heavy fear

01:09:16has settled in my bones.

01:09:18I am terrified

01:09:19that I will never wake

01:09:20to see Julian

01:09:21become a grand archmage.

01:09:22And even more terrified

01:09:23that my children

01:09:24will enter this world

01:09:25only to find themselves

01:09:26motherless.

01:09:30A soft touch

01:09:31on my shoulder

01:09:31pulled me from my thoughts.

01:09:33I looked up

01:09:33to see Perrin

01:09:34standing before the counter,

01:09:35his usual modest expression

01:09:37colored by a hint of nerves.

01:09:39Perrin was a wandering scholar

01:09:40I had rescued

01:09:41three months ago

01:09:41after he collapsed

01:09:42outside my shop.

01:09:43He was handsome

01:09:44in a gentle,

01:09:45intellectual way,

01:09:47possessing a quiet grace

01:09:48that persisted

01:09:49despite his poverty.

01:09:50The young girls

01:09:51who worked for me

01:09:52loved to whisper

01:09:53that he was hopelessly

01:09:54in love with me.

01:09:54I always dismissed it

01:09:56as childish gossip.

01:09:57Why would a brilliant

01:09:58young man

01:09:59with his whole life

01:10:00ahead of him

01:10:00want a woman like me?

01:10:01I was a widow

01:10:02with a swollen belly,

01:10:04living under a story

01:10:05that my husband

01:10:06had perished

01:10:06on some distant battlefield.

01:10:08Is something wrong,

01:10:09Mr. Perrin?

01:10:10His face flushed crimson,

01:10:12the heat spreading

01:10:13all the way to his ears.

01:10:15He hesitated

01:10:16for what felt

01:10:16like an eternity,

01:10:17fidgeting with his sleeves

01:10:18as if trying to summon

01:10:19every ounce of courage

01:10:20in his soul.

01:10:21Miss Vivian,

01:10:23I have admired you

01:10:24for a very long time.

01:10:25I don't care about your past

01:10:27and I don't care

01:10:28about the rumors.

01:10:28I want to take care of you.

01:10:30If you would honor me

01:10:31by becoming my wife,

01:10:33I promise to love

01:10:34your children

01:10:34as if they were

01:10:35my own blood.

01:10:36I froze,

01:10:37my mind racing

01:10:38to find a kind way

01:10:39to reject him.

01:10:40Before I could speak,

01:10:41however,

01:10:42a voice like a sudden

01:10:43Arctic gale

01:10:44tore through the room,

01:10:45turning the humid

01:10:46southern air to ice.

01:10:49Elena,

01:10:49you intend to take

01:10:51my children and marry.

01:10:52this pathetic,

01:10:54lowly commoner?

01:10:55My body turned to stone.

01:10:57I turned my head

01:10:58slowly toward the doorway.

01:11:00There,

01:11:00framed against

01:11:01the dying rays

01:11:02of the sunset,

01:11:03stood the man

01:11:04who should have been

01:11:04a thousand miles away.

01:11:07Arthur's face

01:11:07was a mask

01:11:08of sheer murderous rage.

01:11:13The moment Perrin

01:11:14finished his confession,

01:11:15the air in the room

01:11:16shattered.

01:11:17A suffocating pressure,

01:11:19the raw,

01:11:20primal weight

01:11:20of a dragon's aura

01:11:21exploded outward,

01:11:23pinning everyone

01:11:24to the spot.

01:11:25Arthur stepped

01:11:25into my workshop,

01:11:27clad in robes

01:11:27of deep obsidian

01:11:28and gold.

01:11:29His eyes

01:11:30were twin glaciers,

01:11:32harboring a frost

01:11:32cold enough

01:11:33to freeze

01:11:33the entire southern coast.

01:11:35He moved

01:11:36with a heavy,

01:11:36deliberate stride,

01:11:37and I knew instantly

01:11:39that the day of reckoning

01:11:40for my six-month escape

01:11:41had finally arrived.

