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Transcript

00:00:03Elena, is this how beg?

00:00:12Two 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.

00:00:37Once his equal, now a disgraced slave of the clan, I've fallen 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 welcome.

00:01:11But 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 reaconic 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 save my own death, a scandalous escape that had

00:01:32shocked the world.

00:01:33A month ago, the Holy Kingdom fell under a sudden monster assault.

00:01:38I found myself cornered in the black forest, trapped and suffocating under the weight of a dark malevolent curse as

00:01:45my consciousness began to fracture.

00:01:47He appeared.

00:01:48He rode through the chaos.

00:01:50As 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.

00:02:03In my blurred vision, he looked breathtaking.

00:02:07That 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.

00:02:36I 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.

00:02:53Now, 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 poitery 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.

00:04:58And 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, standing amidst the hallowed ruins in utter despair.

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

00:05:14I would follow him to the capital as a lowly handmaid.

00:05:17Anything just to stay by his side.

00:05:19But 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.

00:05:33I 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.

00:05:41To him.

00:05:43Do 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 blinded 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, after Arthur's departure.

00:06:41My 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.

00:07:15You are high on only contract holder.

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

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

00:07:25How could I admit that during those two years of shadow, I had forced him into the freezing depths of

00:07:31the holy lake just to retrieve a lost jewel for my amusement?

00:07:36How could I confess that?

00:07:37In pits 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.

00:08:00There, 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.

00:08:27I knelt until I lost all feeling in my legs, the ruby whip in my hands buried under a thick

00:08:32shroud of snow.

00:08:34Just as dawn threatened to break, a dragon's roar shattered the clouds.

00:08:37The black wings increased 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.

00:08:57Tell 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 sentence.

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 hunker.

00:09:29My 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 glow 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?

00:09:52Very 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 bed draped in

00:10:08black fox fur.

00:10:09The 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 bloom.

00:10:42The air crackled in the room of ancient dragonbriar 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 flash 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 who's leaving this be?

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

00:11:31His gaze was licking up, rosy and quell, threatening to turn me very soul-toys.

00:11:35For the thousands of 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.

00:11:59I looked down at Miss Till, flat abdomen, my heart clenching in fear.

00:12:04Ever since, a day here claimed his throne, I had been spotting blood.

00:12:08The 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, meh.

00:12:24Are 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.

00:13:07I was terrified of losing the babies, but I was more terrified of my father's execution.

00:13:13I forced back my tears, my voice trembling.

00:13:17I...

00:13:18I will do it.

00:13:21I will please you.

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.

00:13:38I 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, he 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, his kiss so violent I thought he would crush my lips.

00:14:42I 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,

00:15:02I drifted back to consciousness.

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

00:15:07looking cold and peerless once more.

00:15:09Your Highness, last night I did what you asked.

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

00:15:19Arthur 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

00:15:29would 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.

00:15:40You.

00:15:48Besides, do 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.

00:16:02This was nothing but cold-blooded retaliation,

00:16:04the cruelest way possible to humiliate me for the two years I spent trampling on his dignity.

00:16:10The air felt thin, the weight of his betrayal suffocating me.

00:16:14Arthur, I'm begging you, please, 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, he strode away without looking back.

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

00:16:36But as I reached the end of the corridor, I collided with a radiant procession.

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

00:16:52She was the woman Arthur had personally chosen as his crown princess upon his return to the throne.

00:16:56The Saintress?

00:16:59I must say, I never expected to find you in the prince's private chambers in such a state.

00:17:09It seems his highness's mercy hasn't taught you anything about dignity.

00:17:17I gripped my collar so hard my nails bit into my palms.

00:17:21I wanted to scream, to fight back.

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

00:17:26If I collapsed here, my children, my only remaining secret would be lost forever.

00:17:35Isabella was breathtaking.

00:17:36She possessed an innate regal air that only comes from a lifetime spent at the pinnacle of power,

00:17:42making me feel a sudden, stinging sense of inferiority.

00:17:45So you're that common girl Arthur used for diversion back 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?

00:18:06Vows?

00:18:06Those archaic rituals mean less than nothing to a crown prince.

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

00:18:14Now that he's reclaimed his throne, you've come crawling back to beg for mercy.

00:18:19How could a man like Arthur ever truly want a woman with a heart as poisonous as yours?

00:18:26She stepped closer, her voice dripping with the arrogance of a benefactor.

00:18:32If you're truly that desperate to stay in the capital, I might allow him to keep you.

00:18:39After our wedding, as an unmarked mistress, a private pet with no name.

00:18:45The insult burned through my veins, but I didn't want to be anyone's secret pet.

00:18:50Even if my heart had begun to waver, I knew one thing for certain.

00:18:54If he chose to marry another, I would never linger for a single second.

00:19:01As I stepped out of the crown prince's estate, the scorching sun felt like a physical assault, making my eyes

00:19:07sting.

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 until there was nothing left of me.

00:19:22Miss Elena.

00:19:24I hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes, looking up to see Christopher.

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

00:19:32Two years ago, during that fateful ceremony, he had been my first choice for a knight.

00:19:37But through a cruel twist of fate, I had chosen Arthur instead.

00:19:40Now, Christopher had climbed the ranks to become the chief executive of the Imperial Tribunal.

00:19:46Lord Christopher, Lord Christopher, my father was framed.

00:19:53Please, I'm begging you.

00:19:56Save him.

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

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

00:20:05Breathstaking than I remembered.

00:20:09I have always admired you.

00:20:13Elena.

00:20:16I've always wanted you by my side.

00:20:18He stared at me with a fixed intensity that made my skin crawl.

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

00:20:25He had already secured his future by marrying the High Justice's daughter, carving a path to the heights of power.

00:20:32Now, he was looking at me as if I were a prize to be collected.

00:20:36A secret lover, to be kept in the shadows of 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, I'll arrange for you to be appointed as a chamber attendant.

00:20:54It's the perfect way to keep you under my protection, without raising eyeballs.

00:20:59My father gave you everything.

00:21:02He funded your education and your rise to power.

00:21:05Is your sense of honor so easily swallowed by greed?

00:21:08I struggle to keep the fury from my voice.

00:21:11My body trembling with a mixture of rage and exhaustion.

00:21:16Christopher let out a sharp, derisive laugh.

00:21:18His eyes scanning me with a terrifying lack of shame.

00:21:22I have plenty of gold now.

00:21:23What I lack is a plaything like you, so holy, yet so utterly ruined.

00:21:27I know you spent two years with the crown prince, but his wedding is imminent.

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

00:21:32He won't let Bernard to stay alive.

00:21:34You have no other choice.

00:21:35You belong to me now.

00:21:36I didn't even have the chance to retort.

00:21:39A sudden, violent wave of nausea surged from my stomach,

00:21:42and I doubled over, dry-heating right in front of him.

00:21:46Christopher's face instantly twisted into a blue shade of purple.

00:21:50He had expected tears, or perhaps a desperate surrender.

00:21:54He had expected me to be so physically repulsed by his touch that I would be sick on the spot.

00:22:03Christopher was clearly stunned by my physical repulsion.

00:22:07The mask of a refined gentleman shattered,

00:22:10leaving behind a gaze so dark and venomous, it chilled my blood.

00:22:14The fake warmth in his voice died instantly, replaced by a low, predatory 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, he won't even survive long enough to see the Holy Fire next month.

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

00:22:35If I don't see you at my manor on the south side of the city by then,

00:22:38you might as well start picking out a burial plot for your father.

00:22:41He turned on his heel, and stormed away in a fit of humiliated rage,

00:22:47leaving me to tremble alone in the biting wind.

00:22:50My heart felt like a lead weight sinking into an abyss.

00:22:55People always whispered that scholars were the most virtuous among us.

00:22:58But in reality, the most wretched souls are often those hidden behind tailored suits and polite smiles.

