The Dragon Slave I Whipped is Now My King - New Movie 2026 - 🔥🔥🔥FULL MOVIES ENGLISH SUB 2026 [Full Movie] - Vidéo Dailymotion

Golden Memory

A powerful full drama movie filled with love, secrets, and unexpected twists.  Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.  Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.  Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.  New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.  #drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story

Transcript

00:00:01Elayna, est-ce que c'est comme ça?

00:00:09Two years ago, I was the arrogant saintess, and he was the dragon slave I whipped at my whim.

00:00:17Two years later, he awakens the imperial dragon blood and returns to the imperial capital.

00:00:23As the giant dragon dives to the earth, he transforms into a king of extraordinary elegance.

00:00:31His dark gold dragon pupils are locked firmly onto me, once his equal, now a disgraced slave of the clan,

00:00:39fallen into the abyss beneath the altar.

00:00:42To save my father, I was forced to kneel at his feet and let him tear away my white rose,

00:00:49the very symbol of my sanctity.

00:00:51He laughed coldly, demanding I pleasure him to repay the debts of those two years.

00:00:57He already has a perfect match by his side, yet he insists on taking me by force, trapping me in

00:01:04an eternal cage.

00:01:06Oh, you laugh.

00:01:08But I will never let your children become your prisoners.

00:01:12Watching the madness of his possessive gaze, I press my hand against my stomach, where a faint laconic sigil flickered,

00:01:20the marked pulsing of the rhythmic cadence of a heartbeat.

00:01:24It was this very secret that had driven me to orchestrate my own death, a scandalous escape that had shocked

00:01:30the world.

00:01:30A month ago, the Holy Kingdom fell under a sudden monster assault.

00:01:36I found myself cornered in the black forest, trapped and suffocating under the weight of a dark malevolent curse.

00:01:42As my consciousness began to fracture, he appeared.

00:01:46He rode through the chaos.

00:01:48As he charged forward on horseback, I could have sworn I saw the spectral shimmer of dragon wings unfurl behind

00:01:54him.

00:01:54A broken sword in one hand, and a spear in the other, cutting a path to my side.

00:02:01In my blurred vision, he looked breathtaking.

00:02:05That night, amidst a frantic soul resonance, I let myself cross the forbidden line with him.

00:02:10I think I might have actually fallen for him.

00:02:13I thought of him the moment I opened my eyes.

00:02:15I banished him once more to the most remote, crumbling tower of the estate.

00:02:19Before sending him to the tower was a triumph of my power.

00:02:22Now I found myself sneaking toward it just to catch a glimpse of him.

00:02:26He was right there in my temple.

00:02:28Yet I was dying of an incurable heartache.

00:02:31Today was his 22nd birthday.

00:02:34I had spent hours baking a lemon tart with my own hands, wanting to give him a surprise.

00:02:39I wanted to tell him that he was going to be a father.

00:02:43Two years ago in the arena, I bestowed upon him the name Shadow.

00:02:48He was but a flicker of darkness, easily erased.

00:02:51Now, that name has become my only longing.

00:02:54I reached the tower only to find my world collapsing.

00:02:57My shadow was gone.

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

00:03:05A blinding burst of molten gold erupted before my eyes,

00:03:08before shrinking and condensing into the form of a noble man.

00:03:12The slave had vanished, replaced by a prince radiating golden light.

00:03:17The rumors followed quickly.

00:03:19He already had a fiancé, a childhood match.

00:03:23Lady Isabella, the most brilliant woman in the empire.

00:03:27As soon as he returned to the capital, their grand wedding would begin.

00:03:33My sanctuary had been transformed into a cage, surrounded by the cold steel of the paladins.

00:03:40The moment they spotted me, skulping in the shadows like a common thief,

00:03:44a royal guard lunged forward, pressing the frigid edge of a heavy greatsword against my throat.

00:03:49Neil, daughter of a traitor, how dare you stand in the presence of Prince Arthur?

00:03:53I looked past the blade at the man in the center of the crowd.

00:03:56The ragged, homespun clothes were gone.

00:03:59In their place was a magnificent robe of blackened gold.

00:04:04Risking execution, I reached out with trembling fingers,

00:04:08desperately trying to catch his hand.

00:04:10A low, rhythmic vibration hummed in the air

00:04:13as glowing embers of dragon fire drifted from the golden poitery of his robes.

00:04:20You... are you truly the crown prince?

00:04:22Tell me, Miss Vivian, how do you plan to torture me today?

00:04:25Will it be the jeweled whip, or shall I feel the weight of your dancing shoes again?

00:04:30Once I return to the capital, I will send the official documents to sever our contract.

00:04:34A woman from this wretched holy kingdom has no place beside my throne.

00:04:37My eyes burned with unshed tears.

00:04:40I hadn't come to hurt him.

00:04:42I had come to celebrate his birth,

00:04:44to tell him that I was carrying his children.

00:04:47But even my touch was a stain to him now.

00:04:50I finally understood the brutal reality.

00:04:53He loathed me.

00:04:54He would never want me.

00:04:56And he would certainly never want the bastards in my womb.

00:04:59Even if they carried his own dragon blood.

00:05:02I shielded the faint yet searing spark of dragon blood within me,

00:05:06standing amidst the hallowed ruins in utter despair.

00:05:09I wanted to tell him that I would give up everything.

00:05:12I would follow him to the capital as a lowly handmaid.

00:05:14Anything just to stay by his side.

00:05:16But to him, my very touch was a defilement.

00:05:20The deposition decree, sealed with the dragon crest,

00:05:23had severed our contract forever.

00:05:25At 18, I had fallen from the adored saintess to a prisoner abandoned by the gods.

00:05:31I finally woke up from the dream.

00:05:33Arthur hated me.

00:05:34He would go on to marry the pure-blooded Lady Isabella

00:05:37and father noble dragon heirs.

00:05:39To him.

00:05:40Do you have any final prayers, Miss Vivian?

00:05:44He looked down at me as if I were a speck of dust.

00:05:47I had wanted to beg him to taste the lemon tart I baked with my own hands.

00:05:51But seeing the frost in his eyes,

00:05:53I could only bite my lip and shake my head through a blur of tears.

00:05:57Golden scales erupted across his skin

00:06:00as the air ignited with his draconic aura.

00:06:03With a mocking smear,

00:06:04his body shifted and expanded in a blinded flash of light,

00:06:08transforming into a massive dragon.

00:06:10The gale from his wings slamming me violently into the snow.

00:06:13He vanished into the clouds without a single backward glance.

00:06:17I sat frozen in the ice

00:06:19until a sharp searing pain tore through my abdomen,

00:06:23nearly causing me to lose the child.

00:06:25Watching the fading silhouette in the sky,

00:06:27I clutched my stomach where a faint dragon mark pulsed,

00:06:30beating rhythmically like a second heart.

00:06:35Disaster struck three days.

00:06:37After Arthur's departure,

00:06:39my father the Holy Father was branded

00:06:41with the twin sins of treason and black magic.

00:06:44Then cast into the darkest depths of the abyss prison,

00:06:47I rushed to the capital,

00:06:48desperate and breathless,

00:06:50only to be met with the death sentence.

00:06:52He was to face the trial of Holy Fire

00:06:54on the night of the next full moon.

00:06:57Inside the stench-ridden dungeon,

00:06:59my mother's withered hand gripped mine with terrifying strength.

00:07:03Elena, you must go to Prince Arthur.

00:07:06You must go to your shadow.

00:07:09You swore vows before the dragon god.

00:07:12You are high on only contract holder.

00:07:15He cannot simply watch us die.

00:07:18Her words cut through my leg as a raided blood,

00:07:21but he couldn't find the voice to answer.

00:07:23How could I admit that during those two years of shadow,

00:07:27I had forced him into the freezing depths of the holy lake

00:07:30just to retrieve a lost jewel for my amusement?

00:07:33How could I confess that?

00:07:35In fits of bleach,

00:07:36I had left scars upon his back that would never heal.

00:07:39He likely wanted to see my family reduced to ash

00:07:42more than anyone else in the world.

00:07:44But looking at the last flickering spark of hope in my mother's eyes,

00:07:48I forced myself to move.

00:07:49I picked up the ruby-encrusted whip,

00:07:51the very symbol of my former tyranny,

00:07:54and dragged my trembling body to the crown prince's palace.

00:07:58There, before the towering obsidian iron gates,

00:08:01I fell to my knees and waited.

00:08:06Back in the Holy Kingdom,

00:08:07a single command from my lips was enough to make shadow crawl to my feet.

00:08:12If I wanted him to bow,

00:08:13he never dared to meet my eyes.

00:08:15But now,

00:08:16the tables had turned with a cruel irony.

00:08:19To see him for even a moment,

00:08:21I had to kneel in the teeth of a blizzard,

00:08:23begging a shred of mercy.

00:08:25I knelt until I lost all feeling in my legs,

00:08:28the ruby whip in my hands buried under a thick shroud of snow.

00:08:31Just as dawn threatened to break,

00:08:33a dragon's roar shattered the clouds.

00:08:35The black wings eclipsed the dawn as he dived,

00:08:37only to contract and transform the instant they struck the earth.

00:08:41From the heart of the erupting snow,

00:08:43Arthur emerged in human form,

00:08:45breaking through the mist.

00:08:47The crunch of his boots against the frozen ground

00:08:49echoed the frantic beating of my heart.

00:08:51His cold, indifferent gaze lingered for a moment on the whip I held.

00:08:55Tell me, Miss Vivian,

00:08:56which hand was it?

00:08:58Which hand did you use to leave those scars on my body?

00:09:02His voice held no warmth,

00:09:04only the crushing weight of a judge passing sentence.

00:09:07I was so frozen, I could barely breathe.

00:09:09Before I could find my voice,

00:09:11my strength failed me.

00:09:12My knees buckled and I collapsed forward,

00:09:14falling directly into his arms.

00:09:16His chest was burning hot,

00:09:18a searing contrast to the ice.

00:09:20The heat instantly triggered the memory of our night of soul resonance,

00:09:23the way he had pinned me against the altar of predatory hunger.

00:09:26My eyes welled with bitter tears.

00:09:30Your Highness, please,

00:09:32save my father.

00:09:34I'm begging you.

00:09:36His pupils narrowed into golden vertical slits,

00:09:38and a faint rhythmic glow of molten fire

00:09:41pulsed beneath the skin of his throat.

00:09:44So, you strip your defenses bare before me

00:09:46just to save that old man?

00:09:49Hmph.

00:09:50Very well.

00:09:51I have been dying to see just how much

00:09:53the High and Holy Princess has learned about the art of submission.

00:09:55Before I could gasp,

00:09:57he hoisted me over his shoulder,

00:09:59ignoring my cry of protest.

00:10:01He strode ruthlessly through the gallery

00:10:03and hurled me onto the strong red,

00:10:05draped in black foxbird.

00:10:06The air ignited with the violent scent of the dragonkin.

00:10:10As my ornate cloak slid away,

00:10:12my skin shivered against the biting chill.

00:10:15Arthur descended like a predator,

00:10:17his massive frame hitting me down,

00:10:19swallowing me whole within his territory.

00:10:21One hand,

00:10:23cold as iron,

00:10:24clamped my wrists above my head.

00:10:26Elena,

00:10:26every agony you put me through

00:10:28over these last two years,

00:10:29I am going to repay it,

00:10:31inch by inch,

00:10:33upon this bed.

00:10:35Phantasmus' wings spread wide,

00:10:37bathing within a suffocating golden bloom.

00:10:39The air crackled

00:10:40within the ancient dragon fire.

00:10:42as the crushing weight of his aura sealed the room.

00:10:45I shielded my womb with a trembling hand,

00:10:48protecting the fragile life within

00:10:50as I sank into the darkness.

00:10:54Shadow.

00:10:56He threw me onto the black fox furs

00:10:58with such violence

00:10:58that a sharp pain flared through my lower back.

00:11:01Under the weight of his suffocating,

00:11:03draconic aura,

00:11:04I flashed off my old,

00:11:06haughty temper flared.

00:11:07My hand instinctively reached it for me,

00:11:10ruby-encrusted,

00:11:11disciplinary whip.

00:11:12In the next heartbeat,

00:11:13Arthur ruthlessly shredded my inner robes,

00:11:16hakurled his lips into a mocking sneer.

00:11:19His eyes filled with the cold,

00:11:21unreachable detachment.

00:11:22Is this your idea of a sliver?

00:11:24The whip slipped from my numb fingers,

00:11:26clattering,

00:11:27uselessly to the floor.

00:11:29His gaze was licking up,

00:11:30rosaline well,

00:11:31threatening to turn me very soul-toious.

00:11:33For the thousandth time,

00:11:34virality crashed down upon me.

00:11:36He was no longer the slave

00:11:38I could trample at will.

00:11:39He was a dragon king

00:11:40who crushed my entire bloodline

00:11:41with a lick of his fingers.

00:11:43Pleasing me is your only task.

00:11:45If you can satisfy me,

00:11:48perhaps I will show mercy

00:11:50and grant that old man,

00:11:51Bernard,

00:11:51a chance to live.

00:11:53Pleasing him,

00:11:54a wave of bitterness

00:11:55washed over me.

00:11:56I looked down at Miss Till,

00:11:58flat abdomen,

00:11:59my heart clenching in fear.

00:12:01Ever since,

00:12:02a day here claimed his throne,

00:12:04I had been spotting blood.

00:12:05The physician had warned me that

00:12:07that the dragon bloodline

00:12:08was too powerful.

00:12:10My pregnancy was fragile.

00:12:11I was terrified of the bleeding.

00:12:13I was even more terrified

00:12:14of losing the tiny life already,

00:12:16flickering with a dragon's

00:12:17breathing side me.

00:12:21Are you truly that unwilling?

00:12:24He let out a derisive snort,

00:12:26his eyes flickering with pure disdain.

00:12:29I have no interest in forcing anyone.

00:12:32Since the great saint

00:12:34despises her purity so highly,

00:12:37you can simply wait

00:12:38until the next full moon.

00:12:42Then you can collect

00:12:43Bernard's charred remains

00:12:45from the altar of holy fire.

00:12:48He tossed the shredded remnants

00:12:49of my sacred robes

00:12:50onto the floor like trash

00:12:52and turned to leave.

00:12:54Throwing my pride to the wind,

00:12:56I lunged forward

00:12:57and threw my arms around him

00:12:59from behind.

00:13:00I had been spoiled

00:13:01my entire life.

00:13:02I had never bowed to anyone.

00:13:04I was terrified

00:13:06of losing the babies,

00:13:07but I was more terrified

00:13:08of my father's execution.

00:13:10I forced back my tears,

00:13:12my voice trembling.

00:13:15I...

00:13:16I will do it.

00:13:19I will please you.

00:13:20Arthur stood with his back to me,

00:13:22letting out a laugh

00:13:23that was bone-chillingly cold.

00:13:25I couldn't see his face,

00:13:27but the frost radiating from him

00:13:29was suffocating.

00:13:30To save a life,

00:13:32I had to mimic the clumsy movements

00:13:34of a dancing girl.

00:13:36I reached out with shaking hands

00:13:37to touch him,

00:13:38eventually forcing myself

00:13:40onto my tiptoes

00:13:41to press a desperate,

00:13:42humiliating kiss

00:13:43against his lips.

00:13:46Is this all the saintess

00:13:48is capable of?

00:13:50I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

00:13:53My mind flashed back to that night

00:13:55of chaotic soul resonance.

00:13:57Back then,

00:13:58though he was wild,

00:13:59he had kissed away my tears

00:14:01and whispered gentle comforts

00:14:03into my ear.

00:14:04The Arthur standing here now

00:14:06didn't want to comfort me.

00:14:07He wanted to watch me break.

00:14:12Get away from me!

00:14:14He growled the command.

00:14:16The volatile temper

00:14:17and searing heat

00:14:18unique to the dragon race

00:14:20exploded in an instant,

00:14:22shattering his fragile self-control.

00:14:24I tried to recoil in fear,

00:14:27but instead of pushing me away,

00:14:29his arm clamped around my waist

00:14:30like an iron vice,

00:14:32pinning me ruthlessly

00:14:33against the edge of the bed.

00:14:35He seized control,

00:14:37his kiss so violent

00:14:38I thought he would crush my lips.

00:14:41I struggled for air

00:14:42as the kiss grew more feral,

00:14:44a desperate clash

00:14:45of hatred and hunger.

00:14:47My clothes were reduced to threads.

00:14:49I felt like a fallen leaf

00:14:51adrift on a violent sea,

00:14:53swaying and drowning

00:14:54in the tidal wave

00:14:55of his draconic lust.

00:14:57When the first light of dawn

00:14:58filtered through the windows,

00:14:59I drifted back to consciousness.

00:15:01Arthur was already fully dressed

00:15:02in his black and gold

00:15:03princely regalia.

00:15:05looking cold and peerless once more.

00:15:07Your Highness.

00:15:10Last night I did what you asked.

00:15:13You'll save my father now,

00:15:15won't you?

00:15:16Arthur adjusted the dragon scale

00:15:18cufflinks at his wrists,

00:15:19offering a chilling laugh

00:15:21without even bothering

00:15:22to look back.

00:15:23When exactly did I say

00:15:25that sleeping with me once

00:15:26would guarantee a pardon

00:15:28for a traitor?

00:15:30My eyes snapped open.

00:15:32Every bone in my body

00:15:33felt as though it had been

00:15:34ground to dust.

00:15:35But the pain in my heart

00:15:36was far worse.

00:15:40You...

00:15:46Besides,

00:15:47do you really think

00:15:48a body as broken as yours

00:15:49is enough to satisfy me?

00:15:53I felt as though I had been plunged

00:15:55into an abyss of ice.

00:15:57He never intended to save anyone.

00:15:59This was nothing but

00:16:01cold-blooded retaliation,

00:16:02the cruelest way possible

00:16:04to humiliate me for the two years

00:16:05I spent trampling on his dignity.

00:16:07The air felt thin,

00:16:09the weight of his betrayal

00:16:10suffocating me.

00:16:12Arthur, I'm begging you,

00:16:13please, save my father.

00:16:16He didn't spare me

00:16:17even a fleeting glance.

00:16:19Shrouded in a frost

00:16:20that cut like a blade,

00:16:21he strode away

00:16:22without looking back.

00:16:23Like a hollow shell

00:16:24of a human being,

00:16:25I numbly gathered

00:16:26the shredded remnants

00:16:27of my clothes

00:16:28and draped them

00:16:29over my battered body.

00:16:30I began the long,

00:16:32agonizing trek

00:16:32out of the palace.

00:16:33But as I reached

00:16:35the end of the corridor,

00:16:36I collided

00:16:36with a radiant procession.

00:16:38At the head of the group

00:16:39stood a woman

00:16:40in a vibrant imperial gown

00:16:42trimmed with gold,

00:16:43her elegance

00:16:44as sharp as her status.

00:16:46It was Isabella,

00:16:47the Duke's

00:16:48most beloved daughter.

00:16:49She was the woman

00:16:50Arthur had personally chosen

00:16:51as his crown princess

00:16:53upon his return to the throne.

00:16:54The saint, Russ?

00:16:57I must say,

00:16:59I never expected

00:17:00to find you

00:17:00in the prince's

00:17:01private chambers

00:17:02in such a state.

00:17:07It seems

00:17:08his highness's

00:17:09mercy

00:17:10hasn't taught you

00:17:11anything about dignity.

00:17:15I gripped my collar

00:17:16so hard

00:17:17my nails bit

00:17:17into my palms.

00:17:18I wanted to scream

00:17:20to fight back.

00:17:21But a sudden wave

00:17:22of weakness

00:17:22from my abdomen

00:17:23stopped me.

00:17:24If I collapsed here,

00:17:25my children,

00:17:27my only remaining secret

00:17:28would be lost forever.

00:17:33Isabella was breathtaking.

00:17:34She possessed

00:17:35an innate regal air

00:17:36that only comes

00:17:37from a lifetime

00:17:38spent at the pinnacle

00:17:39of power.

00:17:40making me feel

00:17:40a sudden,

00:17:41stinging sense

00:17:42of inferiority.

00:17:43So you're that

00:17:44common girl

00:17:45Arthur used for diversion

00:17:47back in the Holy Kingdom?

00:17:49It wasn't a diversion.

00:17:51We exchanged

00:17:52the vows of the rose

00:17:53before the gods.

00:17:54He was my sworn knight.

00:18:02vows?

00:18:03Those archaic rituals

00:18:05mean less than nothing

00:18:06to a crown prince.

00:18:08I've heard stories

00:18:09of how cruelly

00:18:10you treated him.

00:18:11Now that he's

00:18:12reclaimed his throne,

00:18:14you've come crawling back

00:18:16to beg for mercy.

00:18:17How could a man

00:18:18like Arthur

00:18:19ever truly want

00:18:21a woman with a heart

00:18:22as poisonous

00:18:23as yours?

00:18:24She stepped closer,

00:18:26her voice dripping

00:18:27with the arrogance

00:18:27of a benefactor.

00:18:29If you're truly

00:18:31that desperate

00:18:31to stay in the capital,

00:18:33I might allow him

00:18:35to keep you

00:18:36after our wedding

00:18:38as an unmarked mistress,

00:18:40a private pet

00:18:41with no name.

00:18:43The insult

00:18:44burned through my veins.

00:18:45But I didn't want

00:18:46to be anyone's

00:18:47secret pet.

00:18:48Even if my heart

00:18:49had begun to waver,

00:18:50I knew one thing

00:18:51for certain.

00:18:52If he chose

00:18:53to marry another,

00:18:53I would never linger

00:18:54for a single second.

00:18:59As I stepped out

00:19:00of the crown prince's estate,

00:19:01the scorching sun

00:19:02felt like a physical assault,

00:19:04making my eyes sting.

00:19:06The truth

00:19:06was a cold,

00:19:07hard weight

00:19:08in my chest.

00:19:09Arthur hated me.

00:19:10He had no intention

00:19:12of saving my father.

00:19:13He only wanted

00:19:14to watch me spiral

00:19:15into the abyss

00:19:16until there was

00:19:17nothing left of me.

00:19:20Miss Elena.

00:19:22I hurriedly wiped

00:19:23the tears

00:19:23from the corners

00:19:24of my eyes,

00:19:25looking up

00:19:25to see Christopher.

00:19:26He had once been

00:19:27a common scholar

00:19:28sponsored by my father.

00:19:30Two years ago,

00:19:31during that fateful ceremony,

00:19:33he had been

00:19:33my first choice

00:19:34for a knight.

00:19:35But through

00:19:36a cruel twist of fate,

00:19:37I had chosen

00:19:38Arthur instead.

00:19:39Now,

00:19:40Christopher

00:19:40had climbed the ranks

00:19:41to become

00:19:41the chief executive

00:19:42of the Imperial Tribunal.

00:19:44Lord Christopher,

00:19:47my father was framed.

00:19:50Please,

00:19:51I'm begging you.

00:19:54Save him.

00:19:57It's been two years.

00:19:59You've grown even more.

00:20:02Breathtaking

00:20:03than I remembered.

00:20:07I have always admired you.

00:20:09I have always admired you.

00:20:11Elena.

00:20:13I've always wanted you

00:20:15by my side.

00:20:16He stared at me

00:20:17with a fixed intensity

00:20:19that made my skin crawl.

00:20:20The naked greed

00:20:21in his eyes

00:20:22was nauseating.

00:20:23He had already

00:20:24secured his future

00:20:25by marrying

00:20:26the High Justice's daughter,

00:20:27carving a path

00:20:28to the heights of power.

00:20:29Now,

00:20:31he was looking at me

00:20:32as if I were

00:20:33a prize to be collected,

00:20:34a secret lover

00:20:36to be kept

00:20:37in the shadows

00:20:37of his perfect life.

00:20:42I will purchase

00:20:43a secluded manor

00:20:44for you.

00:20:45You will live there,

00:20:47and when the timing

00:20:48is right,

00:20:49I'll arrange for you

00:20:50to be appointed

00:20:50as a chamber attendant.

00:20:52It's the perfect way

00:20:53to keep you

00:20:54under my protection

00:20:54without raising eyeballs.

00:20:58My father gave you everything.

00:20:59He funded your education

00:21:01and your rise to power.

00:21:03Is your sense of honor

00:21:04so easily swallowed

00:21:05by greed?

00:21:06I struggle to keep

00:21:07the fury from my voice,

00:21:09my body trembling

00:21:10with a mixture

00:21:11of rage and exhaustion.

00:21:13Christopher let out

00:21:14a sharp, derisive laugh,

00:21:16his eyes scanning me

00:21:17with a terrifying

00:21:18lack of shame.

00:21:19I have plenty of gold now.

00:21:21What I lack

00:21:22is a plaything like you

00:21:23so holy,

00:21:23yet so utterly ruined.

00:21:25I know you spent

00:21:26two years with the crown prince,

00:21:27but his wedding is imminent.

00:21:29He's done with you.

00:21:30If you won't look Bernard

00:21:31to stay alive,

00:21:31you have no other choice.

00:21:33You belong to me now.

00:21:34I didn't even have

00:21:35the chance to retort.

00:21:36A sudden,

00:21:37violent wave of nausea

00:21:38surged from my stomach,

00:21:40and I doubled over,

00:21:41dry heaving

00:21:42right in front of him.

00:21:44Christopher's face

00:21:45instantly twisted

00:21:46into a blue shade of purple.

00:21:48He had expected tears,

00:21:50or perhaps

00:21:51a desperate surrender.

00:21:52He had expected me

00:21:54to be so physically

00:21:55repulsed by his touch

00:21:56that I would be sick

00:21:58on the spot.

00:22:01Christopher was clearly stunned

00:22:03by my physical repulsion.

00:22:04The mask of a refined gentleman

00:22:07shattered,

00:22:07leaving behind a gaze

00:22:09so dark and venomous,

00:22:10it chilled my blood.

00:22:12The fake warmth in his voice

00:22:14died instantly,

00:22:15replaced by a low,

00:22:17predatory snarl.

00:22:18Do not test my patience,

00:22:20Elena.

00:22:21I control the Imperial Tribunal now.

00:22:23If I want that old man dead,

00:22:25he won't even survive long enough

00:22:27to see the Holy Fire next month.

00:22:31I'll give you two days.

00:22:32If I don't see you at my manor

00:22:34on the south side of the city by then,

00:22:36you might as well start picking out

00:22:38a burial plot for your father.

00:22:39He turned on his heel,

00:22:40and stormed away

00:22:42in a fit of humiliated rage,

00:22:44leaving me to tremble alone

00:22:46in the biting wind.

00:22:48My heart felt like a lead weight

00:22:50sinking into an abyss.

00:22:52People always whispered

00:22:54that scholars were

00:22:54the most virtuous among us.

00:22:56But in reality,

00:22:58the most wretched souls

00:22:59are often those hidden

00:23:00behind tailored suits

00:23:01and polite smiles.

00:23:03My family was still wealthy.

00:23:05Even after spending a fortune

00:23:07to save my father,

00:23:08what remained could sustain us

00:23:10for generations.

00:23:11My mother had already secured

00:23:13a secluded safe house

00:23:14on the outskirts of the capital.

00:23:16I dragged my battered body,

00:23:18feeling as though

00:23:19it had been trampled

00:23:20by a carriage,

00:23:21and began the long,

00:23:23numb walk back

00:23:24to that hollow substitute

00:23:25for a home.

00:23:28I had a younger brother,

00:23:30Julian,

00:23:30who was two years my junior.

00:23:33Unlike me,

00:23:34who grew dizzy

00:23:35at the mere sight

00:23:36of ancient texts,

00:23:38he was a natural-born arcanist.

00:23:40By the age of five,

00:23:42he could already decipher

00:23:43forbidden runes.

00:23:45Upon hearing

00:23:46of our family's downfall,

00:23:48he had rushed

00:23:49from the arcane academy

00:23:50to the capital,

00:23:51his face pale with worry.

00:23:54Crushed and defeated,

00:23:56I dragged my feet

00:23:57down the endless corridor,

00:23:58and with a trembling,

00:24:00uncertain hand,

00:24:01pushed open

00:24:02and opened the massive door.

00:24:04Elena!

00:24:05What did he say?

00:24:06Did Prince Arthur,

00:24:07did Shadow agree

00:24:08to save your father?

00:24:09My brother-in-law

00:24:10is the crown prince now.

00:24:11He'll help us, won't he?

00:24:12He has to!

00:24:13I looked at the flickering

00:24:14sparks of hope

00:24:15in their eyes,

00:24:15and my throat burned

00:24:16as if I had swallowed

00:24:17hot coals.

00:24:19Worse,

00:24:20I couldn't bring myself

00:24:21to describe the previous night.

00:24:23How Arthur had pinned me

00:24:25to those luxurious

00:24:26black fox furs,

00:24:27claiming my body

00:24:28with a brutal hunger.

00:24:30He wasn't our savior.

00:24:32He was a man

00:24:33who took pleasure

00:24:34in my ruin.

00:24:34A man who wanted

00:24:36to watch me drown

00:24:36in this hopeless mire

00:24:38until the last breath

00:24:39left my lungs.

00:24:44I couldn't bear

00:24:45to shatter

00:24:45the fragile hope

00:24:46in my mother's

00:24:47and Julian's eyes.

00:24:48But with my father's

00:24:50life on the line,

00:24:51I didn't dare

00:24:52weave a lie.

00:24:54My voice cracked

00:24:56as the cold reality

00:24:57spilled out.

00:25:00He refused.

00:25:02Arthur hates me

00:25:03more than you can imagine.

00:25:05Those two years

00:25:06of torment

00:25:07turned his heart

00:25:08into a block of ice.

00:25:10I've brought this

00:25:11upon our family.

00:25:12It's my fault

00:25:13that father is

00:25:14in that cage.

00:25:15My mother pulled me

00:25:17into a fierce,

00:25:18trembling embrace.

00:25:19Her scent of lavender

00:25:21and old books

00:25:21a brief comfort

00:25:23against the storm.

00:25:24You are the most

00:25:24precious jewel

00:25:25of the Vivian family.

00:25:26If this is truly

00:25:27Bernard's trial,

00:25:28then it is a judgment

00:25:29of fate itself.

00:25:30You will not chain yourself

00:25:31to a guilt

00:25:31that isn't yours to bear.

00:25:33She's right.

00:25:35You've done nothing wrong,

00:25:36Elena.

00:25:38It's that cold-blooded

00:25:39prince who is blind.

00:25:41You deserve the purest

00:25:42devotion this world

00:25:43has to offer.

00:25:45Not his cruelty.

00:25:48Listening to them,

00:25:49a wave of bitter sorrow

00:25:51washed over me.

00:25:53The house of Vivian

00:25:53had once been

00:25:54the glorious pillar

00:25:55of the Holy Kingdom.

00:25:57A name spoken

00:25:58with reverence

00:25:59and awe.

00:26:00Now the proud saintess

00:26:01had finally learned

00:26:03how to bow her head.

00:26:04I no longer prayed

00:26:06for glory or power.

00:26:07I only prayed

00:26:09that those I loved

00:26:10might survive the winter.

00:26:13Elena,

00:26:14mother told me

00:26:14you're pregnant.

00:26:16Go back to your room

00:26:17and rest.

00:26:18I'm 16 now.

00:26:19I can carry

00:26:20this family's weight.

00:26:21Trust me.

00:26:22I will bring father home.

00:26:23I looked at the young man

00:26:25standing before me,

00:26:27his shoulders broad

00:26:28and his gaze steady.

00:26:30The little boy

00:26:31who used to trail

00:26:32behind me,

00:26:33crying over scraped knees,

00:26:35had truly grown up.

00:26:37I offered a few

00:26:38soft words of caution

00:26:39before retreating

00:26:40to my room.

00:26:41But the dull,

00:26:42persistent ache

00:26:43in my womb

00:26:44kept me tossing

00:26:46and turning

00:26:46in a feverish unrest.

00:26:48Hours later,

00:26:50I stepped out

00:26:50into the hallway

00:26:51and froze.

00:26:52There stood Julian.

00:26:54But he was

00:26:55unrecognizable.

00:26:56He had changed

00:26:58into a garish,

00:26:59flamboyant suit

00:26:59of shimmering silks

00:27:01with an oversized

00:27:02ruby pendant

00:27:03dangling against

00:27:04his chest.

00:27:05Julian,

00:27:06what are you

00:27:07dressed like?

00:27:10I heard Duchess Audley

00:27:11has a weakness

00:27:12for collecting

00:27:12exquisite young men.

00:27:14I'm going to her estate

00:27:15to offer myself.

00:27:16If she takes me

00:27:16as her pet,

00:27:17even the crown prince

00:27:18will have to show her

00:27:19some respect.

00:27:21That's how I'll save father.

00:27:22My heart stopped.

00:27:24Julian was a once

00:27:25in a century genius

00:27:27at the Arcane Academy.

00:27:28I couldn't let him

00:27:30sell his soul.

00:27:31Panic surged through me

00:27:33as I tricked him

00:27:34into the wine cellar

00:27:34and slammed

00:27:35the heavy iron door,

00:27:36locking it tight.

00:27:40Let me out!

00:27:41I was born for this!

00:27:43If it saves father,

00:27:44what does it matter

00:27:45if I'm just a plaything?

00:27:48I couldn't let my brother

00:27:50destroy his future

00:27:51and his dignity.

00:27:52The thought of Julian,

00:27:54a brilliant prodigy,

00:27:55rotting away

00:27:56as a noblewoman's

00:27:57plaything

00:27:57was a nightmare

00:27:58I wouldn't allow

00:27:59to come true.

00:28:00Begging Arthur again

00:28:01was a dead end.

00:28:02It would only invite

00:28:02more humiliation

00:28:04and perhaps even

00:28:05ignite his lethal temper.

00:28:07That left Christopher,

00:28:08the hypocritical viper.

00:28:09As much as I loathed

00:28:11the idea

00:28:11of becoming

00:28:12his caged bird,

00:28:13it seemed the path

00:28:14had narrowed

00:28:14until there was

00:28:15nowhere left to run.

00:28:17As night fell,

00:28:18I carried a single

00:28:19flickering magic lamp

00:28:20and crept toward

00:28:21Christopher's secret villa

00:28:22on the south side

00:28:23of the city.

00:28:24I spent the entire journey

00:28:25numbing my mind

00:28:26whispering to myself

00:28:27that this was merely

00:28:28a sacrifice.

00:28:30I told myself

00:28:30it would be like

00:28:31being bitten

00:28:32by a wild beast.

00:28:33Painful, yes,

00:28:34but something I could

00:28:35endure if I just

00:28:36closed my eyes.

00:28:37The moment I stepped

00:28:38into that dim

00:28:39oppressive bedroom

00:28:40and saw Christopher

00:28:41unfastening his outer robe,

00:28:43my stomach churned

00:28:44with violent revulsion.

00:28:45Miss Vivian,

00:28:47I have waited

00:28:48two long years

00:28:49for this day.

00:28:50He undid the silver clasps

00:28:52at his collar,

00:28:53his smile thick

00:28:54with a sticky

00:28:54predatory mouth.

00:28:55From this moment on,

00:28:56you are my private property.

00:28:58Now come here,

00:28:59help me undress.

00:29:01My body is rigid as stone.

00:29:03Not used to this yet?

00:29:04Don't worry,

00:29:05I'll spend the rest

00:29:06of the night

00:29:06teaching you

00:29:07exactly how to serve me.

00:29:10Christopher shed

00:29:11his hypocritical

00:29:11priestly robes,

00:29:12his eyes gleaming

00:29:14with a feverish light.

00:29:15Tonight,

00:29:16we finally celebrate

00:29:17our sacred union.

00:29:18Two years late.

00:29:19He advanced toward me

00:29:20one predatory step

00:29:21at a time.

00:29:22Despite the biting

00:29:22cold of the room,

00:29:23my palms were slit

00:29:24with a cold sweat.

00:29:25I realized in that moment

00:29:26that I couldn't endure

00:29:27his proximity.

00:29:28The sensation was visceral,

00:29:29like a slimy serpent

00:29:30slithering up my ankle.

00:29:32Cold and suffocating.

00:29:33A sickly, distorted desire

00:29:34burned in his gaze.

00:29:36He lunged forward,

00:29:37his hands clamping

00:29:38around my waist

00:29:38like iron shackles

00:29:39as he tried to bury

00:29:40his face in the

00:29:41hook of my neck.

00:29:42The scent of yours,

00:29:43it's enough to drive

00:29:43a man mad.

00:29:44Stop!

00:29:45Christopher,

00:29:46listen to me.

00:29:47I will give you

00:29:47every coin in the

00:29:48Vivian family vaults.

00:29:49Just save my father

00:29:50and let me go.

00:29:52I don't want

00:29:53your filthy gold,

00:29:54Elena.

00:29:54I want you!

00:29:55His face twisted into a mask

00:29:56of pure malice

00:29:57as he shoved me backward

00:29:58onto the black velvet shade.

00:29:59He began to tear up

00:30:00my sacred robes

00:30:01with a frantic,

00:30:02desperate violence.

00:30:03Go ahead,

00:30:03keep fighting me.

00:30:04If you do,

00:30:05I'll make sure

00:30:06Bernard is dead

00:30:07before the sun rises tomorrow.

00:30:09Arthur was a man

00:30:09of violence,

00:30:10but when he touched me,

00:30:12there was a part

00:30:12of my soul

00:30:13that didn't recoil.

00:30:14Here,

00:30:15pinned under Christopher,

00:30:16I felt only

00:30:17a bone-deep revulsion.

00:30:19Ever since I saw you

00:30:20standing so high

00:30:21above everyone

00:30:21two years ago,

00:30:22I've dreamt

00:30:23of dragging you

00:30:24into the mud.

00:30:25Tonight,

00:30:25I finally get

00:30:26what I've always deserved.

00:30:31I first met Christopher

00:30:32when I was still young.

00:30:34No one could have

00:30:35ever guessed

00:30:36that behind his gentle,

00:30:37refined demeanor

00:30:38hid a dark

00:30:39and twisted heart.

00:30:41He leaned close

00:30:43to my neck,

00:30:44his every word

00:30:45laced with chilling,

00:30:46hidden malice

00:30:47that sent shivers

00:30:49down my spine.

00:30:50To tell you the truth,

00:30:51Elena,

00:30:53I orchestrated

00:30:54everything.

00:30:56Bernard's downfall,

00:30:58the treason,

00:30:59the trial,

00:31:00it was all my design.

00:31:02My eyes snapped wide

00:31:03as the horror

00:31:04of his confession

00:31:05sank in.

00:31:06He funded your education.

00:31:08He gave you a future.

00:31:11How could you betray

00:31:13the man who saved you?

00:31:14If he hadn't gone to prison,

00:31:16would you be here now,

00:31:18kneeling and begging

00:31:19for my favor?

00:31:20No.

00:31:21So be a good girl.

00:31:22and please me.

00:31:23I have the power

00:31:24to make your father's life

00:31:26a living hell

00:31:26and I can just as easily

00:31:28destroy your mother

00:31:29and Julian.

00:31:29The sheer cruelty of it

00:31:31left me gasping.

00:31:32I wanted nothing more

00:31:33than to kill him

00:31:34and myself

00:31:34in a single stroke

00:31:35of vengeance.

00:31:36He held

00:31:36my every weakness

00:31:38in his hand.

00:31:39No matter how much

00:31:39my soul screamed

00:31:40in protest,

00:31:41I was trapped,

00:31:42forced to shiver

00:31:43and endure beneath him.

00:31:45Now, kiss me.

00:31:47He ruthlessly tore

00:31:49open my inner robes.

00:31:50The sudden bite

00:31:50of the cold air

00:31:51stung my exposed skin.

00:31:52I couldn't stop shaking

00:31:53and as his face

00:31:54descended toward mine,

00:31:55a wave of visceral,

00:31:57physical revulsion

00:31:58took hold.

00:31:58Every ounce of strength

00:31:59I had left,

00:32:00I shoved him away.

00:32:04Christopher's mask

00:32:05of civility

00:32:06shattered into

00:32:06a hundred jagged pieces.

00:32:08His patience

00:32:09had run dry

00:32:10and he pinned me

00:32:11against the edge

00:32:12of the shades

00:32:12with a terrifying

00:32:13heavy weight.

00:32:15Get off me!

00:32:17Don't touch me!

00:32:20Keep shouting, Elena,

00:32:22but for every word

00:32:23you scream,

00:32:24I'll have a piece

00:32:24of Bernard's flesh

00:32:25carved away.

00:32:26I went silent instantly,

00:32:28the sound of my own

00:32:28teeth grained together

00:32:29echoing in my skull.

00:32:30To save my father

00:32:31from the torture rack,

00:32:31I could only close

00:32:32my eyes in absolute despair,

00:32:34just as I prepared

00:32:34to bite my own tongue

00:32:35and end it all.

00:32:36The heavy oak doors

00:32:37of the bedchamber

00:32:38were obliterated,

00:32:39kicked inward

00:32:40with a force

00:32:41that shook

00:32:42the foundations

00:32:42of the villa.

00:32:44It was Arthur.

00:32:48Christopher stood paralyzed,

00:32:50his eyes wide

00:32:52with disbelief.

00:32:53He never imagined

00:32:54the crown prince

00:32:55would descend upon

00:32:56this secret sanctuary.

00:32:58Panicked,

00:32:59he scrambled

00:33:00to clutch

00:33:00his discarded robe

00:33:01his face draining

00:33:03of color.

00:33:04As the temperature

00:33:04in the room plummeted,

00:33:06Arthur approached

00:33:07with a terrifying,

00:33:08predatory calm.

00:33:13Your Highness,

00:33:15I do not understand

00:33:16why you would strike me.

00:33:17Since when is it a crime

00:33:19to enjoy a midnight thrisk

00:33:20with one's own lover?

00:33:22Lover.

00:33:25Since when is it a crime

00:33:27to enjoy a midnight thrisk

00:33:30with one's own?

00:33:31Arthur rained down low

00:33:33after brutal low

00:33:34until Christopher

00:33:35lay unconscious

00:33:36in an ever-widening

00:33:38pool of blood.

00:33:38I have not yet signed

00:33:40the decree of abdulation.

00:33:41Until I do,

00:33:43she belongs to me.

00:33:45You dare to touch

00:33:46what is mine,

00:33:47and for that,

00:33:48you will die!

00:33:51Between the sheer terror

00:33:53of the night

00:33:54and the gnawing dread

00:33:55for my father's life,

00:33:57the fragile dam

00:33:58of my emotions

00:33:59finally broke.

00:34:00My pregnancy

00:34:01had made me volatile,

00:34:03and now,

00:34:04the tears fell

00:34:05in a relentless,

00:34:06silent torrent

00:34:07that I couldn't stop.

00:34:08Arthur reached out,

00:34:10his arms snaking around me

00:34:12like an iron band

00:34:13to haul me

00:34:13into his chest.

00:34:14Seeing my face

00:34:16streaked with tears,

00:34:18the darkness

00:34:18in his eyes

00:34:19didn't soften.

00:34:21Instead,

00:34:22his fury

00:34:22seemed to congeal

00:34:23into something

00:34:24even more lethal.

00:34:25Do you love him

00:34:26that much?

00:34:27Do you love him

00:34:29that much?!

00:34:33Does it break

00:34:34your heart

00:34:34that I interrupted

00:34:36your little trisk?

00:34:37You actually

00:34:38degraded yourself

00:34:40to this point

00:34:40for a piece

00:34:41of filth like him!

00:34:42When had I ever

00:34:44shown an ounce

00:34:44of affection

00:34:45for Christopher?

00:34:46The man was a monster,

00:34:48yet here was Arthur,

00:34:50twisting my desperation

00:34:51into a betrayal.

00:34:52But I didn't dare

00:34:53fight back.

00:34:54I couldn't risk

00:34:55my father

00:34:56bearing the brunt

00:34:56of a crown prince's

00:34:57lightning strike rage.

00:34:59I could only bury

00:35:00my face against his chest,

00:35:02my body shaking

00:35:03with muffled,

00:35:04agonizing sobs.

00:35:07Is being with me

00:35:08such a miserable fate,

00:35:09Elena?

00:35:10Well,

00:35:10weep all you want,

00:35:11it doesn't change a thing.

00:35:13You're coming back

00:35:14to the palace with me,

00:35:15where you belong.

00:35:17Arthur tossed me

00:35:19into his massive

00:35:19war chariot,

00:35:20pulled by snarling drakes,

00:35:22as if I were nothing

00:35:23more than a conquest

00:35:24claimed on a battlefield.

00:35:26I had no hope

00:35:27of escape.

00:35:28Within the hour,

00:35:29I was back in the palace,

00:35:31thrown once again

00:35:33onto the suffocating

00:35:34black fox furs

00:35:34of his bed.

00:35:35I curled into a ball,

00:35:37my eyes red and swollen,

00:35:39rubbing the small

00:35:40of my back

00:35:41where the impact

00:35:41had left a dull,

00:35:43throbbing ache.

00:35:46His voice was a low,

00:35:48terrifying rumble,

00:35:49cold as a mountain grave.

00:35:51He pressed his callous thumb

00:35:53against my lips,

00:35:54rubbing them

00:35:55with a punishing force

00:35:56that threatened

00:35:57to draw blood.

00:35:59Did he kiss you here?

00:36:03I won't stay.

00:36:07I won't be your secret pet.

00:36:12You think you're worthy

00:36:13of being my mistress?

00:36:15Don't flatter yourself.

00:36:17Let me make this clear,

00:36:19Elena.

00:36:20Until the day I choose

00:36:21to discard you,

00:36:22if you ever dare to shame me

00:36:24with another man again,

00:36:25I will personally ensure

00:36:27you never draw another breath.

00:36:37I stared at Arthur,

00:36:39my heart hammering

00:36:40against my ribs

00:36:41like a trapped bird.

00:36:43His heterochromatic eyes

00:36:45were threaded

00:36:45with dark red veins,

00:36:47and the draconic aura

00:36:48swirling around him

00:36:49was so suffocating,

00:36:51it felt as though

00:36:51he had just clawed

00:36:52his way out of the deepest

00:36:53pits of hell.

00:36:54Looking at the sheer madness

00:36:55in his expression,

00:36:56I knew with terrifying certainty

00:36:59if I admitted

00:37:00that Christopher's lips

00:37:01even brushed mine,

00:37:03he would cut my lips away

00:37:04without a second thought.

00:37:06In truth,

00:37:07Christopher hadn't touched me.

00:37:09I should have been

00:37:10paralyzed by fear,

00:37:11but every nerve in my body

00:37:12was screaming

00:37:13in pain and exhaustion.

00:37:15I couldn't help

00:37:15but lash out.

00:37:18It's none of your business!

00:37:21You're that desperate

00:37:22to escape me, Vivian.

00:37:25You torture me.

00:37:27You humiliate me.

00:37:30Isn't this exactly

00:37:32what you wanted?

00:37:33Take it!

00:37:34Whip me to death

00:37:35if that's what it takes!

00:37:36I stepped on your shoulders.

00:37:38I crushed your pride.

00:37:40So take my hands!

00:37:41Take my feet!

00:37:42Do whatever you want!

00:37:44Just save my father

00:37:46if you promise to save him.

00:37:48I'll let you sacrifice me

00:37:50on the altar right now!

00:37:55Arthur remained silent

00:37:56as he reached down

00:37:57to retrieve

00:37:58the heavy jewel-encrusted whip.

00:37:59I couldn't help

00:38:00the violent flinch

00:38:01that wracked my body.

00:38:02I had wielded

00:38:03this very weapon

00:38:04countless times,

00:38:05but I was naturally frail.

00:38:07My strikes had barely

00:38:08left a red mark

00:38:09on his skin.

00:38:10Arthur was different.

00:38:11He possessed

00:38:12the terrifying raw strength

00:38:14of the dragon race.

00:38:15If he struck me once

00:38:16with that whip,

00:38:16I would shatter.

00:38:17I forced my spine

00:38:19to straighten

00:38:19and close my eyes,

00:38:20waiting for the end.

00:38:24After I'm gone,

00:38:26would you place

00:38:27a bouquet

00:38:29of fresh roses

00:38:30on my grave?

00:38:32I'm afraid

00:38:33of the cold

00:38:34on the other side.

00:38:41A woman

00:38:42from this wretched

00:38:43holy kingdom

00:38:43has no place

00:38:45beside my throne.

00:38:49He didn't swing

00:38:50the whip.

00:38:51Instead,

00:38:52he lunged forward,

00:38:53his searing fingers

00:38:54clamping around

00:38:54my slender waist

00:38:55like iron bands.

00:38:57Is my touch

00:38:58really that repulsing

00:38:59to you?

00:39:00Hmph.

00:39:02Well, too bad.

00:39:03Tonight,

00:39:04I'm taking

00:39:04exactly what I want.

00:39:08His lips

00:39:09crashed against mine,

00:39:10fueled by a scorching,

00:39:12desperate rage.

00:39:13In the chaos

00:39:13of the kiss,

00:39:14a memory of my birthday

00:39:15last year surfaced.

00:39:16He was still

00:39:17my shadow then.

00:39:18He had spent weeks

00:39:19carving a wooden

00:39:20statuette of me,

00:39:21a perfect miniature

00:39:22saintess.

00:39:23When I saw the gift,

00:39:25my heart

00:39:25had hammered

00:39:26so wildly,

00:39:27I had accused him

00:39:28of placing a curse

00:39:29on me.

00:39:30I punished him,

00:39:31forcing him to kneel

00:39:32shirtless on the

00:39:33cold temple floor,

00:39:34while I used gold ink

00:39:35to paint a massive

00:39:36ridiculous creature

00:39:37across his broad back.

00:39:39His ears had turned

00:39:40a deep burning crimson.

00:39:42I thought it was

00:39:43humiliation,

00:39:44so I insolently

00:39:45grabbed his ear

00:39:46to make him turn around.

00:39:47But as he moved,

00:39:48I lost my balance

00:39:49and tumbled

00:39:50into his arms.

00:39:51Our lips met.

00:39:52That kiss

00:39:53had been clumsy,

00:39:54yet so tender.

00:39:56He had whispered

00:39:57broken pleas,

00:39:58begging me to let him

00:39:59kiss me just once more.

00:40:00My shadow had been

00:40:01so kind then.

00:40:02No matter how

00:40:03I shamed him,

00:40:04he would have handed

00:40:05me the entire world

00:40:05on a silver platter

00:40:06just to see me smile.

00:40:10But the Arthur of today

00:40:12only knew how to bully me,

00:40:14how to make me hurt.

00:40:15As he ruthlessly

00:40:16tore away my silk inner robes,

00:40:18the tears I had fought

00:40:19so hard to suppress

00:40:20finally broke through

00:40:22the dam once again.

00:40:23They cascaded

00:40:24down my cheeks,

00:40:25hot and bitter,

00:40:27splashing against

00:40:27the side of his face.

00:40:29Arthur's movements

00:40:30froze instantly.

00:40:31He remained motionless,

00:40:32his hand still

00:40:33white-knuckled around

00:40:34a shred of the ruined silk.

00:40:36Is my touch

00:40:37so unbearable?

00:40:38He let out a sharp

00:40:39guttural sound of disgust

00:40:40and shoved me aside

00:40:41like a discarded rag.

00:40:43Before I could even shiver,

00:40:44he grabbed a heavy

00:40:45black fox fur blanket

00:40:46and wrapped it around me.

00:40:48That piece of filth,

00:40:50Christopher,

00:40:51already has a wife,

00:40:53the High Justice's

00:40:54own daughter,

00:40:55and yet here you are

00:40:57playing the martyr,

00:40:58preserving your purity.

00:40:59to Venus's york

00:41:01controls no purity

00:41:02for him.

00:41:04You really are

00:41:05a devoted fool,

00:41:06Miss Vivian.

00:41:08He stood up,

00:41:09his eyes flashing

00:41:10with a final,

00:41:11cutting spark of disdain.

00:41:12Don't flatter yourself.

00:41:15You aren't the only woman

00:41:16in the world.

00:41:17I don't need you.

00:41:19He turned and strode

00:41:20out of the chamber,

00:41:21the massive oak door

00:41:22slamming shut

00:41:23with a thunderous crash

00:41:24that echoed

00:41:25through the hollow

00:41:25silence of my heart.

00:41:27I wept until

00:41:28my throat was raw,

00:41:30and only then

00:41:31did the dull,

00:41:31throbbing ache

00:41:32in my womb

00:41:32begin to subside.

00:41:34I was desperate

00:41:35to go home,

00:41:36to save my father,

00:41:37to stop Julian

00:41:38from selling his soul

00:41:39for a scrap of influence.

00:41:41But the world

00:41:42outside had vanished.

00:41:43Arthur had placed me

00:41:44under house arrest.

00:41:45I knew his game.

00:41:47He wanted to break

00:41:47me slowly.

00:41:48He wanted to watch

00:41:50the once-haughty

00:41:50saintess rot

00:41:51in a gilded cage

00:41:52until there was

00:41:53nothing left

00:41:54of my pride.

00:41:54For seven days,

00:41:56Arthur never

00:41:57showed his face.

00:41:58Instead,

00:41:59he sent a flock

00:41:59of handmaids

00:42:00to tend to me.

00:42:00They were meticulously

00:42:02attentive,

00:42:02yet their voices

00:42:03were venomous.

00:42:08Did you really think

00:42:09he'd keep a broken doll?

00:42:12His Highness gifted

00:42:13Lady Isabella

00:42:14the legendary

00:42:15Starry Night Necklace.

00:42:17The prince

00:42:18and the duke's daughter

00:42:19are inseparable

00:42:20at the royal hunting grounds.

00:42:22They look so perfect together.

00:42:25Every day,

00:42:26they made sure

00:42:26I heard the rumors

00:42:27of Arthur's devotion

00:42:28to Isabella,

00:42:29each word cut deeper

00:42:30than any whip.

00:42:31I loathed being

00:42:32a caged bird,

00:42:33but my true terror

00:42:34was the fear

00:42:35that the next time

00:42:36I saw my father,

00:42:37he would be a corpse.

00:42:38On the eighth day

00:42:39of my imprisonment,

00:42:40the heavy doors

00:42:41finally groaned open.

00:42:42A silhouette draped

00:42:44in black and gold

00:42:44stepped through

00:42:45the threshold,

00:42:46bringing with him

00:42:46a rush of winter air.

00:42:48Arthur had returned.

00:42:51Arthur,

00:42:52you bastard!

00:42:53The days of isolation

00:42:54had driven me

00:42:55to the brink of madness.

00:42:57Let me out!

00:42:59I have to see my mother!

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

00:43:03Shadow,

00:43:04you are nothing

00:43:05but a cold-blooded beast!

00:43:07If you let my father

00:43:08die without me

00:43:09saying goodbye,

00:43:10I swore make you

00:43:11regret it

00:43:12for the rest of your life!

00:43:14I snatched up

00:43:14the ruby-encrusted whip

00:43:15trying to shield

00:43:16my vulnerability

00:43:17behind a pathetic,

00:43:18empty threat.

00:43:19Bernard is still alive.

00:43:22The air rushed

00:43:23back into my lungs.

00:43:25My father was safe,

00:43:27at least for now.

00:43:28But as the panic receded,

00:43:30a different kind of poison

00:43:32took its place.

00:43:33I remembered

00:43:34the maid's whispers,

00:43:35stories of how

00:43:37he had spent

00:43:37the last few nights

00:43:38locked away with Isabella,

00:43:40lost in a passion

00:43:41that lasted until dawn.

00:43:43The jealousy

00:43:44was a sudden,

00:43:45searing heat.

00:43:46When he had taken me,

00:43:48he hadn't shown

00:43:49half that much endurance.

00:43:51He was spending

00:43:52so much time

00:43:53entangled

00:43:53with that duke's daughter.

00:43:55I wondered if he was

00:43:56trying to drain

00:43:56every drop

00:43:57of his royal blood dry.

00:44:00Are you so desperate

00:44:01to run back to Christopher?

00:44:03To wallow in the dirt

00:44:04as his caged bird

00:44:05keep dreaming?

00:44:06I just refuse

00:44:07to stay near a man

00:44:08who belongs to Isabella.

00:44:09In a fit of blind rage,

00:44:11I lunged at him

00:44:12and sank my teeth

00:44:13into his shoulder.

00:44:14Vivian, stop!

00:44:17Are you truly

00:44:18in such a hurry

00:44:19to bury your father?

00:44:20I stopped struggling,

00:44:21but the air

00:44:22between us

00:44:23was thick with loathing.

00:44:25I backed away,

00:44:26slammed the door shut,

00:44:27and turned the lock

00:44:28with a definitive click.

00:44:30Then, staring him

00:44:31straight in the eyes,

00:44:33I began to uncast

00:44:34my sacred robes.

00:44:37Elena, stop.

00:44:38Put your clothes

00:44:39back on!

00:44:40His breath hitched,

00:44:41but I wouldn't be swayed

00:44:43by his feigned restraint.

00:44:44You want your revenge?

00:44:46Then take it!

00:44:47Do to me exactly

00:44:48what I did to you

00:44:49two years ago.

00:44:51Press your boot

00:44:52into my shoulder.

00:44:54Draw those ridiculous,

00:44:56mocking creatures

00:44:56on my skin.

00:44:58Burn me with your humiliation!

00:45:00My voice broke

00:45:01into a pathetic,

00:45:02desperate sob

00:45:03as I looked at him

00:45:04through a blur of tears.

00:45:07I'm begging you,

00:45:08just finish your revenge

00:45:09and save my father.

00:45:10Arthur.

00:45:11You swore an oath

00:45:13of loyalty to him

00:45:13before the altar.

00:45:15For the sake of that

00:45:16one vow,

00:45:16please help him.

00:45:19Arthur stood like a statue,

00:45:21his expression unreadable

00:45:23and frozen.

00:45:25The silence was deafening.

00:45:27I realized then

00:45:29that my words

00:45:29weren't enough,

00:45:30my tears weren't enough.

00:45:32I know what you want.

00:45:34You're still angry

00:45:35about that winter,

00:45:36about how I forced you

00:45:38into the frozen lake.

00:45:40Well, it's winter again.

00:45:42I'll go.

00:45:43I'll jump into the ice

00:45:44in the back garden

00:45:46and catch every single one

00:45:47of those damn fish for you.

00:45:49I remembered that day vividly.

00:45:52The snow had been blinding

00:45:53and he had been practicing

00:45:55his sword play

00:45:56in the courtyard.

00:45:57I had been in a foul mood,

00:45:59agitated by the sight

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

00:46:03I had mocked him,

00:46:04my voice dripping

00:46:06with disdain.

00:46:07if you're really

00:46:07as strong as you look.

00:46:11Why don't you dive

00:46:12into the lake

00:46:13and bring me a snack?

00:46:15I hadn't expected him

00:46:17to do it,

00:46:18but without a word,

00:46:19he had plunged

00:46:20into the bone-chilling waters

00:46:22of the sacred lake.

00:46:24I spun around

00:46:25and bolted toward the door.

00:46:27Vivian,

00:46:28have you lost your mind?

00:46:29Where do you think

00:46:30you're going dressed like that?

00:46:31Whether a filthy woman

00:46:32like me lives or dies,

00:46:36what is it to you?

00:46:41None of my business?

00:46:43Elena,

00:46:44I'm going to make sure

00:46:46you never forget

00:46:47exactly who I am!

00:46:49The predatory glint in his eyes

00:46:52was enough to devour me.

00:46:54I am Arthur.

00:46:56I am your sworn knight.

00:46:58He descended upon me

00:46:59like a wolf.

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

00:47:02His teeth

00:47:03raising my lips

00:47:04with a kiss

00:47:05that felt more like

00:47:06a claim of territory.

00:47:07You bastard!

00:47:09You aren't human!

00:47:10But the more I struggled,

00:47:11the more his possessiveness

00:47:13spiraled into a feverish madness.

00:47:15I hurled every curse

00:47:17I knew at him.

00:47:19Even as the world

00:47:20began to blur

00:47:20into a dizzying,

00:47:22unwanted pleasure,

00:47:23I wanted him

00:47:24to feel my hatred

00:47:25even if my body

00:47:26was betraying me

00:47:27in his arms.

00:47:30I felt my life force

00:47:31draining away

00:47:32like sand

00:47:33through an hourglass

00:47:34as he pinned me

00:47:35to the bed once more,

00:47:36claiming me

00:47:37with a desperate,

00:47:38crushing intensity.

00:47:39A sharp,

00:47:40tearing agony

00:47:41exploded deep

00:47:43within my abdomen.

00:47:43It was as if

00:47:44a blade

00:47:45had been twisted

00:47:46inside me.

00:47:47I collapsed

00:47:48into the black fox furs,

00:47:49a rose severed

00:47:50from its stem,

00:47:51and the world

00:47:52dissolved

00:47:53into a hollow,

00:47:54silent void.

00:47:55Helena.

00:47:57Helena.

00:47:58Was that panic

00:47:59in his voice?

00:48:00It felt

00:48:00almost comedic.

00:48:02Didn't he want

00:48:02to cast this

00:48:03beautiful witch

00:48:04into the fires

00:48:04of purgatory?

00:48:05In the final second

00:48:06before the darkness

00:48:07swallowed me whole,

00:48:08I felt a pair

00:48:09of searing,

00:48:10calloused hands

00:48:10trembling

00:48:11as they pulled me

00:48:12tight against

00:48:13a racing heart.

00:48:15When I finally

00:48:15drifted back

00:48:16to consciousness,

00:48:17the heavy velvet

00:48:18curtains had been

00:48:19drawn,

00:48:20sealing out

00:48:20the daylight.

00:48:21The chamber

00:48:22was thick

00:48:23with the bitter,

00:48:24cloying scent

00:48:25of medicinal herbs

00:48:26and the metallic

00:48:27tang of holy water.

00:48:29From beyond

00:48:30the veil

00:48:30of the bed curtains,

00:48:31I heard Arthur's voice,

00:48:33a low,

00:48:34dangerous growl

00:48:36vibrating

00:48:36with suppressed fury.

00:48:38Why isn't she awake

00:48:39yet?

00:48:45Your Highness,

00:48:48Miss Vivian's spirit

00:48:49was already fragile.

00:48:54After the physical

00:48:56trauma,

00:48:57she is showing

00:48:58signs

00:48:59of a miscarriage.

00:49:04If it weren't for

00:49:05the powerful

00:49:07dragon bloodline

00:49:08within the fetus

00:49:10fighting to survive,

00:49:13the hatchling

00:49:14would have

00:49:15already been lost.

00:49:18A hatchling,

00:49:19signs of a miscarriage.

00:49:21A bitter,

00:49:22self-deprecating

00:49:22smile touched

00:49:23my lips.

00:49:24My little dragon

00:49:25was still there.

00:49:26It was far more

00:49:27resilient than I had

00:49:28imagined,

00:49:28but within seconds.

00:49:29a bone-chilling dread

00:49:32washed over me.

00:49:33Arthur knew.

00:49:34He knew that

00:49:35within me,

00:49:36a secret was growing.

00:49:38A secret

00:49:39the temple

00:49:39would never

00:49:40allow to exist.

00:49:41In an empire

00:49:42where blood purity

00:49:43was everything,

00:49:44the bastard

00:49:45of a fallen

00:49:46saintess

00:49:47would likely

00:49:48never be given

00:49:48the chance

00:49:49to draw

00:49:49his first breath.

00:49:52In a surge

00:49:53of sheer panic,

00:49:54my hand struck

00:49:55the wooden bed frame

00:49:56with a sharp crack.

00:49:57At the sound,

00:49:58Arthur pulled back

00:49:58the heavy velvet curtains.

00:49:59He sat beside me,

00:50:01his face

00:50:01a mask

00:50:02of cold stone.

00:50:03I instinctively

00:50:03recoiled into

00:50:04the corner of the bed,

00:50:05desperate for

00:50:05a shred of safety.

00:50:06I knew the protocol

00:50:07of the empire.

00:50:08If I hadn't woken up,

00:50:09might have already

00:50:10ordered the priest

00:50:10to prepare

00:50:11a purification draft

00:50:12to erase

00:50:13the evidence

00:50:13of my shame.

00:50:14Arthur gripped

00:50:15my hand

00:50:15with bruising force,

00:50:16his voice

00:50:17devoid of warmth.

00:50:18Are you still

00:50:18in pain?

00:50:19Mind race.

00:50:20Should I tell

00:50:21the truth?

00:50:21Physical ache

00:50:22had mostly subsided.

00:50:23I knew he lived

00:50:23for my suffering.

00:50:24If I told him

00:50:25I was in agony,

00:50:26perhaps his thirst

00:50:26for vengeance

00:50:27would be satisfied.

00:50:28Yes,

00:50:29it hurts.

00:50:31Terrified that he

00:50:32would force the draft

00:50:32down my throat

00:50:33right then,

00:50:33I scrambled

00:50:34to reassure him.

00:50:36You don't have to worry.

00:50:37I would never use

00:50:38this child

00:50:39to trap you

00:50:40or force you.

00:50:41Just let me go.

00:50:42Once I return

00:50:43to my family lands,

00:50:44I'll deal with it myself.

00:50:45I'll make sure

00:50:46it's gone.

00:50:48It was a lie

00:50:49that tasted

00:50:50like ash.

00:50:51I loved

00:50:52my little dragon

00:50:52already,

00:50:53but I needed him

00:50:54to believe

00:50:55I was no threat

00:50:56to his future.

00:50:57Deal with it?

00:51:01You're truly

00:51:01that eager

00:51:02to get rid

00:51:03of these two children.

00:51:04Two?

00:51:05I was stunned

00:51:06into silence.

00:51:08Dragon twins

00:51:08were a miracle,

00:51:10a rarity

00:51:10whispered up

00:51:11in legends.

00:51:12It meant

00:51:12I was carrying

00:51:13a double dragon pulse.

00:51:14My resolve

00:51:15to protect them

00:51:15hardened instantly,

00:51:17but I forced

00:51:18my voice

00:51:18to stay cold.

00:51:19Yes,

00:51:19I don't want them.

00:51:21I'd rather die

00:51:22than have them.

00:51:23I'll brew

00:51:24two bowls

00:51:24of the draft

00:51:25and wipe

00:51:26them from existence.

00:51:27I glanced

00:51:27at the priest

00:51:28standing in the shadows.

00:51:29They weren't moving

00:51:30to help.

00:51:31Instead,

00:51:32they were visibly

00:51:33trembling in terror.

00:51:34You really are

00:51:35heartless, Elena.

00:51:36He shoved my hand

00:51:37away and stormed out,

00:51:38his cloak

00:51:39swirling

00:51:40like a dark cloud.

00:51:40I shouted

00:51:41after him,

00:51:42my voice

00:51:42cracking

00:51:43with desperation.

00:51:44If two bowls

00:51:45aren't enough,

00:51:46I'll drink ten.

00:51:49Arthur vanished

00:51:51again for several days.

00:51:52I was forced

00:51:53to listen

00:51:53to the maids

00:51:54gossiping

00:51:55in the hallways,

00:51:56their whispers

00:51:57like jagged glass.

00:51:58They said

00:51:59he spent

00:51:59every waking

00:52:00and sleeping,

00:52:02hour,

00:52:03in Isabella's chambers.

00:52:04Rumor had it

00:52:05that once

00:52:06the dragon bloodline

00:52:07awakened,

00:52:08the host

00:52:08possessed

00:52:09a terrifying,

00:52:10near-limitless stamina.

00:52:11He and the Duke's

00:52:12daughter were

00:52:13reportedly lost

00:52:14in each other's embrace

00:52:15until the break

00:52:16of every dawn.

00:52:19A bitter wave

00:52:20of sorrow

00:52:21crashed over me.

00:52:22I assumed

00:52:23he found the idea

00:52:24of having children

00:52:25with a twisted woman,

00:52:27like me,

00:52:28repulsive,

00:52:29leading him

00:52:30to seek solace

00:52:31in someone pure.

00:52:32I pitied his burden.

00:52:35Yet the ache

00:52:36in my own chest

00:52:37only grew more hollow.

00:52:38To my absolute shock,

00:52:40a summons arrived.

00:52:42The emperor

00:52:42and empress

00:52:43demanded an audience

00:52:44with me.

00:52:45Before Arthur

00:52:46reclaimed his throne,

00:52:47the highest authority

00:52:49I had ever encountered

00:52:50was a local

00:52:51provincial lord.

00:52:52To be called

00:52:53before the absolute

00:52:54rulers of the empire

00:52:55was terrifying.

00:52:56I was certain

00:52:58they intended

00:52:59to put me on trial

00:53:00for the crime

00:53:01of desecrating

00:53:01the crown prince.

00:53:03The imperial couple

00:53:04was legendary

00:53:05for their sole covenant.

00:53:07The emperor

00:53:07had married a commoner

00:53:09when he was nothing

00:53:10more than a minor noble

00:53:11and they had remained

00:53:13devoted to one another

00:53:14ever since.

00:53:16After Arthur

00:53:17disappeared at age six,

00:53:18the empress

00:53:19was so devastated

00:53:20by grief and injury

00:53:21that she could never

00:53:23bear another child.

00:53:24Their love for Arthur

00:53:26was boundless.

00:53:27And then there was me,

00:53:29the witch

00:53:30who had tormented

00:53:31their precious

00:53:32long lost son.

00:53:33I felt certain

00:53:34that if I wasn't

00:53:35sent straight to the pyre,

00:53:37it would be a miracle.

00:53:42The imperial palace

00:53:43was a fortress

00:53:44of limestone and gold

00:53:45looming over me

00:53:46with a heavy

00:53:47sacred weight.

00:53:48Every footstep

00:53:49echoed against the marble,

00:53:51amplifying my dread.

00:53:53I kept my head bowed,

00:53:54trembling,

00:53:55until a pair of silk slippers

00:53:57appeared in my vision.

00:53:59When I looked up,

00:54:00I saw a woman

00:54:01of such timeless beauty.

00:54:03She looked less

00:54:04like Arthur's mother

00:54:05and more like

00:54:06an elder sister.

00:54:08She reached out

00:54:09and personally

00:54:09helped me to my feet.

00:54:10I held my breath,

00:54:12my heart hammering

00:54:13against my ribs.

00:54:15Was she inspecting

00:54:16my skin to decide

00:54:17which torture

00:54:18would be most effective?

00:54:19Was she looking

00:54:20for the mark

00:54:21of the witch?

00:54:22You are breathtaking.

00:54:25Even more beautiful

00:54:26than the way

00:54:27Arthur described you.

00:54:30I heard that

00:54:31when he was a lost

00:54:31nine-year-old

00:54:32wandering the wilderness,

00:54:34you were the one

00:54:35who gave him

00:54:35the hope to keep living.

00:54:36Is that true?

00:54:41I froze,

00:54:42completely blindsided.

00:54:44I had no memory

00:54:44of saving a prince.

00:54:48When I was nine,

00:54:50I had slipped away

00:54:51from the temple

00:54:51to explore.

00:54:53I found a starving,

00:54:55filthy beggar boy

00:54:55collapsed by the roadside.

00:54:57I had simply tossed him

00:54:59a high-grade healing pill

00:55:00and a heavy pouch

00:55:02of gold coins.

00:55:03I only gave him the gold

00:55:04because the coins

00:55:05were weighing down

00:55:06my dress

00:55:07and I wanted

00:55:07to be rid of them.

00:55:08It was a casual gesture

00:55:10to a stranger.

00:55:11It wasn't until

00:55:12two years ago,

00:55:13in the stench

00:55:14of a blood-soaked

00:55:15gladiator pit,

00:55:16that I recognized

00:55:17those striking,

00:55:18mismatched eyes again.

00:55:19I bought him

00:55:20for a single gold coin

00:55:22just so I wouldn't

00:55:23have to watch him

00:55:23rot in the mud.

00:55:25I don't understand

00:55:26why they're making

00:55:27such a fuss.

00:55:28I only gave him

00:55:30some gold

00:55:31I was planning

00:55:31to throw away.

00:55:37such a good child.

00:55:41Without another word,

00:55:43she carefully removed

00:55:44a shimmering

00:55:45mithril amulet

00:55:46from her own neck,

00:55:47an artifact pulsing

00:55:48with divine light,

00:55:50and placed it gently

00:55:51in my open.

00:55:57The empress

00:55:58spent hours

00:55:58speaking with me,

00:55:59her voice a gentle

00:56:00lilt,

00:56:01as she asked about

00:56:02my past with Arthur

00:56:03at the temple.

00:56:03Cold sweat trickled

00:56:04down my face.

00:56:05How could I possibly

00:56:07confess the truth?

00:56:08How could I tell her

00:56:09that I had once

00:56:09punished him

00:56:10by making him

00:56:11kneel shirtless

00:56:12on pre-cestone steps?

00:56:13Or that I had

00:56:14branded his chest

00:56:15with the word

00:56:16shadow,

00:56:16a title

00:56:17of absolute

00:56:18desecration?

00:56:18I could only offer

00:56:19pale, hollow lies,

00:56:21claiming we had lived

00:56:22as the closest

00:56:23of companions.

00:56:24When I returned

00:56:24to the crown prince's

00:56:25estate,

00:56:26I was greeted

00:56:26by an overwhelming

00:56:28display of favor.

00:56:29Carts filled

00:56:30with rare medicinal

00:56:31tonics,

00:56:31and bolts of the

00:56:32finest silk

00:56:33were being unloaded

00:56:34into my side hall.

00:56:35The empress

00:56:36had even promised

00:56:37to visit me personally

00:56:38in the coming days.

00:56:39My mind was a whirlwind

00:56:40of confusion.

00:56:41Arthur loathed me.

00:56:43Why then had he told

00:56:43his parents I was

00:56:44his savior?

00:56:46But I ran out

00:56:46of time to wonder.

00:56:47The doors to my chambers

00:56:48were thrown open

00:56:49by Arthur's headguard.

00:56:50In his hands,

00:56:52he carried a porcelain bowl

00:56:53filled with a black

00:56:54steaming liquid

00:56:55that smelled of death.

00:56:56It was the

00:56:57purification draft.

00:56:58His highness's orders,

00:57:01Miss Vivian is to

00:57:02drink this immediately.

00:57:03We cannot allow

00:57:05anything improper

00:57:05to stain the purity

00:57:07of the royal bloodline.

00:57:08The world turned to ice.

00:57:10He was finally coming

00:57:11for the life inside me.

00:57:13He wanted to personally

00:57:14destroy these

00:57:14twin dragon pulses,

00:57:15to burn away

00:57:16the last lingering

00:57:17evidence of our

00:57:18humiliating past.

00:57:19I looked at the

00:57:20black liquid,

00:57:20my hand instinctively

00:57:22dropping to cover my stomach.

00:57:23I could feel them,

00:57:24tiny, flickering sparks

00:57:25of light.

00:57:26I have to run.

00:57:27I have to escape.

00:57:29The emperor of the empire

00:57:30was indeed a just

00:57:32and formidable ruler.

00:57:33When I knelt before him

00:57:34and begged for a thorough

00:57:35investigation into my

00:57:36father's wrongful

00:57:37imprisonment,

00:57:38he gave me his word

00:57:39that the case had been

00:57:40transferred to the

00:57:40High Tribunal.

00:57:41I finally felt a weight

00:57:42lift from my chest.

00:57:43I clung to the belief

00:57:45that once the truth

00:57:46was laid bare,

00:57:46the honor of the

00:57:47Vivian family

00:57:48would be restored

00:57:49to its former glory.

00:57:50Now,

00:57:51my only remaining

00:57:52weakness was the

00:57:53twin dragon pulses

00:57:53growing within me.

00:57:55The moment I returned

00:57:55from the palace,

00:57:56a maid entered my

00:57:57chambers carrying a

00:57:58bowl of liquid

00:57:59that shimmered with

00:58:00an eerie violet light.

00:58:01She called it a

00:58:02sacred essence supplement,

00:58:03claiming it was meant

00:58:04to bolster my strength.

00:58:05I wasn't a fool.

00:58:06I knew Arthur was

00:58:07incapable of such

00:58:08sudden mercy.

00:58:09I pretended to drink it

00:58:10with a grateful smile.

00:58:10But the second the

00:58:11doors were closed

00:58:12and the windows latched,

00:58:13I tipped the bowl

00:58:14into a pot of

00:58:15moonlight ivy.

00:58:15The magic plant,

00:58:16known for its

00:58:17incredible resilience,

00:58:18reacted instantly.

00:58:20The moment the

00:58:21liquid touched the

00:58:21soil, the lush leaves

00:58:23shriveled, turning

00:58:24into brittle blackened

00:58:25husks as if scorched

00:58:26by dragon fire.

00:58:27My blood ran cold.

00:58:29It wasn't a supplement

00:58:30at all.

00:58:30It was a blood

00:58:31cleansing draft,

00:58:32a lethal poison designed

00:58:34to starve my

00:58:35hatchlings of their

00:58:35magic and kill them

00:58:36in the womb.

00:58:38Gold can buy even

00:58:39the most depraved

00:58:40of souls.

00:58:41Using a priceless

00:58:42mithril hairpin as

00:58:43a bribe, I managed

00:58:44to smuggle a desperate

00:58:45message to Julian

00:58:46through a kitchen maid.

00:58:47I begged him for a

00:58:48vial of draft of

00:58:50the living death,

00:58:51a forbidden alchemical

00:58:52concoction that could

00:58:53halt a heartbeat and

00:58:55mimic the cold

00:58:55stillness of the grave,

00:58:57all without harming

00:58:58the fragile dragon

00:58:59sprouts in my womb.

00:59:00When a person dies,

00:59:02their deaths are

00:59:02supposedly settled.

00:59:04If I were dead,

00:59:05Arthur would have

00:59:06no reason to force

00:59:07those cruel poisonous

00:59:08drafts down my throat.

00:59:09At worst,

00:59:11he would have my body

00:59:12tossed into a mass grave

00:59:13in the desolate

00:59:14barrens.

00:59:14Once the effects wore

00:59:15off, I could crawl

00:59:17out of the dirt and

00:59:17vanish into the night

00:59:18with my children to

00:59:19find my mother.

00:59:20My only terror was

00:59:21Arthur's depravity.

00:59:22I feared that even

00:59:23in death, he might

00:59:25plunge a blade into my

00:59:26chest, just to be

00:59:27certain.

00:59:28The potion took hold

00:59:29with terrifying speed.

00:59:30A bone-deep chill

00:59:32spread through my limbs,

00:59:33turning my blood to

00:59:34slush.

00:59:35My mind remained

00:59:36agonizingly sharp.

00:59:38Yet I was a prisoner

00:59:39in my own skin,

00:59:40unable to move a

00:59:41muscle, unable to

00:59:43flicker an eyelid,

00:59:44until the heavy

00:59:45doors were so big.

00:59:47Help!

00:59:47Someone help!

00:59:52Miss Vivian,

00:59:55she stopped breathing!

00:59:57The frantic scream

00:59:59echoed through the

00:59:59stone chamber,

01:00:00sounding more like a

01:00:01celebration of my

01:00:02freedom than a

01:00:03mourning of my life.

01:00:04I lay there, a hollow

01:00:06shell, waiting to see

01:00:07if my gambit would lead

01:00:08to the wilderness or

01:00:09the pyre.

01:00:12Before I heard the

01:00:14heavy rhythmic thud of

01:00:15leather boots against

01:00:16the stone floor,

01:00:18Arthur had arrived.

01:00:20He seemed unable to

01:00:21fathom that the witch,

01:00:22who had once tormented

01:00:23him so ruthlessly,

01:00:24could fall so easily.

01:00:28Who says she is

01:00:29dead?

01:00:30If you are

01:00:31mocking me again,

01:00:35I swear I will

01:00:36bury the entire

01:00:38Vivian family,

01:00:39along with you!

01:00:42But I was merely a

01:00:44corpse now, a silent

01:00:46witness to his descent

01:00:47into hysteria.

01:00:48I stayed frozen,

01:00:50locked in the icy grip

01:00:52of the draft.

01:00:53His voice grew softer,

01:00:55losing its edge,

01:00:56until it was filled

01:00:58with a frantic,

01:00:59staggering sense of

01:01:00panic I had never

01:01:01heard before.

01:01:02Why was he so shaken?

01:01:04Wake up!

01:01:05Was he afraid my

01:01:06vengeful spirit would

01:01:07haunt him for the rest

01:01:08of his days?

01:01:09Wake up!

01:01:09Or was he simply

01:01:10realizing that his

01:01:11favorite toy had

01:01:12finally broken beyond

01:01:13repair?

01:01:14Either way,

01:01:15I remained still,

01:01:17praying for the

01:01:18darkness of the

01:01:19burial grounds to

01:01:20come quickly.

01:01:23By now,

01:01:24he must have found

01:01:25the letter I left

01:01:26behind.

01:01:27In it,

01:01:28I wrote that I had

01:01:29finally reached my

01:01:30breaking point,

01:01:31that I had swallowed

01:01:33a lethal poison to

01:01:34end the humiliation,

01:01:36and that no one

01:01:37else was to blame.

01:01:38My only dying wish

01:01:40was for him to

01:01:40honor our old

01:01:41contract and

01:01:43return my remains

01:01:44to my family's

01:01:44ancestral lands,

01:01:46but his reaction

01:01:47after reading those

01:01:48words sent a fresh

01:01:49wave of horror

01:01:50through my frozen

01:01:51soul.

01:01:52Do you love

01:01:52Christopher that

01:01:53much?

01:01:54Do you love him

01:01:55so deeply that you

01:01:56would rather commit

01:01:57suicide?

01:02:00You want your bones

01:02:02returned home?

01:02:03Never.

01:02:04You will stay by

01:02:05my side.

01:02:07Even if you

01:02:08rot.

01:02:09You will do so

01:02:11in my arms!

01:02:12The living death

01:02:13only lasted 12

01:02:15hours.

01:02:16If he didn't

01:02:17hurry up and

01:02:17bury me,

01:02:18I was going to

01:02:19resurrect right in

01:02:20front of him.

01:02:22Elena,

01:02:22please,

01:02:25open your eyes

01:02:26and look at me.

01:02:28Then,

01:02:28I felt it.

01:02:30A cold,

01:02:31trembling kiss

01:02:32pressed against

01:02:33my unresponsive

01:02:33lips.

01:02:37Time was running

01:02:39out.

01:02:40Outside,

01:02:41the night was

01:02:41dark and the

01:02:42wind was howling.

01:02:43The effects of the

01:02:44draft were finally

01:02:45beginning to wane.

01:02:47Arthur was on the

01:02:48jagged edge of a

01:02:48mental collapse,

01:02:50blinded by a grief

01:02:51I never expected.

01:02:53As the feeling

01:02:54returned to my

01:02:55limbs,

01:02:55my fingers brushed

01:02:57against the

01:02:57paralyzing silver

01:02:58needle Julian had

01:02:59hidden among my

01:03:00supplies.

01:03:01I waited,

01:03:02holding my breath,

01:03:04until Arthur slumped

01:03:05against my neck

01:03:06with a broken

01:03:07moan.

01:03:08With every ounce

01:03:09of strength I had

01:03:10regained,

01:03:10I lunged and

01:03:12drove the needle

01:03:12deep into the

01:03:13pressure point at

01:03:14the nape of his

01:03:15neck.

01:03:16Even a crown prince

01:03:17of the dragon line

01:03:17couldn't withstand a

01:03:18strike so precise

01:03:19and unexpected.

01:03:20I moved like a

01:03:21ghost.

01:03:22I snatched the

01:03:23dragon seal,

01:03:24the symbol of

01:03:25supreme authority,

01:03:27from his belt

01:03:28and threw on a

01:03:29nondescript maid's

01:03:30cloak.

01:03:31Keeping my head

01:03:32low, I slipped

01:03:33out of the

01:03:34chamber.

01:03:36I abandoned the

01:03:37memory-haunted

01:03:38north, seeking

01:03:39refuge in Emerald

01:03:40Harbor.

01:03:41The southern air

01:03:42was sweet and

01:03:44blooming with

01:03:44flowers, a place

01:03:46where I could

01:03:47finally fade away.

01:03:49The night I

01:03:50fled, Julian met

01:03:51me at the city

01:03:52gates, sobbing

01:03:53like a child.

01:03:54He pressed a

01:03:55mountain of

01:03:56mana crystal cards

01:03:57into my hands,

01:03:58begging to

01:03:59follow.

01:03:59It took hours

01:04:01to convince him

01:04:02to stay until

01:04:02my father was

01:04:03free.

01:04:04Julian had

01:04:05liquidated half

01:04:06of the Vivian

01:04:06family fortune

01:04:07for me.

01:04:08Even if I lived

01:04:09a life of

01:04:10absolute decadence,

01:04:12this wealth would

01:04:12last for

01:04:13lifetimes.

01:04:15house.

01:04:16I opened a boutique

01:04:17named Amber

01:04:18Eyes.

01:04:19While I loathed

01:04:20the dry imperial

01:04:21codes, I had a

01:04:23genius for

01:04:24alchemy, distilling

01:04:25oils and crafting

01:04:27the eternal youth

01:04:28elixirs that once

01:04:29drove the capital's

01:04:30elite into a

01:04:31frenzy.

01:04:32But in the quiet

01:04:33moments, the

01:04:34ghosts returned.

01:04:36I saw my

01:04:37father's face, then

01:04:38Arthur's.

01:04:39I remembered the

01:04:41whispers of his

01:04:42nights with

01:04:42Isabella, and the

01:04:44steam rising from

01:04:45the poison he

01:04:45sent for my

01:04:46children.

01:04:47Whenever the

01:04:48pain flared, I

01:04:49drowned it in

01:04:50work.

01:04:50My little dragons

01:04:51were growing, and

01:04:53for them, I had

01:04:54to be strong.

01:04:57I found a few

01:04:58displaced, starving

01:04:59girls wandering the

01:05:00streets, and took

01:05:02them in.

01:05:03Under my care, their

01:05:04hollow cheeks filled

01:05:06out, and their

01:05:07fearful eyes began to

01:05:08spark with life.

01:05:09They became my

01:05:10loyal apprentices,

01:05:12learning the delicate

01:05:13secrets of my shop.

01:05:15But I wanted more

01:05:16for them.

01:05:17I used my fortune to

01:05:18establish a women's

01:05:19academy at the

01:05:20harbor.

01:05:21This world has

01:05:22always been cruel to

01:05:23women, demanding

01:05:24they be nothing

01:05:25more than ornaments

01:05:26or property.

01:05:27I don't harbor grand

01:05:29illusions of saving

01:05:30the world.

01:05:31But I want these

01:05:32girls to master

01:05:33weaving, commerce, or

01:05:34even basic arcana.

01:05:36I want them to have

01:05:37a trade and a voice.

01:05:39My business flourished

01:05:41beyond my wildest

01:05:42dreams.

01:05:43Within six months,

01:05:45Amber Eyes became

01:05:46the ultimate obsession

01:05:47for the noble women

01:05:48of the South.

01:05:49People often ask me

01:05:51if I fear bankruptcy,

01:05:52considering the academy

01:05:54charges no tuition.

01:05:55I simply offer a faint

01:05:57smile and say nothing.

01:05:59They have no idea I am

01:06:01the daughter of the

01:06:02wealthiest man in the

01:06:03holy kingdom.

01:06:04Besides, Julian still

01:06:05sends crates of mana

01:06:06crystals via secret

01:06:08caravans every month.

01:06:09In his eyes, I am likely

01:06:11still his reckless

01:06:12spendthrift sister, who

01:06:13might run out of pocket

01:06:14money at any moment.

01:06:17letters from the capital

01:06:18arrived occasionally

01:06:19through secret channels,

01:06:21carrying whispers of a

01:06:23world I had left

01:06:23behind.

01:06:24Five months ago, my

01:06:26father, Bernard, was

01:06:28finally exonerated and

01:06:29released.

01:06:30The high tribunal had

01:06:31uncovered everything.

01:06:33It was all a web of lies

01:06:34spun by Christopher.

01:06:36The shadow that had

01:06:37loomed over my family's

01:06:38honor was finally

01:06:39dispelled.

01:06:40According to Julian,

01:06:42Christopher's obsession

01:06:43had spiraled into madness.

01:06:45Desperate to replace me,

01:06:47he had kidnapped a girl

01:06:48who shared a passing

01:06:49resemblance to me and

01:06:51kept her imprisoned in

01:06:52a secret villa, calling

01:06:54her by a pet maid.

01:06:55But his highborn wife,

01:06:57the daughter of the

01:06:58Lord Chief Justice,

01:07:00discovered his

01:07:01thwarted spirit.

01:07:02In a fit of betrayed

01:07:03rage, she stormed the

01:07:05villa with her retainers.

01:07:07The innocent girl caught

01:07:08in the crossfire met a

01:07:10horrific end at the

01:07:11hands of a woman

01:07:12scorned.

01:07:14Christopher, the man

01:07:15who pretended to love

01:07:16me so deeply, didn't

01:07:18spare a single tear for

01:07:19his victim.

01:07:20He immediately turned

01:07:22on the dead girl,

01:07:23slandering her memory to

01:07:24save his own skin and

01:07:26his political career.

01:07:28He underestimated a

01:07:29woman's wrath.

01:07:30His wife stripped away

01:07:32his mask, exposing his

01:07:34embezzlement in treason.

01:07:36Now, he rots in a

01:07:38lightless dungeon, his

01:07:40limbs broken and his

01:07:41mind shattered.

01:07:42He is a pathetic

01:07:43creature, a far cry from

01:07:46the elegant scholar he

01:07:47once pretended to be.

01:07:48I felt no pity as I

01:07:50burned the letter.

01:07:51He earned every second

01:07:52of his agony.

01:07:54The Vivian family was

01:07:56unable to return to the

01:07:57holy kingdom.

01:07:58Julian's letters became

01:07:59increasingly frantic,

01:08:00claiming that Arthur had

01:08:02descended into a state of

01:08:03pure madness.

01:08:04The wedding between Arthur

01:08:06and Isabella never

01:08:06happened.

01:08:07Instead, in a shocking

01:08:09twist that paralyzed the

01:08:10capital, he personally

01:08:11escorted Isabella to the

01:08:13ghost tower.

01:08:14Arthur!

01:08:14Please!

01:08:15You can't do this!

01:08:17No one knew the reason,

01:08:18but I could guess.

01:08:20A man like Arthur would

01:08:21never tolerate anyone who

01:08:23dared to touch his secrets

01:08:24or threaten his absolute

01:08:26control.

01:08:27Now Arthur spends his days

01:08:28scouring the capital for a

01:08:29ghost.

01:08:30He searches for any trace

01:08:32of my existence.

01:08:33And at night, he stands

01:08:35before my empty grave,

01:08:36screaming to the heavens that

01:08:38I am his only true crown

01:08:39princess.

01:08:40I felt nothing but cold

01:08:42disdain when I read those

01:08:43words.

01:08:44He had spent his nights lost

01:08:46in the arms of another

01:08:47woman.

01:08:47And now, he wants to play

01:08:49the role of the grieving,

01:08:50devoted husband.

01:08:52It was a pathetic

01:08:53performance.

01:08:54My only focus now is the

01:08:56safety of my two little

01:08:56dragons.

01:08:57The most experienced

01:08:58midwife in the south warned

01:08:59me that carrying twins,

01:09:01especially those of the

01:09:02dragon line, is a

01:09:04treacherous path.

01:09:05She told me that the day

01:09:06of their birth would be

01:09:08like walking along the

01:09:09precipice of the underworld.

01:09:10It is a gamble with

01:09:12death.

01:09:12A heavy fear has settled

01:09:14in my bones.

01:09:15I am terrified that I will

01:09:16never wake to see Julian

01:09:18become a grand archmage.

01:09:19And even more terrified

01:09:20that my children will

01:09:21enter this world only to

01:09:22find themselves motherless.

01:09:27A soft touch on my

01:09:28shoulder pulled me from

01:09:29my thoughts.

01:09:30I looked up to see Perrin

01:09:31standing before the

01:09:32counter, his usual modest

01:09:33expression colored by a

01:09:35hint of nerves.

01:09:36Perrin was a wandering

01:09:37scholar I had rescued

01:09:38three months ago after he

01:09:39collapsed outside my shop.

01:09:40He was handsome in a

01:09:42gentle, intellectual way,

01:09:43possessing a quiet grace

01:09:45that persisted despite his

01:09:46poverty.

01:09:47The young girls who

01:09:48worked for me loved to

01:09:49whisper that he was

01:09:50hopelessly in love with me.

01:09:52I always dismissed it as

01:09:53childish gossip.

01:09:54Why would a brilliant young

01:09:56man with his whole life ahead

01:09:57of him want a woman like me?

01:09:58I was a widow with a swollen

01:10:00belly, living under a story

01:10:02that my husband had perished on

01:10:04some distant battlefield.

01:10:05Is something wrong,

01:10:06Mr. Perrin?

01:10:07His face flushed crimson,

01:10:09the heat spreading all the way

01:10:10to his ears.

01:10:12He hesitated for what felt like an

01:10:13eternity, fidgeting with his

01:10:15sleeves as if trying to summon

01:10:16every ounce of courage in his

01:10:18soul.

01:10:19Miss Vivian, I have admired

01:10:21you for a very long time.

01:10:22I don't care about your past,

01:10:24and I don't care about the

01:10:25rumors.

01:10:25I want to take care of you.

01:10:27If you would honor me by

01:10:29becoming my wife, I promise to

01:10:31love your children as if they

01:10:32were my own blood.

01:10:33I froze, my mind racing to find

01:10:35a kind way to reject him.

01:10:36Before I could speak, however,

01:10:38a voice like a sudden arctic

01:10:40gale tore through the room,

01:10:42turning the humid southern

01:10:43air to ice.

01:10:46Elena, you intend to take my

01:10:48children and marry this

01:10:50pathetic, lowly commoner?

01:10:52My body turned to stone.

01:10:54I turned my head slowly

01:10:55toward the doorway.

01:10:57There, framed against the

01:10:58dying rays of the sunset,

01:11:00stood the man who should have

01:11:01been a thousand miles away.

01:11:03Arthur's face was a mask of

01:11:05sheer murderous rage.

01:11:10The moment Perrin finished

01:11:12his confession, the air in the

01:11:13room shattered.

01:11:14A suffocating pressure, the raw

01:11:16primal weight of a dragon's

01:11:18aura, exploded outward,

01:11:20pinning everyone to the spot.

01:11:22Arthur stepped into my workshop,

01:11:23clad in robes of deep obsidian

01:11:25and gold.

01:11:26His eyes were twin glaciers,

01:11:28harboring a frost cold enough to

01:11:30freeze the entire southern coast.

01:11:32He moved with a heavy, deliberate

01:11:34stride, and I knew instantly that

01:11:36the day of reckoning for my six

01:11:37month escape had finally arrived.

01:11:40My legs turned to water.

01:11:42In a frantic, useless panic, I

01:11:44grabbed a handful of monocrystals

01:11:45and tried to bolt for the back

01:11:46exit, but it was already too late.

01:11:49The doorway was blocked by a wall

01:11:50of iron, a phalanx of paladins,

01:11:52their armor gleaming with an

01:11:54oppressive holy light.

01:11:55There was no escape.

01:11:57His eyes turned a violent,

01:11:58bloodshot crimson, his voice

01:12:00cracking with a shock that looked

01:12:01far too much like genuine aim.

01:12:03Faking your own death to deceive me?

01:12:06Elena, your audacity truly knows

01:12:07no bounds.

01:12:08You were the one who sent that

01:12:10bowl of poison!

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

01:12:13my children would be nothing but a

01:12:15memory by now!

01:12:17Poison!

01:12:18I never gave such an order!

01:12:24Perrin stood paralyzed, the sheer weight

01:12:26of the crown prince's presence

01:12:27crushing the air from his lungs.

01:12:29Miss Vivian.

01:12:30He looked at me.

01:12:31You told me your husband had...

01:12:32that he had been marted on the

01:12:33northern front.

01:12:35Marted?

01:12:36Elena, are you so desperate for my

01:12:38death that you've already buried me

01:12:39in your stories?

01:12:40I couldn't look him in the eye.

01:12:42I hadn't wished for his death.

01:12:43It was quite the opposite.

01:12:45I had missed him so much that the

01:12:47only way to survive the silence was

01:12:48to bury his memory under a lie.

01:12:51Your Highness, please, do not

01:12:53distress her.

01:12:55She is heavily pregnant.

01:12:56She cannot handle such a shock.

01:12:57Despite the visible trembling of

01:12:59his hands, Perrin stepped forward,

01:13:01shielding me with his own body.

01:13:03Get out of my way!

01:13:04He lunged forward, reaching to

01:13:05seize me.

01:13:06But before his fingers could brush my

01:13:08skin, a cataclysmic pain tore

01:13:10through my lower body.

01:13:11It felt as if my very soul was being

01:13:13ripped in two.

01:13:14It hurts.

01:13:16Arthur, something is wrong.

01:13:17The hatchlings, they're coming now.

01:13:20I doubled over, my breath pitching

01:13:22and strangled screams as the world

01:13:24began to tilt into darkness.

01:13:28The crown prince, who only moments

01:13:30ago had looked ready to tear the world

01:13:32apart, instantly lost his composure.

01:13:34Arthur gathered me into his arms.

01:13:36Those hands, usually so steady when

01:13:39gripping a sword or signing a death

01:13:41warrant, were now shaking uncontrollably.

01:13:51He stayed right there, pacing the halls of the

01:13:54manor I had bought six months ago.

01:13:55The healers and midwives begged him to leave,

01:13:58citing ancient superstitions that a crown

01:14:00prince's presence in a birthing chamber would

01:14:02bring ruin to his divine love.

01:14:04Arthur didn't argue.

01:14:06He simply drew his sword and stood guard at the door

01:14:08as the hours bled into one another and the labor

01:14:11became unbearable.

01:14:12I began to sob, the tears flowing freely.

01:14:15Every time I cried out, the cold, ruthless leader

01:14:18of the dragon line, the man who made the empire

01:14:20tremble, found his own eyes welling with moisture.

01:14:23Finally, two sharp piercing cries rang out.

01:14:26A boy and a girl had safely entered the world.

01:14:29The midwives whispered among themselves as they

01:14:31cleaned the infants.

01:14:32In all their years of delivering children,

01:14:34they had never seen a mother endure labor.

01:14:36While the father stood by and cried his eyes out.

01:14:40When I finally opened my eyes, the room was bathed

01:14:43in the golden dying light of the next day's twilight.

01:14:46Arthur was right there, sitting by the bed.

01:14:48But as soon as my mind cleared, the old bitterness

01:14:50flared up.

01:14:51Stop pretending to care!

01:14:52You never wanted us!

01:14:53The day you returned to the capital, you were so eager

01:14:56to have me disposed.

01:14:57You stayed in your chambers with Isabella for three days

01:15:00and three nights.

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

01:15:04that the priest had to change the holy water 20 times

01:15:06because of your pravity!

01:15:08I never touched Isabella.

01:15:10And I never, not for a single second, intended to depose you.

01:15:13When I returned, my father did push for an alliance.

01:15:16But I stood before the entire court and declared

01:15:18that I already had a wife by sacred contract.

01:15:20He urged me to bring you to the palace immediately.

01:15:23I thought your heart was still full of Christopher.

01:15:25I was so mad with pain

01:15:27that I delayed the official proclamation of your title.

01:15:31I was a fool, Elena, but I was never unfaithful.

01:15:37A deep flush crept up my neck.

01:15:39All those stories,

01:15:40the whispered nights of passion,

01:15:42were nothing more than illusions and rumors

01:15:44engineered by Isabella

01:15:45to drive me to the edge of insanity.

01:15:48I've uncovered the truth.

01:15:53It was Isabella.

01:15:56She bribed the priests in the side hall

01:16:00to lace your medicine with a cursed powder

01:16:02designed to wither the dragon line.

01:16:06His voice turned cold and predatory.

01:16:08A low vibration of pure hatred.

01:16:12I've stripped her of her noble name

01:16:14and condemned her the tower to eternal waiths.

01:16:18for the rest of her life.

01:16:21Elena, thank God you were alert enough

01:16:24to refuse that drast.

01:16:28If you hadn't.

01:16:29His arms began to shake violently.

01:16:31This powerful, terrifying crown prince

01:16:33looked suddenly, heartbreakingly fragile.

01:16:35The walls I had built around my heart

01:16:36crumbled in an instant.

01:16:38For the first time in two years,

01:16:39I reached out and wound my arms around his neck,

01:16:41leaning into him with a surge

01:16:43of pure, unadulterated longing.

01:16:45Since you never chose her,

01:16:47you aren't allowed to look at anyone else ever again.

01:16:50Arthur, if you ever dare to betray our contract,

01:16:53I will take our children

01:16:54and vanish into the Mistwood.

01:16:55I will hide so well

01:16:56that you could spend the rest of your life searching

01:16:58and never see my face again.

01:17:00What did you just say?

01:17:04You...

01:17:04You're willing to stay for me?

01:17:06He pulled back,

01:17:08his eyes searching mine

01:17:09with a look of frantic, overwhelming joy,

01:17:11as if he were a drowning man

01:17:13who had finally found the shore.

01:17:16I looked at his face,

01:17:18the face of a man so devastatingly handsome,

01:17:20yet currently twisted into an expression

01:17:23of clumsy, desperate anxiety.

01:17:26and I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

01:17:30I've always had a fondness for beasts,

01:17:32especially a dragon like you.

01:17:35Greedy,

01:17:36humble,

01:17:37and so utterly obsessed

01:17:39that once you've chosen a master,

01:17:42you can never be shaken off.

01:17:44Arthur's gaze darkened instantly.

01:17:48That predatory glint returned to his mismatched eyes,

01:17:51dancing with a renewed fire.

01:17:53He crushed his lips against mine,

01:17:56kissing me with a ferocity

01:17:57that suggested he wanted to grind my very soul

01:18:00into his own.

01:18:03I am your shadow.

01:18:06I am your guardian dragon.

01:18:10You will never push me away again

01:18:12as long as you live.

01:18:13His kiss was beginning to wander,

01:18:15growing more fervent and hungry,

01:18:17until it was abruptly shattered

01:18:19by two loud, synchronized wails.

01:18:24The babies!

01:18:25Arthur, stop!

01:18:26I haven't even seen our children yet!

01:18:29The dignified crown prince lowered his lashes

01:18:32in a fit of silent, brooding resentment.

01:18:34He looked exactly like a great dragon

01:18:37who had just seen his most precious treasure stolen,

01:18:40yet lacked the heart to retaliate.

01:18:43With a resigned sigh,

01:18:45he reached into the bassinets

01:18:46and scooped up the two velvet-wrapped bundles.

01:18:51Elena,

01:18:53even with these two little things stealing your attention,

01:18:56you are not allowed to reduce the love you give me

01:18:58by a single inch.

01:19:02I gave a helpless, quiet laugh.

01:19:05My fingertips brushed against the faint, shimmering gold scales

01:19:08on the hatchling's foreheads,

01:19:10the most sacred mark of the imperial line.

01:19:13Then, to be fair,

01:19:15I leaned up and pressed a lingering, reassuring kiss

01:19:18to the lips of their jealous father.

01:19:20The evening breeze of Emerald Harbor drifted through the window,

01:19:23carrying the scent of salt and blooming flowers.

01:19:27On this ancient continent of miracles and strong wine,

01:19:31we finally had our future.

01:19:33And for the first time,

01:19:36it was enough.

01:19:37to be fair.

01:19:38Thank you.

01:19:38– Sous-titrage FR 2021

The Dragon Slave I Whipped is Now My King - New Movie 2026 - 🔥🔥🔥FULL MOVIES ENGLISH SUB 2026 [Full Movie]

Catégorie

Transcription

Commentaires

Recommandations