01:11:43My legs turned to water.

01:11:45In a frantic,

01:11:45useless panic,

01:11:47I grabbed a handful

01:11:47of monocrystals

01:11:48and tried to bolt

01:11:49for the back exit,

01:11:50but it was already

01:11:51too late.

01:11:52The doorway was locked

01:11:53by a wall of iron,

01:11:54a phalanx paladin,

01:11:55their armor gleaming

01:11:57with an oppressive,

01:11:57holy light.

01:11:58There was no escape.

01:12:00His eyes turned

01:12:01a violent,

01:12:01bloodshot crimson,

01:12:02his voice cracking

01:12:03with a shock

01:12:04that looked far too much

01:12:05like genuine pain.

01:12:06Faking your own death

01:12:07to deceive me?

01:12:09Elena,

01:12:09your audacity

01:12:10truly knows no bounds.

01:12:11You were the one

01:12:12who sent that bowl

01:12:13of poison.

01:12:15If I hadn't fled,

01:12:16my children

01:12:17would be nothing

01:12:18but a memory

01:12:19by now.

01:12:20Poison?

01:12:21I never gave

01:12:22such an order.

01:12:26Perrin stood paralyzed,

01:12:28the sheer weight

01:12:29of the crown prince's

01:12:30presence crushing

01:12:31the air from his lungs.

01:12:32Miss Vivian.

01:12:33He looked at me.

01:12:34You told me

01:12:34your husband had,

01:12:35that he had been martyred

01:12:36on the northern front.

01:12:38Martyred.

01:12:39Elena,

01:12:40are you so desperate

01:12:41for my death

01:12:41that you've already

01:12:42buried me in your stories?

01:12:43I couldn't look him

01:12:44in the eye.

01:12:45I hadn't wished

01:12:45for his death.

01:12:46It was quite the opposite.

01:12:48I had missed him

01:12:48so much

01:12:49that the only way

01:12:50to survive the silence

01:12:51was to bury his memory

01:12:52under a lie.

01:12:54Your highness,

01:12:55please,

01:12:56do not distress her.

01:12:58she is heavily pregnant.

01:12:59She cannot handle

01:13:00such a shock.

01:13:01Despite the visible

01:13:01trembling of his hands,

01:13:02Perrin stepped forward,

01:13:04shielding me

01:13:04with his own body.

01:13:06Get out of my way!

01:13:07He lunged forward,

01:13:08reaching to seize me.

01:13:09But before his fingers

01:13:10could brush my skin,

01:13:11a cataclysmic pain

01:13:12tore through my lower body.

01:13:14It felt as if

01:13:15my very soul

01:13:16was being ripped in two.

01:13:18It hurts.

01:13:19Arthur,

01:13:20something is wrong.

01:13:21The hatchlings,

01:13:22they're coming now!

01:13:23I doubled over,

01:13:24my breath itching

01:13:25and a strangled scream

01:13:26to the world

01:13:27began to tilt into darkness.

01:13:31The crown prince,

01:13:32who only moments ago

01:13:34had looked ready

01:13:34to tear the world apart,

01:13:35instantly lost his composure.

01:13:38Arthur gathered me

01:13:38into his arms.

01:13:39Those hands,

01:13:40usually so steady

01:13:42when gripping a sword

01:13:43or signing a death warrant,

01:13:44were now shaking uncontrollably.

01:13:47Don't be afraid, Elena.

01:13:50I've got you.

01:13:52I'm taking you home.

01:13:54He stayed right there,

01:13:56pacing the halls

01:13:56of the manor

01:13:57I had bought six months ago.

01:13:59The healers and midwives

01:14:00begged him to leave,

01:14:01citing ancient superstitions

01:14:02that a crown prince's presence

01:14:04in a birthing chamber

01:14:05would bring ruin

01:14:06to his divine love.

01:14:07Arthur didn't argue.