00:23:05My family was still wealthy.

00:23:07Even after spending a fortune to save my father,

00:23:10what remained could sustain us for generations.

00:23:13My mother had already secured a secluded safe house on the outskirts of the capital.

00:23:18I dragged my battered body,

00:23:20feeling as though it had been trampled by a carriage,

00:23:23and began the long, numb walk back to that hollow substitute for a home.

00:23:30I had a younger brother, Julian, who was two years my junior.

00:23:35Unlike me, who grew dizzy at the mere sight of ancient texts,

00:23:40he was a natural-born arcanist.

00:23:42By the age of five, he could already decipher forbidden runes.

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

00:23:50he had rushed from the arcane academy to the capital,

00:23:53his face pale with worry.

00:23:56Crushed and defeated,

00:23:58I dragged my feet down the endless corridor,

00:24:01and with a trembling, uncertain hand,

00:24:03pushed open the massive door.

00:24:07Elena! What did he say?

00:24:09Did Prince Arthur, did Shadow agree to save your father?

00:24:11My brother-in-law is the crown prince now.

00:24:13He'll help us, won't he? He has to!

00:24:15I looked at the flickering sparks of hope in their eyes,

00:24:18and my throat burned as if I had swallowed hot coals.

00:24:22Worse, I couldn't bring myself to describe the previous night.

00:24:25How Arthur had pinned me to those luxurious black fox furs,

00:24:30claiming my body with a brutal hunger.

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

00:24:34He was a man who took pleasure in my ruin.

00:24:37A man who wanted to watch me drown in this hopeless mire,

00:24:40until the last breath left my lungs.

00:24:46I couldn't bear to shatter the fragile hope in my mother's and Julian's eyes.

00:24:50But with my father's life on the line,

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

00:24:57My voice cracked as the cold reality spilled out.

00:25:03He refused.

00:25:04Arthur hates me, more than you can imagine.

00:25:08Those two years of torment turned his heart into a block of ice.

00:25:12I've brought this upon our family.

00:25:15It's my fault that father is in that cage.

00:25:17My mother pulled me into a fierce, trembling embrace.

00:25:22Her scent of lavender and old books,

00:25:24a brief comfort against the storm.

00:25:26You are the most precious jewel of the Vivian family.

00:25:28If this is truly Bernard's trial,

00:25:30then it is a judgment of fate itself.

00:25:32You will not chain yourself to a guilt that isn't yours to bear.

00:25:35She's right.

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

00:25:40It's that cold-blooded prince who is blind.

00:25:43You deserve the purest devotion this world has to offer.

00:25:48Not his cruelty.

00:25:50Listening to them,

00:25:52a wave of bitter sorrow washed over me.

00:25:55The house of Vivian had once been the glorious pillar of the Holy Kingdom.

00:25:59A name spoken with reverence and awe.

00:26:02Now the proud saintess had finally learned how to bow her head.

00:26:06I no longer prayed for glory or power.

00:26:10I only prayed that those I loved might survive the winter.

00:26:15Elena, mother told me you're pregnant.

00:26:18Go back to your room and rest.

00:26:20I'm 16 now.

00:26:22I can carry this family's weight.

00:26:23Trust me.

00:26:24I will bring father home.

00:26:26I looked at the young man standing before me.

00:26:29His shoulders broad and his gaze steady.

00:26:33The little boy who used to trail behind me, crying over scraped knees, had truly grown up.

00:26:39I offered a few soft words of caution before retreating to my room.

00:26:43But the dull, persistent ache in my womb kept me tossing and turning in a feverish unrest.

00:26:51Hours later, I stepped out into the hallway and froze.

00:26:54There stood Julian.

00:26:56But he was unrecognizable.

00:26:59He had changed into a garish flamboyant suit of shimmering silks with an oversized ruby pendant dangling against his chest.

00:27:08Julian, what are you dressed like?

00:27:12I heard Duchess Audley has a weakness for collecting exquisite young men.

00:27:16I'm going to her estate to offer myself.

00:27:18If she takes me as her pet, even the crown prince will have to show her some respect.

00:27:23That's how I'll save father.

00:27:24My heart stopped.

00:27:26Julian was a once-in-a-century genius at the Arcane Academy.

00:27:31I couldn't let him sell his soul.

00:27:34Panic surged through me as I tricked him into the wine cellar and slammed the heavy iron door, locking it

00:27:39tight.

00:27:43Let me out! I was born for this!

00:27:45If it saves father, what does it matter if I'm just a plaything?

00:27:51I couldn't let my brother destroy his future and his dignity.

00:27:55The thought of Julian, a brilliant prodigy, rotting away as a noblewoman's plaything was a nightmare I wouldn't allow to

00:28:02come true.

00:28:02Begging Arthur again was a dead end.

00:28:04It would only invite more humiliation and perhaps even ignite his lethal temper.

00:28:09That left Christopher, the hypocritical viper.

00:28:12As much as I loathed the idea of becoming his caged bird, it seemed the path had narrowed until there

00:28:17was nowhere left to run.

00:28:19As night fell, I carried a single flickering magic lamp and crept toward Christopher's secret villa on the south side

00:28:25of the city.

00:28:26I spent the entire journey numbing my mind, whispering to myself that this was merely a sacrifice.

00:28:32I told myself, it would be like being bitten by a wild beast.

00:28:35Painful, yes, but something I could endure if I just closed my eyes.

00:28:39The moment I stepped into that dim, oppressive bedroom and saw Christopher unfastening his outer robe,

00:28:45my stomach churned with violent revulsion.

00:28:48Miss Vivian, I have waited two long years for this day.

00:28:53He undid the silver clasps at his collar, his smile thick with a sticky predatory mouth.

00:28:58From this moment on, you are my private property.

00:29:00Now come here, help me undress.

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

00:29:05Not used to this yet?

00:29:06Don't worry, I'll spend the rest of the night teaching you exactly how to serve me.

00:29:12Christopher shed his hypocritical priestly robes, his eyes gleaming with a feverish light.

00:29:17Tonight, we finally celebrate our sacred union, two years late.

00:29:21He advanced toward me, one predatory step at a time.

00:29:24Despite the biting cold of the room, my palms were slit with a cold sweat.

00:29:27I realized in that moment that I couldn't endure his proximity.

00:29:30The sensation was visceral, like a slimy serpent slithering up my ankle.

00:29:34Cold and suffocating.

00:29:35A sickly, distorted desire burned in his gaze.

00:29:38He lunged forward, his hands clamping around my waist like iron shackles.

00:29:42As he tried to bury his face in the look of my neck.

00:29:44The scent of yours, it's enough to drive a man mad.

00:29:47Stop!

00:29:48Christopher, listen to me.

00:29:49I will give you every coin in the Vivian family, Bolts.

00:29:51Just save my father and let me go.

00:29:54I don't want your filthy gold, Elena.

00:29:57I want you!

00:29:57His face twisted into a mask of pure malice as he shoved me backward onto the black velvet shade.

00:30:02He began to tear at my sacred robes with a crantic, desperate violence.

00:30:05Go ahead, keep fighting me.

00:30:07If you do, I'll make sure Bernard is dead.

00:30:09Before the sun rises tomorrow!

00:30:11Arthur was a man of violence.

00:30:13But when he touched me, there was a part of my soul that didn't recoil.

00:30:16Here, pinned under Christopher, I felt only a bone-deep revulsion.

00:30:21Ever since I saw you standing so high above everyone two years ago, I've dreamt of dragging you into the

00:30:26mud.

00:30:27Tonight, I finally get what I've always deserved.

00:30:33I first met Christopher when I was still young.

00:30:37No one could have ever guessed that behind his gentle, refined demeanor hit a dark and twisted heart.

00:30:44He leaned close to my neck.

00:30:46His every word laced with chilling, hidden malice that sent shivers down my spine.