01:14:09He simply drew his sword

01:14:10and stood guard at the door

01:14:12as the hours bled

01:14:13into one another

01:14:13and the labor

01:14:14became unbearable.

01:14:15I began to sob,

01:14:16the tears flowing freely.

01:14:18Every time I cried out,

01:14:19the cold,

01:14:20ruthless leader

01:14:21of the dragon line,

01:14:22the man who made

01:14:23the empire tremble

01:14:24found his own eyes

01:14:25welling with moisture.

01:14:26Finally,

01:14:27two sharp,

01:14:28missing cries

01:14:28rang out.

01:14:29A boy and a girl

01:14:30had safely entered the world.

01:14:32The midwives whispered

01:14:33among themselves

01:14:34as they cleaned the infants.

01:14:35In all their years

01:14:36of delivering children,

01:14:37they had never seen

01:14:38a mother endure labor

01:14:39while the father stood by

01:14:41and cried his eyes out.

01:14:43When I finally opened my eyes,

01:14:45the room was bathed

01:14:46in the golden dying light

01:14:47of the next day's twilight.

01:14:49Arthur was right there,

01:14:50sitting by the bed.

01:14:51But as soon as my mind cleared,

01:14:52the old bitterness blared up.

01:14:54Stop pretending to care!

01:14:55You never wanted us!

01:14:56The day you returned

01:14:57to the capital,

01:14:58you were so eager

01:14:59to have me disposed.

01:15:00You stayed in your chambers

01:15:01with Isabella

01:15:02for three days

01:15:03and three nights.

01:15:04They said you were lost

01:15:05in each other

01:15:06until dawn.

01:15:07That the priests

01:15:07had to change the holy water

01:15:08twenty times

01:15:09because of your pravity!

01:15:11I never touched Isabella.

01:15:13And I never,

01:15:13not for a single second,

01:15:15intended to depose you.

01:15:16When I returned,

01:15:17my father did push

01:15:18for an alliance.

01:15:19But I stood before

01:15:20the entire court

01:15:21and declared that I already

01:15:22had a wife by sacred contract.

01:15:23He urged me to bring you

01:15:25to the palace immediately.

01:15:26I thought your heart

01:15:27was still full of Christopher.

01:15:28I was so mad with pain

01:15:30that I delayed

01:15:31the official proclamation

01:15:33of your title.

01:15:34I was a fool, Elena,

01:15:36but I was never unfaithful.

01:15:40A deep flush crept up my neck.

01:15:42All those stories,

01:15:43the whispered nights of passion,

01:15:45were nothing more than

01:15:46illusions and rumors

01:15:47engineered by Isabella

01:15:49to drive me

01:15:50to the edge of insanity.

01:15:51I've uncovered the truth.

01:15:57It was Isabella.

01:15:59She bribed the priests

01:16:01in the side hall

01:16:03to lace your medicine

01:16:04with a cursed powder

01:16:05designed to wither

01:16:07the dragon line.

01:16:09His voice turned cold

01:16:10and predatory,

01:16:11a low vibration

01:16:13of pure hatred.

01:16:15I've stripped her

01:16:16of her noble name

01:16:17and condemned her

01:16:19the tower

01:16:19to eternal waiths

01:16:21for the rest of her life.

01:16:24Elena,

01:16:25thank God you were alert enough

01:16:26to refuse that drast.

01:16:31If you hadn't.

01:16:32His arms began

01:16:33to shake violently.

01:16:34This powerful,

01:16:35terrifying crown prince

01:16:36looked suddenly,

01:16:37heartbreakingly fragile.

01:16:38The walls I had built

01:16:39around my heart

01:16:39crumbled in an instant.

01:16:41For the first time

01:16:41in two years,

01:16:42I reached out

01:16:43and wound my arms

01:16:44around his neck,

01:16:44leaning into him

01:16:45with a surge

01:16:46of pure,

01:16:47unadulterated longing.

01:16:48Since you never chose her,

01:16:50you aren't allowed

01:16:51to look at anyone else

01:16:52ever again.