00:30:52To tell you the truth, Elena, I orchestrated everything.

00:30:58Bernard's downfall, the treason, the trial.

00:31:02It was all my design.

00:31:04My eyes snapped wide as the horror of his confession sank in.

00:31:08He funded your education.

00:31:11He gave you a future.

00:31:14Patricia, how could you betray the man who saved you?

00:31:17If he hadn't gone to prison, would you be here now, kneeling and begging for my favor?

00:31:22No.

00:31:23So be a good girl and please me.

00:31:26I have the power to make your father's life a living hell, and I can just as easily destroy your

00:31:31mother and Julian.

00:31:32The sheer cruelty of it left me gasping.

00:31:34I wanted nothing more than to kill him and myself in a single stroke of vengeance.

00:31:38He held my every weakness in his hand.

00:31:41No matter how much my soul screamed in protest, I was trapped, forced to shiver and endure beneath him.

00:31:48Now, kiss me.

00:31:50He ruthlessly tore open my inner robes.

00:31:52The sudden bite of the cold air stung my exposed skin.

00:31:55I couldn't stop shaking.

00:31:56And as his face descended toward mine, a wave of visceral, physical revulsion took hold.

00:32:01Every ounce of strength I had left, I shoved him away.

00:32:07Christopher's mask of civility shattered into a hundred jagged pieces.

00:32:11His patience had run dry, and he pinned me against the edge of the chaise with a terrifying heavy weight.

00:32:18Get off me! Don't touch me!

00:32:23Keep shouting, Elena.

00:32:24But for every word you scream, I'll have a piece of Bernard's flesh carved away.

00:32:28I went silent instantly, the sound of my own teeth grinding together echoing in my skull.

00:32:32To save my father from the torture rack, I could only close my eyes in absolute despair,

00:32:36just as I prepared to bite my own tongue and end it all.

00:32:38The heavy oak doors of the bedchamber were obliterated,

00:32:42kicked inward with a force that shook the foundations of the villa.

00:32:46It was Arthur.

00:32:51Christopher stood paralyzed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

00:32:55He never imagined the crown prince would descend upon this secret sanctuary.

00:33:01Panicked, he scrambled to clutch his discarded robes,

00:33:04his face draining of color as the temperature in the room plummeted.

00:33:09Arthur approached with a terrifying, predatory calm.

00:33:15Your Highness, I do not understand why you would strike me.

00:33:20Since when is it a crime to enjoy a midnight thrisk with one's own lover?

00:33:33Arthur rained down low after a brutal blow,

00:33:37until Christopher lay unconscious in an ever-widening pool of blood.

00:33:41I have not yet signed the decree of abdulation.

00:33:44Until I do, she belongs to me.

00:33:47You dare to touch what is mine, and for that, you will die!

00:33:54Between the sheer terror of the night and the gnawing dread for my father's life,

00:33:59the fragile dam of my emotions finally broke.

00:34:03My pregnancy had made me volatile,

00:34:05and now the tears fell in a relentless, silent torrent that I couldn't stop.

00:34:11Arthur reached out, his arms snaking around me like an iron band to haul me into his chest.

00:34:18Seeing my face streaked with tears, the darkness in his eyes didn't soften.

00:34:23Instead, his fury seemed to congeal into something even more lethal.

00:34:28Do you love him that much?

00:34:30Do you love him that much?

00:34:35Does it break your heart that I interrupted your little trisk?

00:34:40You actually degraded yourself to this point for a piece of filth like him!

00:34:45When had I ever shown an ounce of affection for Christopher?

00:34:49The man was a monster, yet here was Arthur,

00:34:52twisting my desperation into a betrayal.

00:34:55But I didn't dare fight back.

00:34:57I couldn't risk my father bearing the brunt of a crown prince's lightning strike rage.

00:35:02I could only bury my face against his chest,

00:35:05my body shaking with muffled, agonizing sobs.

00:35:09Is being with me such a miserable fate, Elena?

00:35:12Well, weep all you want, it doesn't change a thing.

00:35:15You're coming back to the palace with me, where you belong.

00:35:20Arthur tossed me into his massive war chariot,

00:35:23pulled by snarling drakes,

00:35:25as if I were nothing more than a conquest claimed on a battlefield.

00:35:28I had no hope of escape.

00:35:31Within the hour, I was back in the palace,

00:35:34thrown once again onto the suffocating black fox furs of his bed.

00:35:38I curled into a ball, my eyes red and swollen,

00:35:42rubbing the small of my back where the impact had left a dull, throbbing ache.

00:35:49His voice was a low, terrifying rumble, cold as a mountain grave.

00:35:54He pressed his callous thumb against my lips,

00:35:57rubbing them with a punishing force that threatened to draw blood.

00:36:02Did he kiss you here?

00:36:06I won't stay.

00:36:09I won't be your secret pet.

00:36:14You think you're worthy of being my mistress?

00:36:18Don't flatter yourself.

00:36:20Let me make this clear, Elena.

00:36:22Until the day I choose to discard you,

00:36:25if you ever dare to shame me with another man again,

00:36:27I will personally ensure you never draw another breath.

00:36:39I stared at Arthur,

00:36:41my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

00:36:46His heterochromatic eyes were threaded with dark red veins,

00:36:49and the draconic aura swirling around him was so suffocating,

00:36:53it felt as though he had just clawed his way out of the deepest pits of hell,

00:36:57looking at the sheer madness in his expression,

00:36:59I knew, with terrifying certainty,

00:37:02if I admitted that Christopher's lips even brushed mine,

00:37:05he would cut my lips away without a second thought.

00:37:08In truth, Christopher hadn't touched me.

00:37:11I should have been paralyzed by fear,

00:37:13but every nerve in my body was screaming in pain and exhaustion.

00:37:17I couldn't help but lash out.

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

00:37:24You're that desperate to escape me, Vivian.

00:37:28You torture me.

00:37:30You humiliate me.

00:37:33Isn't this exactly what you wanted?

00:37:35Take it!

00:37:36Whip me to death if 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,

00:37:48if 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 to retrieve the heavy jewel-encrusted whip.

00:38:02I couldn't help the violent flinch that wracked my body.

00:38:05I had wielded this very weapon countless times,

00:38:07but I was naturally frail.

00:38:09My strikes had barely left a red mark on his skin.

00:38:12Arthur was different.

00:38:14He possessed the terrifying, raw strength of the dragon race.

00:38:17If he struck me once with that whip, I would shatter.

00:38:20I forced my spine to straighten and 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 on my grave?

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

00:38:38on the other side.

00:38:44A woman from this wretched holy kingdom

00:38:46has no place beside my throne.

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

00:38:54Instead, he lunged forward,

00:38:56his searing fingers clamping around my slender waist like iron bands.

00:39:00Is my touch really that repulsing to you?

00:39:04Well, too bad.

00:39:06Tonight, I'm taking exactly what I want.

00:39:11His lips crashed against mine,

00:39:13fueled by a scorching, desperate rage.

00:39:15In the chaos of the kiss,

00:39:17a memory of my birthday last year surfaced.

00:39:19He was still my shadow then.

00:39:20He had spent weeks carving a wooden statuette of me,

00:39:23a perfect miniature Saint-Ess.

00:39:26When I saw the gift,

00:39:27my heart had hammered so wildly.

00:39:30I had accused him of placing a curse on me.

00:39:32I punished him.

00:39:34Forcing him to kneel shirtless on the cold temple floor

00:39:36while I used gold ink to paint a massive ridiculous creature

00:39:40across his broad back.

00:39:41His ears had turned a deep burning crimson.

00:39:45I thought it was humiliation.

00:39:46So I insolently grabbed his ear to make him turn around.

00:39:49But as he moved,

00:39:51I lost my balance and tumbled into his arms.

00:39:54Our lips met.

00:39:55That kiss had been clumsy,

00:39:57yet so tender.

00:39:58He had whispered broken pleas,

00:40:00begging me to let him kiss me just once more.

00:40:03My shadow had been so kind then.

00:40:05No matter how I shamed him,

00:40:07he would have handed me the entire world on a silver platter just to see me smile.

00:40:13But the Arthur of today only knew how to bully me,

00:40:16how to make me hurt.

00:40:18As he ruthlessly tore away my silk inner robes,

00:40:21the tears I had fought so hard to suppress

00:40:23finally broke through the dam once again.

00:40:26They cascaded down my cheeks,

00:40:28hot and bitter,

00:40:29splashing against the side of his face.

00:40:32Arthur's movements froze instantly.

00:40:34He remained motionless,

00:40:35his hand still white-knuckled around a shred of the ruined silk.

00:40:38Is my touch so unbearable?

00:40:40He let out a sharp guttural sound of disgust

00:40:43and shoved me aside like a discarded rag.

00:40:46Before I could even shiver,

00:40:47he grabbed a heavy black fox fur blanket

00:40:49and wrapped it around me.

00:40:51That piece of filth, Christopher,

00:40:54already has a wife,

00:40:56a high justice own daughter.

00:40:58And yet here you are,

00:40:59playing the martyr,

00:41:01preserving your purity,

00:41:02to venus's york controls no purity for him.

00:41:07You really are a devoted fool, Miss Vivian.

00:41:11He stood up,

00:41:12his eyes flashing with a final,

00:41:14cutting spark of disdain.

00:41:15Don't flatter yourself.

00:41:17You aren't the only woman in the world.

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

00:41:22He turned and strode out of the chamber,

00:41:24the massive oak door slamming shut

00:41:26with a thunderous crash

00:41:27that echoed through the hollow silence of my heart.

00:41:30I wept until my throat was raw.

00:41:32And only then did the dull,

00:41:34throbbing ache in my womb begin to subside.

00:41:36I was desperate to go home,

00:41:39to save my father,

00:41:40to stop Julian from selling his soul

00:41:42for a scrap of influence.

00:41:43But the world outside had vanished.

00:41:46Arthur had placed me under house arrest.

00:41:48I knew his game.

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

00:41:51He wanted to watch the once-haughty saintess

00:41:53rot in a gilded cage

00:41:55until there was nothing left of my pride.

00:41:58For seven days,

00:41:59Arthur never showed his face.

00:42:01Instead, he sent a flock of handmaids

00:42:02to tend to me.

00:42:03They were meticulously attentive.

00:42:05Yet their voices were venomous.

00:42:11Did you really think he'd keep a broken doll?

00:42:15His Highness gifted Lady Isabella,

00:42:17the legendary Starry Night necklace.

00:42:20The prince and the duke's daughter

00:42:22are inseparable at the royal hunting grounds.

00:42:25They look so perfect together.

00:42:28Every day they made sure I heard the rumors

00:42:30of Arthur's devotion to Isabella.

00:42:31Each word cut deeper than any whip.

00:42:34I loathed being a caged bird.

00:42:36But my true terror

00:42:37was the fear that the next time I saw my father,

00:42:39he would be a corpse.

00:42:41On the eighth day of my imprisonment,

00:42:43the heavy doors finally groaned open.

00:42:45A silhouette draped in black and gold

00:42:47stepped through the threshold,

00:42:48bringing with him a rush of winter air.

00:42:51Arthur had returned.

00:42:54Arthur, you bastard!

00:42:55The days of isolation

00:42:57had driven me to 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!

00:43:10If 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 the ruby-encrusted whip

00:43:18trying to shield my vulnerability

00:43:19behind a pathetic, empty threat.

00:43:22Bernard is still alive.

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

00:43:28My father was safe,

00:43:29at least for now.

00:43:31But as the panic receded,

00:43:33a different kind of poison took its place.

00:43:36I 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 that lasted until dawn.

00:43:46The jealousy was a sudden, searing heat.

00:43:49When he had taken me,

00:43:51he hadn't shown half that much endurance.

00:43:54He was spending so much time

00:43:55entangled with that duke's daughter.

00:43:57I wondered if he was trying to drain

00:43:59every drop of his royal blood dry.

00:44:02Are you so desperate

00:44:04to run back to Christopher?

00:44:05To wallow in the dirt

00:44:07as his caged bird keep dreaming?

00:44:09I just refuse to stay near a man

00:44:10who belongs to Isabella!

00:44:12In a fit of blind rage,

00:44:13I lunged at him

00:44:15and sank my teeth into his shoulder.

00:44:17Vivian, stop!

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

00:44:21to bury your father?

00:44:23I stopped struggling,

00:44:24but the air between us

00:44:26was thick with loathing.

00:44:28I 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 straight in the eyes,

00:44:36I began to unfast my sacred robes.

00:44:40Eleni, stop.

00:44:41Put your clothes back on!

00:44:43His breath hitched.

00:44:45But I wouldn't be swayed

00:44:46by his feigned restraint.

00:44:47You want your revenge?

00:44:49Then 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.

00:44:57Draw 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

00:45:07through 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 one 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 weren'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,

00:45:40about how I forced you

00:45:41into the frozen lake.

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

00:45:45I'll go.

00:45:46I'll jump into the ice

00:45:47in the back garden

00:45:48and catch every single one

00:45:50of those damn fish for you.

00:45:52I remembered that day vividly.

00:45:54The snow had been blinding

00:45:56and he had been practicing

00:45:58his sword play

00:45:58in the courtyard.

00:46:00I had been in a foul mood,

00:46:02agitated by the sight

00:46:03of his bare, powerful torso.

00:46:06I had mocked him,

00:46:07my voice dripping with disdain.

00:46:10If 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.

00:46:27I spun around

00:46:28and bolted toward the door.

00:46:30Vivian!

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?

00:46:44None 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 to 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 raising my lips

00:47:07and a kiss

00:47:08that felt more like

00:47:09a claim of territory.

00:47:10Bastard!

00:47:11You aren't human!

00:47:13But the more I struggled,

00:47:14the more his possessiveness

00:47:16spiraled into a feverish

00:47:17madness.

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 like sand

00:47:36through an hourglass

00:47:36as he pinned me

00:47:38to the bed once more,

00:47:39claiming me

00:47:40with a desperate

00:47:41crushing intensity.

00:47:42A sharp,

00:47:43tearing agony

00:47:44exploded deep

00:47:45within my abdomen.

00:47:47It was as if a blade

00:47:48had been twisted

00:47:48inside 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

00:47:56into a hollow,

00:47:57silent void.

00:47:58Helena.

00:48:00Helena.

00:48:01Was that panic

00:48:02in his voice?

00:48:03It felt almost comedic.

00:48:04Didn't he want to cast

00:48:05this beautiful 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

00:48:12of searing,

00:48:13calloused 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 drawn,

00:48:23sealing out

00:48:23the daylight.

00:48:24The chamber

00:48:25was thick

00:48:26with the bitter,

00:48:27cloying scent

00:48:27of medicinal herbs

00:48:29and 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 she awake yet?

00:48:48Your Highness,

00:48:50Miss Vivian's spirit

00:48:52was already fragile.

00:48:57After the physical trauma,

00:49:00she is showing signs

00:49:02of a miscarriage.

00:49:07If it weren't for

00:49:08the powerful dragon bloodline,

00:49:11within the fetus,

00:49:13fighting to survive,

00:49:16the hatchling would have

00:49:17already been lost.

00:49:21A hatchling,

00:49:22signs of a miscarriage.

00:49:24A bitter,

00:49:24self-deprecating smile

00:49:26touched my lips.

00:49:27My little dragon

00:49:28was still there.

00:49:29It was far more resilient

00:49:30than I had imagined,

00:49:31but within seconds.

00:49:33A bone-chilling dread

00:49:34washed over me.

00:49:36Arthur knew.

00:49:37He knew that within me,

00:49:39a secret was growing.

00:49:41A secret the temple

00:49:42would never allow to exist.

00:49:44In an empire

00:49:45where blood purity

00:49:46was everything,

00:49:47the bastard

00:49:48of a fallen saintess

00:49:50would likely never be given

00:49:51the chance

00:49:52to draw

00:49:52its first breath.

00:49:55In a surge of sheer panic,

00:49:57my hand struck

00:49:58the wooden bed frame

00:49:59with a sharp crack

00:50:00at the sound.

00:50:01Arthur pulled back

00:50:01the heavy velvet curtains.

00:50:02He sat beside me,

00:50:04his face a mask

00:50:05of cold stone.

00:50:05I instinctively recoiled

00:50:07into the corner of the bed,

00:50:08desperate for a shred

00:50:09of 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

00:50:13ordered the priest

00:50:13to prepare a purification draft

00:50:15to erase the evidence

00:50:16of 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

00:50:25had mostly subsided.

00:50:26I knew he lived

00:50:26for my suffering.

00:50:27If I told him I 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

00:50:35force 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.

00:50:45Once I return

00:50:46to my family lands,

00:50:47I'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.

00:50:54I loved my little dragon already,

00:50:56but I needed him to believe

00:50:58I was no threat

00:50:59to 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.

00:51:11Dragon twins were a miracle,

00:51:13a rarity whispered of in legends.

00:51:15It meant I was carrying

00:51:16a 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.

00:51:22Yes, 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

00:51:29from existence.

00:51:30I glanced at the priest

00:51:31standing in the shadows.

00:51:32They weren't moving

00:51:33to help.

00:51:34Instead,

00:51:35they were visibly

00:51:36trembling in terror.

00:51:37You really are heartless,

00:51:38Elena.

00:51:39He 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.

00:51:47If 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,

00:51:59their whispers

00:51:59like jagged glass.

00:52:01They said he spent

00:52:02every waking

00:52:03and sleeping,

00:52:05hour,

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 lost

00:52:17in each other's embrace,

00:52:18until the break

00:52:19of every dawn.

00:52:22A bitter wave

00:52:23of sorrow

00:52:24crashed over me.

00:52:25I assumed he found

00:52:27the 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.

00:52:45The emperor

00:52:45and empress

00:52:46demanded an audience

00:52:47with me.

00:52:48Before Arthur

00:52:49reclaimed his throne,

00:52:50the highest authority

00:52:51I had ever encountered

00:52:53was a local

00:52:54provincial lord.

00:52:55To be called

00:52:56before the absolute

00:52:57rulers of 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

00:53:04of desecrating

00:53:04the crown prince.

00:53:06The imperial couple

00:53:07was legendary

00:53:07for their sole covenant.

00:53:09The emperor

00:53:10had married a commoner

00:53:12when he was nothing

00:53:13more than a minor noble,

00:53:14and they had remained

00:53:16devoted to one another

00:53:17ever since.

00:53:19After Arthur

00:53:20disappeared at age six,

00:53:21the empress

00:53:22was so devastated

00:53:23by grief and injury

00:53:24that she could never

00:53:26bear another child.

00:53:27Their love for Arthur

00:53:29was boundless.

00:53:30And then there was me,

00:53:32the witch

00:53:33who had tormented

00:53:34their precious,

00:53:35long-lost son.

00:53:36I felt certain

00:53:37that if I wasn't

00:53:38sent straight to the pyre,

00:53:40it 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,

00:53:50sacred weight.

00:53:51Every footstep

00:53:52echoed against 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.

00:54:02When 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.

00:54:08Please, stand up.

00:54:09And more like

00:54:09an elder sister.

00:54:11She 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.

00:54:18Was she inspecting

00:54:19my skin to decide

00:54:20which torture

00:54:21would be most effective?

00:54:22Was she looking

00:54:23for the mark

00:54:24of the witch?

00:54:25You are breathtaking.

00:54:28Even more beautiful

00:54:29than the way

00:54:29Arthur described you.

00:54:33I heard that

00:54:34when he was a lost

00:54:34nine-year-old

00:54:35wandering the wilderness.

00:54:37You 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

00:54:54from the temple

00:54:54to explore.

00:54:56I found a starving,

00:54:58filthy 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

00:55:05of gold coins.

00:55:05I only gave him the gold

00:55:07because the coins

00:55:08were weighing down

00:55:09my dress

00:55:10and 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.

00:55:23I bought him

00:55:23for a single gold coin

00:55:25just so I wouldn't

00:55:26have to watch him

00:55:26rot in the mud.

00:55:28I don't understand

00:55:29why they're making

00:55:30such a fuss.

00:55:31I only gave him

00:55:33some gold

00:55:34I was planning

00:55:34to throw away.

00:55:40Such a good child.

00:55:45Without another word,

00:55:46she carefully removed

00:55:47a shimmering

00:55:48mithril amulet

00:55:49from her own neck,

00:55:50an 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

00:56:05my past with Arthur

00:56:06at the temple.

00:56:07Cold sweat trickled

00:56:07down my face.

00:56:08How could I possibly

00:56:10confess the truth?

00:56:10How could I tell her

00:56:12that I had once

00:56:12punished him

00:56:13by making him

00:56:14kneel shirtless

00:56:15on freezing stone steps?

00:56:16Or that I had

00:56:17branded his chest

00:56:18with the word shadow,

00:56:19a title of

00:56:20absolute desecration?

00:56:21I could only offer

00:56:22pale, hollow lies,

00:56:24claiming we had lived

00:56:25as the closest

00:56:25of companions.

00:56:26When I returned

00:56:27to the Crown Prince's

00:56:28estate,

00:56:28I was greeted

00:56:29by an overwhelming

00:56:30display of favor.

00:56:32Cards filled with

00:56:33rare medicinal tonics

00:56:34and bolts of the

00:56:35finest silk

00:56:36were being unloaded

00:56:37into my side hall.

00:56:38The Empress

00:56:39had even promised

00:56:40to visit me

00:56:40personally in the

00:56:41coming days.

00:56:42My mind was a

00:56:43whirlwind of confusion.

00:56:44Arthur loathed me.

00:56:45Why then had he

00:56:46told his parents

00:56:47I was his savior?

00:56:48But I ran out

00:56:49of time to wonder.

00:56:50The doors to the

00:56:51chambers were thrown

00:56:52open by Arthur's

00:56:52head guard.

00:56:53In his hands,

00:56:54he carried a porcelain

00:56:55bowl filled with a

00:56:56black steaming liquid

00:56:57that smelled of death.

00:56:59It was the

00:57:00purification draft.

00:57:01His Highness's

00:57:02orders.

00:57:03Miss Vivian is to

00:57:05drink this immediately.

00:57:06We cannot allow

00:57:07anything improper

00:57:08to stain the

00:57:09purity of the

00:57:10royal bloodline.

00:57:11The world turned

00:57:12to ice.

00:57:13He was finally

00:57:14coming for the

00:57:14life inside me.

00:57:16He wanted to

00:57:16personally destroy

00:57:17these twin dragon

00:57:18pulses to burn

00:57:19away the last

00:57:20lingering evidence

00:57:21of our humiliating

00:57:21past.

00:57:22I looked at the

00:57:23black liquid,

00:57:23my hand instinctively

00:57:25dropping to cover

00:57:25my stomach.

00:57:26I could feel them,

00:57:27tiny, flickering

00:57:28sparks of life.

00:57:29I have to run.

00:57:30I have to escape.

00:57:31The Emperor of the

00:57:33Empire was indeed

00:57:34a just and

00:57:35formidable ruler.

00:57:36When I knelt

00:57:36before him and

00:57:37begged for a

00:57:38thorough investigation

00:57:39into my father's

00:57:39wrongful imprisonment,

00:57:41he gave me his

00:57:41word that the

00:57:42case had been

00:57:43transferred to the

00:57:43High Tribunal.

00:57:44I finally felt a

00:57:45weight lift from my

00:57:46chest.

00:57:47I clung to the

00:57:47belief that once

00:57:48the truth was laid

00:57:49bare, the honor of

00:57:50the Vivian family

00:57:51would be restored to

00:57:52its former glory.

00:57:53Now, my only

00:57:54remaining weakness

00:57:55was the twin dragon

00:57:56pulses growing within

00:57:57me.

00:57:58The moment I

00:57:58returned from the

00:57:59palace, a maid

00:58:00entered my

00:58:00chambers carrying a

00:58:01bowl of liquid that

00:58:02shimmered with an

00:58:03eerie violet light.

00:58:04She called it a

00:58:05sacred essence

00:58:05supplement, claiming

00:58:06it was meant to

00:58:07bolster my strength.

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

00:58:09I knew Arthur was

00:58:10incapable of such

00:58:11sudden mercy.

00:58:12I pretended to

00:58:12drink it with a

00:58:13grateful smile.

00:58:13But the second the

00:58:14doors were closed and

00:58:15the windows latched,

00:58:16I tipped the bowl

00:58:17into a pot of

00:58:18moonlight ivy.

00:58:18The magic plant,

00:58:19known for its

00:58:20incredible resilience,

00:58:21reacted instantly.

00:58:23The moment the

00:58:23liquid touched the

00:58:24soil, the lush

00:58:25leaves shriveled,

00:58:26turning into brittle

00:58:27blackened husks as

00:58:29if scorched by

00:58:30dragon fire, my

00:58:31blood ran cold.

00:58:32It wasn't a

00:58:32supplement at all.

00:58:33It was a blood

00:58:34cleansing draft, a

00:58:36lethal poison designed

00:58:37to starve my

00:58:38hatchlings of their

00:58:38magic and kill them

00:58:39in the womb.

00:58:41Gold can buy even

00:58:42the most depraved of

00:58:43souls.

00:58:44Using a priceless

00:58:45mithril hairpin as a

00:58:46bribe, I managed to

00:58:47smuggle a desperate

00:58:48message to Julian

00:58:49through a kitchen

00:58:50maid.

00:58:50I begged him for a

00:58:51vial of draft of the

00:58:53living death, a

00:58:54forbidden alchemical

00:58:55concoction that could

00:58:56halt a heartbeat and

00:58:58mimic the cold

00:58:58stillness of the

00:58:59grave, all without

00:59:00harming the fragile

00:59:01dragon sprouts in my

00:59:02womb.

00:59:03When a person dies,

00:59:05their debts are

00:59:05supposedly settled.

00:59:07If I were dead,

00:59:09Arthur would have no

00:59:09reason to force those

00:59:10cruel poisonous drafts

00:59:12down my throat.

00:59:13At worst, he would

00:59:14have my body tossed

00:59:15into a mass grave in

00:59:16the desolate

00:59:17barrens.

00:59:17Once the effects wore

00:59:18off, I could crawl

00:59:20out of the dirt and

00:59:20vanish into the night

00:59:21with my children to

00:59:22find my mother.

00:59:23My only terror was

00:59:24Arthur's depravity.

00:59:25I feared that even

00:59:26in death, he might

00:59:28plunge a blade into

00:59:29my chest, just to be

00:59:30certain.

00:59:31The potion took hold

00:59:32with terrifying speed.

00:59:33A bone-deep chill

00:59:35spread through my

00:59:35limbs, turning my

00:59:37blood to slush.

00:59:38My mind remained

00:59:39agonizingly sharp.

00:59:41Yet I was a prisoner

00:59:42in my own skin, unable

00:59:44to move a muscle, unable

00:59:46to flicker an eyelid,

00:59:47until the heavy doors

00:59:48burst open.

00:59:50Help!

00:59:50Someone help!

00:59:56Miss Vivian, she

00:59:58stopped breathing!

01:00:00The frantic scream

01:00:02echoed through the

01:00:02stone chamber, sounding

01:00:04more like a celebration

01:00:05of my freedom than a

01:00:06morning of my life.

01:00:07I lay there, a hollow

01:00:09shell, waiting to see

01:00:10if my gambit would lead

01:00:11to the wilderness or

01:00:12the pyre.

01:00:15Before I heard the

01:00:17heavy rhythmic thud of

01:00:18leather boots against

01:00:19the stone floor, our

01:00:21thud of leather had

01:00:22arrived, he seemed

01:00:23unable to fathom that

01:00:24the witch, who had

01:00:25once tormented him so

01:00:27ruthlessly, could fall

01:00:28so easily.

01:00:31Who says she is dead?

01:00:33If you are mocking me

01:00:36again, I swear I will

01:00:39bury the entire Vivian

01:00:42family, along with you!

01:00:45But I was merely a corpse

01:00:47now, a silent witness to

01:00:49his descent into hysteria.

01:00:51I stayed frozen, locked in

01:00:54the icy grip of the draft.

01:00:56His voice grew softer, losing

01:00:59its edge, until it was

01:01:00filled with a frantic,

01:01:02staggering sense of panic I

01:01:03had never heard before.

01:01:05Why was he so shaken?

01:01:07Wake up!

01:01:08Was he afraid my vengeful

01:01:09spirit would haunt him for

01:01:10the rest of his days?

01:01:12Wake up!

01:01:13Or was he simply realizing

01:01:14that his favorite toy had

01:01:15finally broken beyond repair?

01:01:17Either way, I remain still,

01:01:20praying for the darkness of the

01:01:22burial grounds to come quickly.

01:01:26By now, he must have found

01:01:28the letter I left behind.

01:01:30In it, I wrote that I had

01:01:32finally reached my breaking

01:01:34point, that I had swallowed a

01:01:36lethal poison to end the

01:01:37humiliation, and that no one

01:01:40else was to blame.

01:01:41My only dying wish was for him

01:01:43to honor our old contract and

01:01:46return my remains to my family's

01:01:47ancestral lands.

01:01:49But his reaction after reading

01:01:50those words sent a fresh wave of

01:01:53horror through my frozen soul.

01:01:55Do you love Christopher that

01:01:56much?

01:01:57Do you love him so deeply that

01:01:59you would rather commit suicide?

01:02:03You want your bones returned

01:02:05home?

01:02:06Never.

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

01:02:10Even if you rot.

01:02:12You will do so in my arms!

01:02:15The living death only lasted

01:02:17twelve hours.

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

01:02:20bury me, I was going to

01:02:22resurrect right in front of him.

01:02:24Elena, please, open your eyes

01:02:29and look at me.

01:02:31Then, I felt it.

01:02:33A cold, trembling kiss pressed

01:02:35against my unresponsive lips.

01:02:40Time was running out.

01:02:43Outside, the night was dark and

01:02:45the wind was howling.

01:02:46The effects of the draft were

01:02:47finally beginning to wane.

01:02:50Arthur was on the jagged edge of a

01:02:51mental collapse, blinded by a grief I never expected.

01:02:56As the feeling returned to my limbs,

01:02:58my fingers brushed against the paralyzing silver needle Julian had hidden among my supplies.

01:03:04I waited, holding my breath, until Arthur slumped against my neck with a broken moan.

01:03:11With every ounce of strength I had regained, I lunged and drove the needle deep into the pressure point at

01:03:17the nape of his neck.

01:03:18Even a crown prince of the dragon line couldn't withstand a strike so precise and unexpected.

01:03:23I moved like a ghost.

01:03:25I snatched the dragon seal, the symbol of supreme authority, from his belt, and threw on a nondescript maid's cloak.

01:03:34Keeping my head low, I slipped out of the chamber.

01:03:39I abandoned the memory-haunted north, seeking refuge in Emerald Harbor.

01:03:44The southern air was sweet and blooming with flowers, a place where I could finally fade away.

01:03:52The night I fled, Julian met me at the city gates, sobbing like a child.

01:03:58He pressed a mountain of mana crystal cards into my hands, begging to follow.

01:04:03It took hours to convince him to stay until my father was free.

01:04:07Julian had liquidated half of the Vivian family fortune for me.

01:04:11Even if I lived a life of absolute decadence, this wealth would last for lifetimes.

01:04:19I opened a boutique named Amber Eyes.

01:04:22While I loathed the dry imperial codes, I had a genius for alchemy.

01:04:28Distilling oils and crafting the eternal youth elixirs that once drove the capital's elite into a frenzy.

01:04:34But in the quiet moments, the ghosts returned.

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

01:04:43I remembered the whispers of his nights with Isabella, and the steam rising from the poison he sent for my

01:04:49children.

01:04:50Whenever the pain flared, I drowned it in work.

01:04:53My little dragons were growing, and for them, I had to be strong.

01:05:00I found a few displaced, starving girls wandering the streets, and took them in.

01:05:06Under my care, their hollow cheeks filled out, and their fearful eyes began to spark with life.

01:05:12They became my loyal apprentices, learning the delicate secrets of my shop.

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

01:05:19I used my fortune to establish a women's academy at the harbor.

01:05:24This world has always been cruel to women, demanding they be nothing more than ornaments or property.

01:05:30I don't harbor grand illusions of saving the world.

01:05:34But I want these girls to master weaving, commerce, or even basic arcana.

01:05:39I want them to have a trade and a voice.

01:05:42My business flourished beyond my wildest dreams.

01:05:45Within six months, amber eyes became the ultimate obsession for the noblewomen of the South.

01:05:52People often ask me if I fear bankruptcy.

01:05:55Considering the academy charges no tuition, I simply offer a faint smile and say nothing.

01:06:02They have no idea I am the daughter of the wealthiest man in the Holy Kingdom.

01:06:07Besides, Julian still sends crates of mana crystals via secret caravans every month.

01:06:12In his eyes, I am likely still his reckless spendthrift sister who might run out of pocket money at any

01:06:18moment.

01:06:20Letters from the capital arrived occasionally through secret channels,

01:06:24carrying whispers of a world I had left behind.

01:06:27Five months ago, my father, Bernard, was finally exonerated and released.

01:06:33The High Tribunal had uncovered everything.

01:06:36It was all a web of lies spun by Christopher.

01:06:39The shadow that had loomed over my family's honor was finally dispelled.

01:06:43According to Julian, Christopher's obsession had spiraled into madness.

01:06:48Desperate to replace me, he had kidnapped a girl who shared a passing resemblance to me

01:06:54and kept her imprisoned in the secret villa, calling her by a pet name.

01:06:58But his highborn wife, the daughter of the Lord Chief Justice, discovered his thwarted spirit.

01:07:05In a fit of betrayed rage, she stormed the villa with her retainers.

01:07:10The innocent girl caught in the crossfire met a horrific end at the hands of a woman scorned.

01:07:17Christopher, the man who pretended to love me so deeply, didn't spare a single tear for his victim.

01:07:23He immediately turned on the dead girl, slandering her memory to save his own skin and his political career.

01:07:30He underestimated a woman's wrath.

01:07:33His wife stripped away his mask, exposing his embezzlement and treason.

01:07:39Now, he rots in a lightless dungeon, his limbs broken and his mind shattered.

01:07:45He is a pathetic creature.

01:07:47A far cry from the elegant scholar he once pretended to be.

01:07:51I felt no pity as I burned the letter.

01:07:54He earned every second of his agony.

01:07:57The Vivian family was unable to return to the Holy Kingdom.

01:08:01Julian's letters became increasingly frantic, claiming that Arthur had descended into a state of pure madness.

01:08:07The wedding between Arthur and Isabella never happened.

01:08:10Instead, in a shocking twist that paralyzed the capital, he personally assorted Isabella to the ghost tower.

01:08:17Arthur! Please! You can't do this!

01:08:20No one knew the reason, but I could guess.

01:08:23A man like Arthur would never tolerate anyone who dared to touch his secrets or threaten his absolute control.

01:08:30Now Arthur spends his days scouring the capital for a ghost.

01:08:33He searches for any trace of my existence.

01:08:36And at night, he stands before my empty grave, screaming to the heavens that I am his only true crown

01:08:43princess.

01:08:44I felt nothing but cold disdain when I read those words.

01:08:47He had spent his nights lost in the arms of another woman.

01:08:51And now, he wants to play the role of the grieving, devoted husband.

01:08:55It was a pathetic performance.

01:08:57My only focus now is the safety of my two little dragons.

01:09:00The most experienced midwife in the south warned me that carrying twins, especially those of the dragon line, is a

01:09:07treacherous path.

01:09:08She told me that the day of their birth would be like walking along the precipice of the underworld.

01:09:13It is a gamble with death.

01:09:15A heavy fear has settled in my bones.

01:09:18I am terrified that I will never wake to see Julian become a grand archmage.

01:09:22And even more terrified that my children will enter this world only to find themselves motherless.

01:09:30A soft touch on my shoulder pulled me from my thoughts.

01:09:33I looked up to see Perrin standing before the counter, his usual modest expression colored by a hint of nerves.

01:09:39Perrin was a wandering scholar I had rescued three months ago after he collapsed outside my shop.

01:09:43He was handsome in a gentle, intellectual way, possessing a quiet grace that persisted despite his poverty.

01:09:51The young girls who worked for me loved to whisper that he was hopelessly in love with me.

01:09:55I always dismissed it as childish gossip.

01:09:58Why would a brilliant young man with his whole life ahead of him want a woman like me?

01:10:02I was a widow with a swollen belly, living under a story that my husband had perished on some distant

01:10:07battlefield.

01:10:08Is something wrong, Mr. Perrin?

01:10:10His face flushed crimson, the heat spreading all the way to his ears.

01:10:15He hesitated for what felt like an eternity, fidgeting with his sleeves as if trying to summon every ounce of

01:10:20courage in his soul.

01:10:22Miss Vivian, I have admired you for a very long time.

01:10:26I don't care about your past, and I don't care about the rumors.

01:10:29I want to take care of you.

01:10:31If you would honor me by becoming my wife, I promise to love your children as if they were my

01:10:35own blood.

01:10:36I froze, my mind racing to find a kind way to reject him.

01:10:40Before I could speak, however, a voice like a sudden arctic gale tore through the room, turning the humid southern

01:10:46air to ice.

01:10:49Elena, you intend to take my children and marry this pathetic, lowly commoner?

01:10:55My body turned to stone.

01:10:57I turned my head slowly toward the doorway.

01:11:00There, framed against the dying rays of the sunset, stood the man who should have been a thousand miles away.

01:11:07Arthur's face was a mask of sheer murderous rage.

01:11:13The moment Perrin finished his confession, the air in the room shattered.

01:11:17A suffocating pressure, the raw, primal weight of a dragon's aura, exploded outward, pinning everyone to the spot.

01:11:25Arthur stepped into my workshop, clad in robes of deep obsidian and gold.

01:11:29His eyes were twin glaciers, harboring a frost cold enough to freeze the entire southern coast.

01:11:35He moved with a heavy, deliberate stride, and I knew instantly that the day of reckoning for my six-month

01:11:41escape had finally arrived.

01:11:43My legs turned to water.

01:11:45In a frantic, useless panic, I grabbed a handful of monocrystals and tried to bolt for the back exit, but

01:11:50it was already too late.

01:11:51The doorway was blocked by a wall of iron, a phalanx and paladins, their armor gleaming with an oppressive holy

01:11:58light.

01:11:58There was no escape.

01:12:00His eyes turned a violent, bloodshot crimson, his voice cracking with a shock that looked far too much like genuine

01:12:05pain.

01:12:06Faking your own death to deceive me?

01:12:09Elena, your audacity truly knows no bounds.

01:12:11You were the one who sent that bowl of poison.

01:12:15If I hadn't fled, my children would be nothing but a memory by now.

01:12:20Poison?

01:12:21I never gave such an order.

01:12:27Perrin stood paralyzed, the sheer weight of the Crown Prince's presence crushing the air from his lungs.

01:12:32Miss Vivian.

01:12:33He looked at me.

01:12:34You told me your husband had... that he had been martyred on the northern front.

01:12:38Martyred?

01:12:39Elena, are you so desperate for my death that you've already buried me in your stories?

01:12:43I couldn't look him in the eye.

01:12:45I hadn't wished for his death.

01:12:46It was quite the opposite.

01:12:48I had missed him so much that the only way to survive the silence was to bury his memory under

01:12:53a lie.

01:12:54Your Highness, please, do not distress her.

01:12:58She is heavily pregnant.

01:12:59She cannot handle such a shock.

01:13:01Despite the visible trembling of his hands, Perrin stepped forward, shielding me with his own body.

01:13:06Get out of my way!

01:13:07He lunged forward, reaching to seize me.

01:13:09But before his fingers could brush my skin, a cataclysmic pain tore through my lower body.

01:13:14It felt as if my very soul was being ripped in two.

01:13:18It hurts.

01:13:19Arthur, something is wrong.

01:13:21The hatchlings, they're coming now!

01:13:23I doubled over, my breath pitching in a strangled scream, and the world began to tilt into darkness.

01:13:31The crown prince, who only moments ago had looked ready to tear the world apart, instantly lost his composure.

01:13:38Arthur gathered me into his arms.

01:13:40Those hands, usually so steady when gripping a sword or signing a death warrant, were now shaking uncontrollably.

01:13:54He stayed right there, pacing the halls of the manor I had bought six months ago.

01:13:59The healers and midwives begged him to leave, citing ancient superstitions that a crown prince's presence in a birthing chamber

01:14:05would bring ruin to his divine love.

01:14:08Arthur didn't argue.

01:14:09He simply drew his sword, and stood guard at the door, as the hours bled into one another, and the

01:14:14labor became unbearable.

01:14:15I began to sob, the tears flowing freely.

01:14:18Every time I cried out, the cold, ruthless leader of the dragon line, the man who made the empire tremble,

01:14:24found his own eyes welling with moisture.

01:14:26Finally, two sharp, losing cries rang out.

01:14:29A boy and a girl had safely entered the world.

01:14:32The midwives whispered among themselves as they cleaned the infants.

01:14:35In all their years of delivering children, they had never seen a mother endure labor, while the father stood by

01:14:41and cried his eyes out.

01:14:43When I finally opened my eyes, the room was bathed in the golden, dying light of the next day's twilight.

01:14:49Arthur was right there, sitting by the bed.

01:14:51But as soon as my mind cleared, the old bitterness blared up.

01:14:54Stop pretending to care!

01:14:55You never wanted us!

01:14:56The day you returned to the capital, you were so eager to have me disposed.

01:15:01You stayed in your chambers with Isabella for three days and three nights.

01:15:05They said you were lost in each other until dawn.

01:15:07That the priests had to change the holy water twenty times because of your pravity!

01:15:12I never touched Isabella.

01:15:13And I never, not for a single second, intended to depose you.

01:15:16When I returned, my father did push for an alliance.

01:15:19But I stood before the entire court and declared that I already had a wife by sacred contract.

01:15:24He urged me to bring you to the palace immediately.

01:15:26I thought your heart was still full of Christopher.

01:15:28I was so mad with pain, that I delayed the official proclamation of your title.

01:15:34I was a fool, Elena, but I was never unfaithful.

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

01:15:42All those stories, the whispered nights of passion, were nothing more than illusions and rumors engineered by Isabella to drive

01:15:50me to the edge of insanity.

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

01:15:57It was Isabella.

01:15:59She bribed the priests in the side hall.

01:16:03To lace your medicine with a cursed powder.

01:16:06Designed to wither the dragon line.

01:16:09His voice sounds cold and predatory.

01:16:12A low vibration of pure hatred.

01:16:15I've stripped her of her noble name and condemned her the tower to the eternal weights.

01:16:22For the rest of her life.

01:16:25Elena, thank God you were alert enough to refuse that drast.

01:16:31If you hadn't.

01:16:32His arms began to shake violently.

01:16:34This powerful, terrifying crown prince looked suddenly, heartbreakingly fragile.

01:16:38The walls I had built around my heart crumbled in an instant.

01:16:41For the first time in two years, I reached out and wound my arms around his neck.

01:16:45Leaning into him with a surge of pure, unadulterated longing.

01:16:49Since you never chose her, you aren't allowed to look at anyone else ever again.

01:16:53Arthur, if you ever dare to betray our contract, I will take our children and vanish into the mistwood.

01:16:59I will hide so well that you could spend the rest of your life searching and never see my face

01:17:03again.

01:17:04What did you just say?

01:17:07You, you're willing to stay for me?

01:17:09He pulled back, his eyes searching mine with a look of frantic, overwhelming joy.

01:17:15As if he were a drowning man who had finally found the shore.

01:17:19I looked at his face.

01:17:21The face of a man so devastatingly handsome.

01:17:24Yet currently twisted into an expression of clumsy, desperate anxiety.

01:17:29And I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

01:17:32I've always had a fondness for beasts.

01:17:36Especially a dragon like you.

01:17:38Greedy.

01:17:39Humble.

01:17:40And so utterly obsessed.

01:17:43That once you've chosen a master,

01:17:46you can never be shaken off.

01:17:48Arthur's gaze darkened instantly.

01:17:51That predatory glint returned to his mismatched eyes,

01:17:54dancing with a renewed fire.

01:17:57He crushed his lips against mine,

01:17:59kissing me with a ferocity that suggested he wanted to grind my very soul into his own.

01:18:07I am your shadow.

01:18:10I am your guardian dragon.

01:18:13You will never push me away again as long as you live.

01:18:16His kiss was beginning to wander,

01:18:19growing more fervent and hungry,

01:18:21until it was abruptly shattered by two loud synchronized wails.

01:18:28The babies!

01:18:29Arthur, stop!

01:18:29I haven't even seen our children yet!

01:18:32The dignified crown prince lowered his lashes

01:18:35in a fit of silent, brooding resentment.

01:18:38He looked exactly like a great dragon

01:18:40who had just seen his most precious treasure stolen,

01:18:44yet lacked the heart to retaliate.

01:18:46With a resigned sigh,

01:18:48he reached into the bassinets and scooped up the two velvet wrap bundles.

01:18:55Elena,

01:18:56even with these two little things stealing your attention,

01:18:59you are not allowed to reduce the love you give me by a single inch.

01:19:06I gave a helpless, quiet laugh.

01:19:08My fingertips brushed against the faint, shimmering gold scales on the hatchling's foreheads,

01:19:13the most sacred mark of the imperial line.

01:19:16Then, to be fair,

01:19:18I leaned up and pressed a lingering, reassuring kiss

01:19:21to the lips of their jealous father.

01:19:24The evening breeze of Emerald Harbor drifted through the window,

01:19:27carrying the scent of salt and blooming flowers.

01:19:31On this ancient continent of miracles and strong wine,

01:19:34we finally had our future.

01:19:37And for the first time,

01:19:39it was enough.

01:19:42Before we leave,

01:19:43the first thing is,

01:19:43for which we remove the

The Dragon Slave I Whipped is Now My King - FULL | Reelshort [Full Movie]

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