01:16:53Arthur,

01:16:53if you ever dare

01:16:54to betray our contract,

01:16:56I will take our children

01:16:57and vanish

01:16:57into the mistward.

01:16:58I will hide so well

01:16:59that you could spend

01:17:00the rest of your life

01:17:01searching

01:17:01and never see my face again.

01:17:03What did you just say?

01:17:07You,

01:17:07you're willing

01:17:08to stay for me?

01:17:09He pulled back,

01:17:11his eyes searching mine

01:17:12with a look of frantic,

01:17:13overwhelming joy,

01:17:15as if he were

01:17:15a drowning man

01:17:16who had finally

01:17:16found the shore.

01:17:19I looked at his face,

01:17:21the face of a man

01:17:22so devastatingly handsome,

01:17:24yet currently twisted

01:17:25into an expression

01:17:26of clumsy,

01:17:27desperate anxiety.

01:17:29and I couldn't help

01:17:31but let out

01:17:31a soft laugh.

01:17:33I've always had

01:17:34a fondness for beasts,

01:17:35especially a dragon

01:17:37like you,

01:17:38greedy,

01:17:39humble,

01:17:40and so utterly obsessed

01:17:42that once you've chosen

01:17:44a master,

01:17:46you can never

01:17:47be shaken off.

01:17:48Arthur's gaze

01:17:49darkened instantly.

01:17:51That predatory glint

01:17:52returned to his

01:17:53mismatched eyes,

01:17:54dancing with a renewed fire.

01:17:56He crushed his lips

01:17:58against mine,

01:17:59kissing me

01:18:00with a ferocity

01:18:01that suggested

01:18:01he wanted to grind

01:18:02my very soul

01:18:04into his own.

01:18:06I am your shadow.

01:18:09I am your guardian dragon.

01:18:13You will never push me

01:18:14away again

01:18:15as long as you live.

01:18:16His kiss

01:18:17was beginning to wander,

01:18:19growing more fervent

01:18:20and hungry,

01:18:20until it was abruptly

01:18:22shattered by two

01:18:23loud synchronized

01:18:24wails.

01:18:28The babies!

01:18:29Arthur, stop!

01:18:29I haven't even seen

01:18:30our children yet!

01:18:32The dignified crown prince

01:18:34lowered his lashes

01:18:35in a fit of silent,

01:18:36brooding resentment.

01:18:38He looked exactly

01:18:39like a great dragon

01:18:40who had just seen

01:18:41his most precious

01:18:42treasure stolen,

01:18:43yet lacked the heart

01:18:45to retaliate.

01:18:46With a resigned sigh,

01:18:48he reached into

01:18:49the bassinets

01:18:49and scooped up

01:18:50the two velvet wrap bundles.

01:18:54Elena,

01:18:56even with these

01:18:57two little things

01:18:58stealing your attention,

01:18:59you are not allowed

01:19:00to reduce the love

01:19:01you give me

01:19:01by a single inch.

01:19:05I gave a helpless,

01:19:07quiet laugh.

01:19:08My fingertips

01:19:09brushed against

01:19:10the faint,

01:19:11shimmering gold scales

01:19:12on the hatchling's foreheads,

01:19:13the most sacred mark

01:19:15of the imperial line.

01:19:16Then, to be fair,

01:19:18I leaned up

01:19:19and pressed a lingering,

01:19:20reassuring kiss

01:19:21to the lips

01:19:22of their jealous father.

01:19:23The evening breeze

01:19:25of Emerald Harbor

01:19:25drifted through the window,

01:19:27carrying the scent

01:19:28of salt

01:19:29and blooming flowers.

01:19:30On this ancient continent

01:19:32of miracles

01:19:33and strong wine,

01:19:34we finally had

01:19:36our future.

01:19:37And for the first time,

01:19:39it was enough.

01:19:41A mom's mother of the

01:19:42mother of the

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended