❤️🔥 ❤️🔥[HOT SHORT 2026]❤️🔥❤️🔥
Watch the full short drama with English subtitles. CEO, billionaire, revenge, betrayal — complete story in one video.
#FullMovie #MedievalAction #SwordFight #WarMovie #ActionMovie
#moviedrama #actiondrama #drama #revenge #fullmovie #englishsub #actionmovie #dramaaction #action #love #betrayal #drama2026 #movie #movies #bestmovie #newmovie #waraction #warmovie
Watch the full short drama with English subtitles. CEO, billionaire, revenge, betrayal — complete story in one video.
#FullMovie #MedievalAction #SwordFight #WarMovie #ActionMovie
#moviedrama #actiondrama #drama #revenge #fullmovie #englishsub #actionmovie #dramaaction #action #love #betrayal #drama2026 #movie #movies #bestmovie #newmovie #waraction #warmovie
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00:01Elena, is this how Beg?
00:00:10Two 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.
00:00:35Once his equal, now a disgraced slave of the clan, fallen 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.
00:01:07Oh, thank you, Mark. But I will never let your children become my presence.
00:01:12Watching the madness of his possessive gaze, I press my hand against my stomach, where a faint raconic sigil flickered,
00:01:20the mark pulsing with 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.
00:01:31A month ago, the Holy Kingdom fell under a sudden monster assault.
00:01:35I found myself cornered in the black forest, trapped and suffocating under the weight of a dark malevolent curse.
00:01:43As my consciousness began to fracture, he appeared.
00:01:45He rode through the chaos. As he charged forward on horseback, I could have sworn I saw the spectral shimmer
00:01:52of dragon wings unfurl behind him.
00:01:55A broken sword in one hand, and a sphere 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.
00:02:11I 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, yet 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.
00:02:43Shadow.
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.
00:02:58My 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.
00:03:24Lady Isabella, the most brilliant woman in the empire.
00:03:27As soon as he returned to the capital, their grand wedding would begin.
00:03:34My sanctuary had been transformed into a cage, surrounded by the cold steel of the paladins.
00:03:40The moment they spotted me, skulking 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?
00:03:54I looked past the blade of the man in the center of the crowd.
00:03:57The 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, desperately trying to catch his hand.
00:04:10A low, rhythmic vibration pumped in the air as glowing embers of dragon fire drifted from the golden poitery of
00:04:18his robes.
00:04:20You... are you truly the crown prince?
00:04:22Tell me, Miss Vivian, how do you plan to torture me today?
00:04:26Will 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.
00:04:38My eyes burned with unshed tears.
00:04:41I hadn't come to hurt him.
00:04:42I had come to celebrate his birth.
00:04:45To 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.
00:05:03I 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.
00:05:15Anything 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, had severed our contract forever.
00:05:26At 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 and father noble dragon heirs.
00:05:39To him.
00:05:41Do 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.
00:05:52But seeing the frost in his eyes, I could only bite my lip and shake my head through a blur
00:05:56of tears.
00:05:57Golden scales erupted across his skin as the air ignited with his draconic aura.
00:06:03With a mocking smear, his body shifted and expanded in a blinded flash of light, transforming into a massive dragon.
00:06:10The gale from his wings slamming me violently into the snow.
00:06:14He vanished into the clouds without a single backward glance.
00:06:17I sat frozen in the ice, until a sharp searing pain tore through my abdomen, nearly causing me to lose
00:06:24the child.
00:06:25Watching the fading silhouette in the sky, I clutched my stomach where a faint dragon mark pulsed, beating rhythmically like
00:06:31a second heart.
00:06:35Disaster struck, three days, after Arthur's departure, my father the Holy Father was branded, with the twin sins of treason
00:06:43and black magic.
00:06:44Then cast into the darkest depths of the abyss prison, I rushed to the capital, desperate and breathless, only to
00:06:50be met with a death sentence.
00:06:52He was to face the trial of Holy Fire, on the night of the next full moon.
00:06:57Inside the stench-ridden dungeon, my 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.
00:07:19Her words cut through my leg as a raided blood, but he couldn't find the voice to answer.
00:07:23How could I admit that during those two years of shadow, I had forced him into the freezing depths of
00:07:29the holy lake just to retrieve a lost jewel for my amusement?
00:07:34How could I confess that?
00:07:35In fits of rage, I had left scars upon his back that would never heal.
00:07:39He likely wanted to see my family reduced to ash more than anyone else in the world.
00:07:44But looking at the last flickering spark of hope in my mother's eyes, I forced myself to move.
00:07:49I picked up the ruby-encrusted whip, the very symbol of my former tyranny, and dragged my trembling body to
00:07:56the crown prince's palace.
00:07:58There, before the towering obsidian iron gates, I fell to my knees and waited.
00:08:06Back in the Holy Kingdom, a single command from my lips was enough to make shadow crawl to my feet.
00:08:12If I wanted him to bow, he never dared to meet my eyes.
00:08:15But now, the tables had turned with a cruel irony.
00:08:19To see him for even a moment, I had to kneel in the teeth of a blizzard, begging a shred
00:08:24of mercy.
00:08:25I knelt until I lost all feeling in my legs.
00:08:28The ruby whip in my hands buried after a thick shroud of snow.
00:08:32Just as dawn threatened to break, a dragon's roar shattered the clouds.
00:08:35The black wings increasingly dawned as he dived, only to contract and transform the instant they struck the earth.
00:08:41From the heart of the erupting snow, Arthur emerged in human form, breaking through the mist.
00:08:47The crunch of his boots against the frozen ground echoed 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, which hand was it?
00:08:58Which hand did you use to leave those scars on my body?
00:09:02His voice held no warmth, only the crushing weight of a judge passing sent me.
00:09:06I was so frozen, I could barely breathe.
00:09:09Before I could find my voice, my strength failed me.
00:09:12My knees buckled and I collapsed forward, falling directly into his arms.
00:09:16His chest was burning hot, a searing contrast to the ice.
00:09:20The heat instantly triggered the memory of our Knight of Soul resonance.
00:09:23The way he had pinned me against the altar of his predatory hunger.
00:09:27My eyes welled with bitter tears.
00:09:30Your Highness, please, save my father. I'm begging you.
00:09:36His pupils narrowed into golden vertical slits.
00:09:39And a faint rhythmic flow of molten fire pulsed beneath the skin of his throat.
00:09:44So, you strip your defenses bare before me just to save that old man?
00:09:49Hmph.
00:09:50Very well.
00:09:51I have been dying to see just how much the High and Holy Princess has learned about the art of
00:09:55submission.
00:09:55Before I could gasp, he hoisted me over his shoulder.
00:09:59Ignoring my cry of protest, he strode ruthlessly through the gallery and hurled me onto the strong red draped in
00:10:06black fox fur.
00:10:07The air ignited with the violent scent of the dragonkin.
00:10:10As my ornate cloak slid away, my skin shivered against the biting chill.
00:10:15Arthur descended like a predator, his massive frame pinning me down, swallowing me whole within his territory.
00:10:22One hand, cold as iron, clamped my wrists above my head.
00:10:26Elena, every agony you put me through over these last two years, I am going to repay it, inch by
00:10:32inch, upon this bed.
00:10:35Phantasmus wings spread wide, bathing within a suffocating golden blue.
00:10:39The air crackled with the heat of ancient dragon fire.
00:10:43As the crushing weight of his aura sealed the room, I shielded my womb with a trembling hand, protecting the
00:10:49fragile light within as I sank into the darkness.
00:10:54Shadow.
00:10:56He threw me onto the black fox furs with such violence that a sharp pain flared through my lower back.
00:11:01Under the weight of his suffocating, draconic aura, I flashed off my old, haughty temper flared.
00:11:07My hand instinctively reached it for me, ruby-encrusted, disciplinary whip.
00:11:12In the next heartbeat, Arthur ruthlessly shredded my inner robes.
00:11:17He curled his lips into a mocking sneer.
00:11:19His eyes filled with the cold, unreachable detachment.
00:11:22Is this your idea of whips?
00:11:24The whips slipped from my numb fingers, clattering, jameslessly, to the floor.
00:11:29His gaze was licking up, frozen well, threatening to turn me very soltois.
00:11:33For the thousandth time, virality crashed down upon me.
00:11:36He was no longer the slave I could trample at will.
00:11:39He was a dragon king who crushed my entire bloodline with the lick of his fingers.
00:11:42Pleasing me is your only task.
00:11:46If you can satisfy me, perhaps I will show mercy and grant that old man Bernard a chance to live.
00:11:53Pleasing him, a wave of bitterness washed over me.
00:11:56I looked down at Miss Till, flat abdomen.
00:12:00My heart clenching in fear.
00:12:02Ever since, a day here claimed his throne, I had been spotting blood.
00:12:06The physician had warned that that the dragon bloodline was too powerful.
00:12:10My pregnancy was fragile.
00:12:12I was terrified of the bleeding.
00:12:14I was even more terrified of losing the tiny life already.
00:12:17Flickering with a dragon's breath inside me.
00:12:22Are you truly that unwilling?
00:12:24He let out a derisive snort, his eyes flickering with pure disdain.
00:12:29I have no interest in forcing anyone.
00:12:33Since the great saint despises her purity so highly.
00:12:37You can simply wait until the next full moon.
00:12:42Then you can collect Bernard's charred remains from the altar of holy fire.
00:12:47He tossed the shredded remnants of my sacred robes onto the floor like trash and turned to leave.
00:12:54Throwing my pride to the wind, I lunged forward and threw my arms around him from behind.
00:13:00I had been spoiled my entire life.
00:13:02I had never bowed to anyone.
00:13:05I was terrified of losing the babies, but I was more terrified of my father's execution.
00:13:11I forced back my tears, my voice trembling.
00:13:15I...
00:13:16I...
00:13:17I will do it.
00:13:19I will please you.
00:13:20Arthur stood with his back to me, letting out a laugh that was bone chillingly cold.
00:13:26I couldn't see his face, but the frost radiating from him was suffocating.
00:13:30To save a life, I had to mimic the clumsy movements of a dancing girl.
00:13:36I reached out with shaking hands to touch him, eventually forcing myself onto my tiptoes to press a desperate, humiliating
00:13:43kiss against his lips.
00:13:46Hmph.
00:13:47Is this all the saintess is capable of?
00:13:50I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.
00:13:53My mind flashed back to that night of chaotic soul resonance.
00:13:57Back then, though he was wild, he had kissed away my tears and whispered gentle comforts into my ear.
00:14:04The Arthur standing here now didn'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 and searing heat unique to the dragon race exploded in an instant, shattering his fragile self-control.
00:14:24I tried to recoil in fear, but instead of pushing me away, his arm clamped around my waist like an
00:14:31iron vice, pinning me ruthlessly against the edge of the bed.
00:14:35He seized control, his kiss so violent I thought he would crush my lips.
00:14:41I struggled for air as the kiss grew more feral, a desperate clash of hatred and hunger.
00:14:46My clothes were reduced to threads.
00:14:49I felt like a fallen leaf adrift on a violent sea, swaying and drowning in the tidal wave of his
00:14:56draconic lust.
00:14:57When the first light of dawn filtered through the windows, I drifted back to consciousness.
00:15:01Arthur was already fully dressed in his black and gold princely regalia, looking cold and peerless once more.
00:15:07Your Highness, last night I did what you asked.
00:15:13You'll save my father now, won't you?
00:15:17Arthur adjusted the dragon scale cufflinks at his wrists, offering a chilling laugh without even bothering to look back.
00:15:23When exactly did I say that sleeping with me once would guarantee a pardon for a traitor?
00:15:30My eyes snapped open.
00:15:32Every bone in my body felt as though it had been ground to dust, but the pain in my heart
00:15:36was far worse.
00:15:39You...
00:15:46Besides, do you really think a body as broken as yours is enough to satisfy me?
00:15:53I felt as though I had been plunged into an abyss of ice.
00:15:57He never intended to save anyone.
00:16:00This was nothing but cold-blooded retaliation, the cruelest way possible to humiliate me for the two years I spent
00:16:06trampling on his dignity.
00:16:08The air felt thin, the weight of his betrayal suffocating me.
00:16:12Arthur, I'm begging you!
00:16:13Please, save my father!
00:16:16He didn't spare me even a fleeting glance.
00:16:19Shrouded in a frost that cut like a blade, he strode away without looking back.
00:16:23Like a hollow shell of a human being, I numbly gathered the shredded remnants of my clothes and draped them
00:16:29over my battered body.
00:16:30I began the long, agonizing trek out of the palace.
00:16:34But as I reached the end of the corridor, I collided with a radiant procession.
00:16:38At the head of the group stood a woman in a vibrant imperial gown trimmed with gold, her elegance as
00:16:44sharp as her status.
00:16:45It was Isabella, the Duke's most beloved daughter.
00:16:49She was the woman Arthur had personally chosen as his crown princess upon his return to the throne.
00:16:55The Saintress?
00:16:57I must say, I never expected to find you in the prince's private chambers in such a state.
00:17:07It seems his highness's mercy hasn't taught you anything about dignity.
00:17:15I gripped my collar so hard my nails bit into my palms.
00:17:19I wanted to scream, to fight back.
00:17:21But a sudden wave of weakness from my abdomen stopped me.
00:17:24If I collapsed here, my children, my only remaining secret would be lost forever.
00:17:33Isabella was breathtaking.
00:17:34She possessed an innate regal air that only comes from a lifetime spent at the pinnacle of power,
00:17:40making me feel a sudden stinging sense of inferiority.
00:17:43So you're that common girl Arthur used for diversion back in the Holy Kingdom?
00:17:49It wasn't a diversion.
00:17:51We exchanged the vows of the rose before the gods. He was my sworn knight.
00:18:02Vows?
00:18:04Those archaic rituals mean less than nothing to a crown prince.
00:18:08I've heard stories of how cruelly you treated him.
00:18:12Now that he's reclaimed his throne, you've come crawling back to beg for mercy.
00:18:17How could a man like Arthur ever truly want a woman with a heart as poisonous as yours?
00:18:24She stepped closer, her voice dripping with the arrogance of a benefactor.
00:18:30If you're truly that desperate to stay in the capital, I might allow him to keep you.
00:18:37After our wedding, as an unmarked mistress. A private pet with no name.
00:18:43The insult burned through my veins, but I didn't want to be anyone's secret pet.
00:18:48Even if my heart had begun to waver, I knew one thing for certain.
00:18:52If he chose to marry another, I would never linger for a single second.
00:18:59As I stepped out of the crown prince's estate, the scorching sun felt like a physical assault, making my eyes
00:19:05sting.
00:19:05The truth was a cold hard weight in my chest.
00:19:09Arthur hated me.
00:19:11He had no intention of saving my father.
00:19:13He only wanted to watch me spiral into the abyss until there was nothing left of me.
00:19:20Miss Elena.
00:19:22I hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes, looking up to see Christopher.
00:19:27He had once been a common scholar sponsored by my father.
00:19:30Two years ago, during that fateful ceremony, he had been my first choice for a knight.
00:19:35But through a cruel twist of fate, I had chosen Arthur instead.
00:19:39Now, Christopher had climbed the ranks to become the chief executive of the Imperial Tribunal.
00:19:44Lord Christopher, my father was framed.
00:19:50Please, I'm begging you.
00:19:54Save him.
00:19:57It's been two years.
00:20:00You've grown even more.
00:20:02Breathstaking than I remembered.
00:20:06I have always admired you.
00:20:11Elena.
00:20:14I've always wanted you by my side.
00:20:16He stared at me with a fixed intensity that made my skin crawl.
00:20:20The naked greed in his eyes was nauseating.
00:20:23He had already secured his future by marrying the High Justice's daughter, carving a path to the heights of power.
00:20:30Now, he was looking at me as if I were a prize to be collected.
00:20:34A secret lover to be kept in the shadows of his perfect life.
00:20:42I will purchase a secluded manor for you.
00:20:45You will live there.
00:20:47And when the timing is right, I'll arrange for you to be appointed as a chamber attendant.
00:20:52It's the perfect way to keep you under my protection, without raising eyebrows.
00:20:57My father gave you everything.
00:21:00He funded your education and your rise to power.
00:21:03Is your sense of honor so easily swallowed by greed?
00:21:06I struggled to keep the fury from my voice.
00:21:09My body trembling with a mixture of rage and exhaustion.
00:21:13Christopher let out a sharp, derisive laugh, his eyes scanning me with a terrifying lack of shame.
00:21:19I have plenty of gold now.
00:21:21What I lack is a plaything like you, so holy, yet so utterly ruined.
00:21:25I know you spent two years with the crown prince, but his wedding is imminent.
00:21:29He's done with you.
00:21:30If you won't look Bernard to stay alive, you have no other choice.
00:21:33You belong to me now.
00:21:34I didn't even have the chance to retort.
00:21:36A sudden, violent wave of nausea surged from my stomach, and I doubled over, dry heaving
00:21:42right in front of him.
00:21:44Christopher's face instantly twisted into a blue shade of purple.
00:21:48He had expected tears, or perhaps a desperate surrender.
00:21:53He hadn't expected me to be so visibly repulsed by his touch that I would be sick on the spot.
00:22:01Christopher was clearly stunned by my physical repulsion.
00:22:05The mask of a refined gentleman shattered, leaving behind a gaze so dark and venomous,
00:22:11it chilled my blood.
00:22:12The fake warmth in his voice died instantly, replaced by a low, predatory snarl.
00:22:19Do not test my patience, Elena.
00:22:21I control the Imperial Tribunal now.
00:22:23If I want that old man dead, he won't even survive long enough to 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 on the south side of the city by then,
00:22:36you might as well start picking out a burial plot for your father.
00:22:39He turned on his heel, and stormed away in a fit of humiliated rage,
00:22:45leaving me to tremble alone in the biting wind.
00:22:48My heart felt like a lead weight sinking into an abyss.
00:22:52People always whispered that scholars were the most virtuous among us.
00:22:57But in reality, the most wretched souls are often those hidden behind tailored suits and polite smiles.
00:23:03My family was still wealthy.
00:23:05Even after spending a fortune to save my father, what remained could sustain us for generations.
00:23:11My mother had already secured a secluded safe house on the outskirts of the capital.
00:23:16I dragged my battered body, feeling as though it had been trampled by a carriage,
00:23:21and began the long, numb walk back to that hollow substitute for a home.
00:23:28I had a younger brother, Julian, who was two years my junior.
00:23:32Unlike me, who grew dizzy at the mere sight of ancient texts, he was a natural-born arcanist.
00:23:40By the age of five, he could already decipher forbidden runes.
00:23:45Upon hearing of our family's downfall, he had rushed from the arcane academy to the capital,
00:23:51his face pale with worry.
00:23:55Crushed and defeated, I dragged my feet down the endless corridor,
00:23:58and with a trembling, uncertain hand, pushed open the massive door.
00:24:04Elena! What did he say?
00:24:06Did Prince Arthur, did Shadow agree to save your father?
00:24:09My brother-in-law is the crown prince now! He'll help us, won't he? He has to!
00:24:13I looked at the flickering sparks of hope in their eyes,
00:24:15and my throat burned as if I had swallowed hot coals.
00:24:19Worse, I couldn't bring myself to describe the previous night.
00:24:23How Arthur had pinned me to those luxurious black fox furs,
00:24:27claiming my body with a brutal hunger.
00:24:30He wasn't our savior.
00:24:32He was a man who took pleasure in my ruin.
00:24:35A man who wanted to watch me drown in this hopeless mire,
00:24:38until the last breath left my lungs.
00:24:44I couldn't bear to shatter the fragile hope in my mother's and Julian's eyes.
00:24:48But with my father's life on the line, I didn't dare weave a lie.
00:24:55My voice cracked as the cold reality spilled out.
00:25:00He refused.
00:25:02Arthur hates me, more than you can imagine.
00:25:05Those two years of torment turned his heart into a block of ice.
00:25:10I've brought this upon our family.
00:25:13It's my fault that father is in that cage.
00:25:15My mother pulled me into a fierce, trembling embrace.
00:25:19Her scent of lavender and old books a brief comfort against the storm.
00:25:24You are the most precious jewel of the Vivian family.
00:25:26If this is truly Bernard's trial, then it is a judgment of fate itself.
00:25:30You will not chain yourself to a guilt that isn't yours to bear.
00:25:33She's right.
00:25:35You've done nothing wrong, Elena.
00:25:38It's that cold-blooded prince who is blind.
00:25:41You deserve the purest devotion this world has to offer.
00:25:46Not his cruelty.
00:25:48Listening to them, a wave of bitter sorrow washed over me.
00:25:52The house of Vivian had once been the glorious pillar of the Holy Kingdom.
00:25:57A name spoken with reverence and awe.
00:26:00Now the proud saintess had finally learned how to bow her head.
00:26:04I no longer prayed for glory or power.
00:26:08I only prayed that those I loved might survive the winter.
00:26:13Elena, mother told me you're pregnant.
00:26:16Go back to your room and rest.
00:26:18I'm 16 now.
00:26:19I can carry this family's weight.
00:26:21Trust me.
00:26:22I will bring father home.
00:26:24I looked at the young man standing before me.
00:26:27His shoulders broad and his gaze steady.
00:26:30The little boy who used to trail behind me, crying over scraped knees, had truly grown up.
00:26:37I offered a few soft words of caution before retreating to my room.
00:26:41But the dull, persistent ache in my womb kept me tossing and turning in a feverish unrest.
00:26:48Hours later, I stepped out into the hallway and froze.
00:26:52There stood Julian.
00:26:54But he was unrecognizable.
00:26:56He had changed into a garish flamboyant suit of shimmering silks with an oversized ruby pendant dangling against his chest.
00:27:06Julian, what are you dressed like?
00:27:10I heard Duchess Audley has a weakness for collecting exquisite young men.
00:27:14I'm going to her estate to offer myself.
00:27:16If she takes me as her pet, even the crown prince will have to show her some respect.
00:27:21That's how I'll save father.
00:27:22My heart stopped.
00:27:24Julian was a once in a century genius at the Arcane Academy.
00:27:28I couldn't let him sell his soul.
00:27:32Panic surged through me as I tricked him into the wine cellar and slammed the heavy iron door, locking it
00:27:37tight.
00:27:41Let me out!
00:27:42I was born for this!
00:27:43If it saves father, what does it matter if I'm just a plaything?
00:27:49I couldn't let my brother destroy his future and his dignity.
00:27:52The thought of Julian, a brilliant prodigy, rotting away as a noblewoman's plaything was a nightmare I wouldn't allow to
00:27:59come true.
00:28:00Begging Arthur again was a dead end.
00:28:02It would only invite more humiliation and perhaps even ignite his lethal temper.
00:28:07That left Christopher, the hypocritical viper.
00:28:10As much as I loathed the idea of becoming his caged bird, it seemed the path had narrowed until there
00:28:15was nowhere left to run.
00:28:17As night fell, I carried a single flickering magic lamp and crept toward Christopher's secret villa on the south side
00:28:23of the city.
00:28:24I spent the entire journey numbing my mind, whispering to myself that this was merely a sacrifice.
00:28:29I told myself.
00:28:31It would be like being bitten by a wild beast.
00:28:33Painful, yes.
00:28:34But something I could endure if I just closed my eyes.
00:28:37The moment I stepped into that dim, oppressive bedroom and saw Christopher unfastening his outer robe,
00:28:43my stomach churned with violent revulsion.
00:28:45Miss Vivian, I have waited two long years for this day.
00:28:50He undid the silver clasps at his collar, his smile thick with a sticky predatory mouth.
00:28:55From this moment on, you are my private property.
00:28:58Now come here, help me undress.
00:29:01My body is rigid as stone.
00:29:03Not used to this yet?
00:29:04Don't worry, I'll spend the rest of the night teaching you exactly how to serve me.
00:29:10Christopher shed his hypocritical priestly robes, his eyes gleaming with a feverish light.
00:29:15Tonight, we finally celebrate our sacred union, two years late.
00:29:19He advanced toward me, one predatory step at a time.
00:29:22Despite the biting cold of the room, my palms were slit with a cold sweat.
00:29:25I realized in that moment that I couldn't endure his proximity.
00:29:28The sensation was visceral, like a slimy serpent slithering up my ankle.
00:29:32Cold and suffocating.
00:29:33A sickly, distorted desire burned in his gaze.
00:29:36He lunged forward, his hands clamping around my waist like iron shackles.
00:29:40As he tried to bury his face in the look of my neck.
00:29:42The scent of yours.
00:29:43It's enough to drive a man mad.
00:29:44Stop!
00:29:45Christopher, listen to me.
00:29:47I will give you every coin in the Vivian family bolts.
00:29:49Just save my father and let me go!
00:29:52I don't want your filthy gold, Elena.
00:29:54I want you!
00:29:55His face twisted into a mask of pure malice as he shoved me backward onto the black velvet shade.
00:30:00He began to tear up my sacred robes with a frantic, desperate violence.
00:30:03Go ahead, keep fighting me.
00:30:04If you do, I'll make sure Bernard is dead.
00:30:07Before the sun rises tomorrow!
00:30:09Arthur was a man of violence.
00:30:10But when he touched me, there was a part of my soul that didn't recoil.
00:30:14Here, pinned under Christopher, I felt only a bone-deep revulsion.
00:30:19Ever since I saw you standing so high above everyone two years ago, I've dreamt of dragging you into the
00:30:24mud.
00:30:25Tonight, I finally get what I've always deserved.
00:30:31I first met Christopher when I was still young.
00:30:34No one could have ever guessed that behind his gentle, refined demeanor hit a dark and twisted heart.
00:30:42He leaned close to my neck, his every word laced with chilling, hidden malice
00:30:47that sent shivers down my spine.
00:30:50To tell you the truth, Elena.
00:30:53I orchestrated everything.
00:30:56Bernard's downfall, the treason, the trial.
00:31:00It was all my design.
00:31:02My eyes snapped wide as the horror of his confession sank in.
00:31:06He funded your education.
00:31:08He gave you a future.
00:31:12How could you betray the man who saved you?
00:31:14If he hadn't gone to prison, would you be here now, kneeling and begging for my favor?
00:31:20No.
00:31:21So be a good girl, and please me.
00:31:23I have the power to make your father's life a living hell, and I can just as easily destroy your
00:31:29mother and Julian.
00:31:29The sheer cruelty of it left me gasping.
00:31:32I wanted nothing more than to kill him and myself in a single stroke of vengeance.
00:31:36He held my every weakness in his hands.
00:31:39No matter how much my soul screamed in protest, I was trapped, forced to shiver and endure beneath him.
00:31:46Now, kiss me.
00:31:48He ruthlessly tore open my inner robes.
00:31:50The sudden bite of the cold air stung my exposed skin.
00:31:53I couldn't stop shaking.
00:31:54And as his face descended toward mine, a wave of visceral, physical revulsion took hold.
00:31:59Every ounce of strength I had left, I shoved him away.
00:32:04Christopher's mask of civility shattered into a hundred jagged pieces.
00:32:09His patience had run dry, and he pinned me against the edge of the chaise with a terrifying heavy weight.
00:32:15Get off me! Don't touch me!
00:32:20Keep shouting, Elena, but for every word you scream, I'll have a piece of Bernard's flesh carved away.
00:32:26I went silent instantly, the sound of my own teeth grained together echoing in my skull.
00:32:30To save my father from the torture rack, I could only close my eyes in absolute despair, just as I
00:32:34prepared to bite my own tongue and end it all.
00:32:36The heavy oak doors of the bedchamber were obliterated, kicked inward with a force that shook the foundations of the
00:32:43villa.
00:32:44It was Arthur.
00:32:49Christopher stood paralyzed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
00:32:53He never imagined the crown prince would descend upon this secret sanctuary.
00:32:58Panicked, he scrambled to clutch his discarded robes, his face draining of color as the temperature in the room plummeted.
00:33:06Arthur approached with a terrifying, predatory calm.
00:33:13Your Highness, I do not understand why you would strike me.
00:33:18Since when is it a crime to enjoy a midnight thrisk with one's own lover?
00:33:31Arthur rained down low after brutal blow until Christopher lay unconscious in an ever-widening pool of blood.
00:33:38I have not yet signed the decree of abdulation until I do.
00:33:43She belongs to me.
00:33:45You dare to touch what is mine, and for that, you will die!
00:33:52Between the sheer terror of the night and the gnawing dread for my father's life, the fragile dam of my
00:33:58emotions finally broke.
00:34:00My pregnancy had made me volatile, and now the tears fell in a relentless, silent torrent that I couldn't stop.
00:34:08Arthur reached out, his arms snaking around me like an iron band to haul me into his chest.
00:34:15Seeing my face streaked with tears, the darkness in his eyes didn't soften.
00:34:21Instead, his fury seemed to congeal into something even more lethal.
00:34:25Do you love him that much?
00:34:28Do you love him that much?
00:34:33Does it break your heart that I interrupted your little trisk?
00:34:37You actually degraded yourself to this point for a piece of filth like him!
00:34:43When had I ever shown an ounce of affection for Christopher?
00:34:46The man was a monster, yet here was Arthur, twisting my desperation into a betrayal.
00:34:53But I didn't dare fight back.
00:34:55I couldn't risk my father bearing the brunt of a crown prince's lightning strike rage.
00:34:59I could only bury my face against his chest, my body shaking with muffled, agonizing sobs.
00:35:07Is being with me such a miserable fate, Elena?
00:35:10Well, weep all you want, it doesn't change a thing.
00:35:13You're coming back to the palace with me, where you belong.
00:35:18Arthur tossed me into his massive war chariot, pulled by snarling drakes,
00:35:22as if I were nothing more than a conquest claimed on a battlefield.
00:35:26I had no hope of escape.
00:35:28Within the hour, I was back in the palace,
00:35:32thrown once again onto the suffocating black fox furs of his bed.
00:35:35I curled into a ball, my eyes red and swollen,
00:35:39rubbing the small of my back where the impact had left a dull, throbbing ache.
00:35:46His voice was a low, terrifying rumble, cold as a mountain grave.
00:35:52He pressed his callous thumb against my lips,
00:35:55rubbing them with a punishing force that threatened to 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 of being my mistress?
00:36:15Don't flatter yourself.
00:36:17Let me make this clear, Elena.
00:36:20Until the day I choose to discard you,
00:36:22if you ever dare to shame me with another man again,
00:36:25I will personally ensure you never draw another breath.
00:36:37I stared at Arthur, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
00:36:43His heterochromatic eyes were threaded with dark red veins,
00:36:47and the draconic aura swirling around him was so suffocating,
00:36:51it felt as though he had just clawed his way out of the deepest pits of hell.
00:36:54Looking at the sheer madness in his expression,
00:36:57I knew, with terrifying certainty,
00:36:59if I admitted that Christopher's lips even brushed mine,
00:37:03he would cut my lips away without a second thought.
00:37:06In truth, Christopher hadn't touched me.
00:37:09I should have been paralyzed by fear,
00:37:11but every nerve in my body was screaming in pain and exhaustion.
00:37:15I couldn't help but lash out.
00:37:18It's none of your business!
00:37:21You're that desperate to escape me, Vivian.
00:37:26You torture me.
00:37:27You humiliate me.
00:37:30Isn't this exactly what you wanted?
00:37:33Take it!
00:37:34Whip me to death if 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 to retrieve the heavy jewel-encrusted whip.
00:38:00I couldn't help the violent flinch that wracked my body.
00:38:02I had wielded this very weapon countless times,
00:38:05but I was naturally frail.
00:38:07My strikes had barely left a red mark on his skin.
00:38:10Arthur was different.
00:38:11He possessed the terrifying, raw strength of the dragon race.
00:38:15If he struck me once with that whip, I would shatter.
00:38:18I forced my spine to straighten and close my eyes,
00:38:21waiting for the end.
00:38:24After I'm gone,
00:38:27would you place a bouquet
00:38:29of fresh roses on my grave?
00:38:33I'm afraid of the cold,
00:38:35on the other side.
00:38:41A woman from this wretched holy kingdom,
00:38:44has no place beside my throne.
00:38:49He didn't swing the whip.
00:38:51Instead he lunged forward,
00:38:53his searing fingers clamping around my slender waist like iron bands.
00:38:58Is my touch really that repulsing to you?
00:39:02Well, too bad.
00:39:03Tonight I'm taking exactly what I want.
00:39:09His lips crashed against mine,
00:39:11fueled by a scorching, desperate rage.
00:39:13In the chaos of the kiss,
00:39:14a memory of my birthday last year surfaced.
00:39:16He was still my shadow then.
00:39:18He had spent weeks carving a wooden statuette of me,
00:39:21a perfect miniature saintess.
00:39:23When I saw the gift,
00:39:24my heart had hammered so wildly,
00:39:27I had accused him of placing a curse on me.
00:39:30I punished him,
00:39:31forcing him to kneel shirtless on the cold temple floor,
00:39:34while I used gold ink to paint a massive,
00:39:36ridiculous creature across his broad back.
00:39:39His ears had turned a deep, burning crimson.
00:39:42I thought it was humiliation,
00:39:44so I insolently grabbed his ear to make him turn around.
00:39:47But as he moved,
00:39:48I lost my balance and tumbled into his arms.
00:39:51Our lips met.
00:39:52That kiss had been clumsy,
00:39:54yet so tender.
00:39:56He had whispered broken pleas,
00:39:58begging me to let him kiss me just once more.
00:40:00My shadow had been so kind then.
00:40:03No matter how I shamed him,
00:40:04he would have handed me the entire world on a silver platter just to see me smile.
00:40:10But the Arthur of today only knew how to bully me,
00:40:14how to make me hurt.
00:40:15As he ruthlessly tore away my silk inner robes,
00:40:18the tears I had fought so hard to suppress
00:40:21finally broke through the dam once again.
00:40:23They cascaded down my cheeks,
00:40:25hot and bitter,
00:40:27slashing against the side of his face.
00:40:29Arthur's movements froze instantly.
00:40:31He remained motionless,
00:40:33his hands still white-knuckled around a shred of the ruined silk.
00:40:36Is my touch so unbearable?
00:40:38He let out a sharp, guttural sound of disgust,
00:40:40and shoved me aside like a discarded rag.
00:40:43Before I could even shiver,
00:40:45he grabbed a heavy black fox fur blanket and wrapped it around me.
00:40:48That piece of filth, Christopher,
00:40:51already has a wife,
00:40:53a high justice own daughter.
00:40:55And yet here you are, playing the martyr,
00:40:58preserving your purity.
00:41:01To venus' york controls no purity for him.
00:41:04You really are a devoted fool, Miss Vivian.
00:41:08He stood up,
00:41:09his eyes flashing with a final, cutting spark of disdain.
00:41:13Don't flatter yourself.
00:41:15You aren't the only woman in the world.
00:41:18I don't need you.
00:41:19He turned and strode out of the chamber,
00:41:21the massive oak door slamming shut with a thunderous crash
00:41:24that echoed through the hollow silence of my heart.
00:41:27I wept until my throat was raw,
00:41:30and only then did the dull, throbbing ache in my womb begin to subside.
00:41:34I was desperate to go home,
00:41:36to save my father,
00:41:37to stop Julian from selling his soul for a scrap of influence.
00:41:41But the world outside had vanished.
00:41:43Arthur had placed me under house arrest.
00:41:45I knew his game.
00:41:47He wanted to break me slowly.
00:41:49He wanted to watch the once haughty saintess rot in a gilded cage,
00:41:53until there was nothing left of my pride.
00:41:55For seven days, Arthur never showed his face.
00:41:58Instead, he sent a flock of handmaids to tend to me.
00:42:01They were meticulously attentive.
00:42:02Yet their voices were venomous.
00:42:08Did you really think he'd keep a broken doll?
00:42:12His Highness gifted Lady Isabella, the legendary Starry Night Necklace.
00:42:17The prince and the duke's daughter are inseparable at the royal hunting grounds.
00:42:22They look so perfect together.
00:42:25Every day they made sure I heard the rumors of Arthur's devotion to Isabella.
00:42:29Each word cut deeper than any whip.
00:42:31I loathed being a caged bird.
00:42:33But my true terror was the fear that the next time I saw my father,
00:42:36he would be a corpse.
00:42:38On the eighth day of my imprisonment,
00:42:40the heavy doors finally groaned open.
00:42:43A silhouette draped in black and gold stepped through the threshold,
00:42:46bringing with him a rush of winter air.
00:42:48Arthur had returned.
00:42:51Arthur, you bastard!
00:42:53The days of isolation had driven me to the brink of madness.
00:42:57Let me out!
00:42:59I have to see my mother!
00:43:01I have to save my father!
00:43:04Shadow, you are nothing but a cold-blooded beast!
00:43:07If you let my father die without me saying goodbye,
00:43:10I will make you regret it for the rest of your life!
00:43:14I snatched out the ruby-encrusted whip,
00:43:16trying to shield my vulnerability behind a pathetic, empty threat.
00:43:19Bernard is still alive.
00:43:23The air rushed back into my lungs.
00:43:25My father was safe, at least for now.
00:43:28But as the panic receded,
00:43:31a different kind of poison took its place.
00:43:33I remembered the maid's whispers.
00:43:36Stories of how he had spent the last few nights locked away with Isabella,
00:43:40lost in a passion that lasted until dawn.
00:43:44The jealousy was a sudden, searing heat.
00:43:47When he had taken me,
00:43:48he hadn't shown half that much endurance.
00:43:51He was spending so much time entangled with that duke's daughter.
00:43:55I wondered if he was trying to drain every drop of his royal blood dry.
00:44:00Are you so desperate to run back to Christopher?
00:44:03To wallow in the dirt as his caged bird keep dreaming?
00:44:06I just refuse to stay near a man who belongs to Isabella!
00:44:09In a fit of blind rage, I lunged at him and sank my teeth into his shoulder.
00:44:15Vivian, stop!
00:44:17Are you truly in such a hurry to bury your father?
00:44:20I stopped struggling, but the air between us was thick with loathing.
00:44:25I backed away, slammed the door shut, and turned the lock with a definitive click.
00:44:30Then, staring him straight in the eyes, I began to uncast my sacred robes.
00:44:37Elena, stop!
00:44:38Put your clothes back on!
00:44:40His breath hitched, but I wouldn't be swayed by his feigned restraint.
00:44:45You want your revenge?
00:44:46Then take it!
00:44:47Do to me exactly what I did to you two years ago.
00:44:52Press your boot into my shoulder.
00:44:54Draw those ridiculous, mocking creatures on my skin.
00:44:58Burn me with your humiliation!
00:45:00My voice broke into a pathetic, desperate sob as I looked at him through a blur of tears.
00:45:07I'm begging you, just finish your revenge and save my father.
00:45:11You swore an oath of loyalty to him before the altar.
00:45:15For the sake of that one vow, please, help him.
00:45:19Arthur stood like a statue, his expression unreadable and frozen.
00:45:25The silence was deafening.
00:45:27I realized then that my words weren't enough.
00:45:30My tears weren't enough.
00:45:32I know what you want.
00:45:34You're still angry about that winter.
00:45:37About how I forced you into the frozen lake.
00:45:40Well, it's winter again.
00:45:42I'll go.
00:45:43I'll jump into the ice in the back garden.
00:45:46And catch every single one of those damn fish for you.
00:45:49I remembered that day vividly.
00:45:52The snow had been blinding.
00:45:54And he had been practicing his sword play in the courtyard.
00:45:57I had been in a foul mood, agitated by the sight of his bare, powerful torso.
00:46:03I had mocked him, my voice dripping with disdain.
00:46:07If you're really as strong as you look,
00:46:11why don't you dive into the lake and bring me a snack?
00:46:15I hadn't expected him to do it.
00:46:18But without a word, he had plunged into the bone-chilling waters of the sacred lake.
00:46:24I spun around and bolted toward the door.
00:46:27Vivian!
00:46:28Have you lost your mind?
00:46:29Where do you think you're going dressed like that?
00:46:31Whether a filthy woman like me lives or dies...
00:46:36What is it to you?
00:46:41None of my business?
00:46:43Elena, I'm going to make sure you never forget exactly who I am!
00:46:49The predatory glint in his eyes was enough to devour me.
00:46:54I am Arthur.
00:46:56I am your sworn knight.
00:46:58He descended upon me like a wolf.
00:47:00And I am your lawful husband.
00:47:02His teeth raising my lips with a kiss that felt more like a claim of territory.
00:47:08You bastard!
00:47:09You aren't human!
00:47:10But the more I struggled,
00:47:11the more his possessiveness spiraled into a feverish madness.
00:47:16I hurled every curse I knew at him.
00:47:19Even as the world began to blur into a dizzying, unwanted pleasure,
00:47:23I wanted him to feel my hatred even if my body was betraying me in his arms.
00:47:30I felt my life force draining away like sand through an hourglass
00:47:34as he pinned me to the bed once more, claiming me with a desperate crushing intensity.
00:47:39A sharp tearing agony exploded deep within my abdomen.
00:47:44It was as if a blade had been twisted inside me.
00:47:47I collapsed into the black fox furs.
00:47:50A rose severed from its stem.
00:47:52And the world dissolved into a hollow silent void.
00:47:56Elena, Elena.
00:47:58Was that panic in his voice?
00:48:00It felt almost comedic.
00:48:02Didn't he want to cast this beautiful witch into the fires of purgatory?
00:48:05In the final second before the darkness swallowed me whole,
00:48:08I felt a pair of searing calloused hands trembling
00:48:11as they pulled me tight against a racing heart.
00:48:15When I finally drifted back to consciousness,
00:48:17the heavy velvet curtains had been drawn, sealing out the daylight.
00:48:21The chamber was thick with the bitter, cloying scent of medicinal herbs
00:48:26and the metallic tang of holy water.
00:48:28From beyond the veil of the bed curtains, I heard Arthur's voice.
00:48:33A low, dangerous growl vibrating with suppressed fury.
00:48:38Why isn't she awake yet?
00:48:45Miss Vivian?
00:48:47Miss Vivian's spirit was already fragile.
00:48:49Miss Vivian's spirit was already fragile.
00:48:54After the physical trauma, she is showing signs of a miscarriage.
00:49:04if it weren't for the powerful dragon bloodline within the fetus fighting to survive
00:49:13the hatchling would have already been lost
00:49:18a hatchling signs of a miscarriage a bitter self-deprecating smile touched my lips
00:49:24my little dragon was still there it was far more resilient than i had imagined but within seconds
00:49:30a bone-chilling dread washed over me arthur knew he knew that within me a secret was growing
00:49:38a secret the temple would never allow to exist in an empire where blood purity was everything
00:49:44the bastard of a fallen saintess would likely never be given the chance to draw his first breath
00:49:52in a surge of sheer panic my hand struck the wooden bed frame with a sharp crack
00:49:57at the sound arthur pulled back the heavy velvet curtains he sat beside me his face a mask of cold
00:50:02stone i instinctively recoiled into the corner of the bed desperate for a shred of safety i knew the
00:50:07protocol of the empire if i hadn't woken up might have already ordered the priest to prepare a
00:50:11purification draft to erase the evidence of my shame arthur gripped my hand with bruising force
00:50:16his voice devoid of warmth are you still in pain mind race should i tell the truth physical ache
00:50:22had mostly subsided i knew he lived for my suffering if i told him i was in agony perhaps
00:50:26his thirst for vengeance would be satisfied yes it hurts terrified that he would force the draft
00:50:32down my throat right then i scrambled to reassure him you don't have to worry i would never use this
00:50:39child to trap you or force you just let me go once i return to my family lands i'll deal
00:50:44with it myself
00:50:45i'll make sure it's gone it was a lie that tasted like ash i loved my little dragon already but
00:50:54i needed
00:50:54him to believe i was no threat to his future deal with it you're truly that eager to get rid
00:51:03of these
00:51:03two children two i was stunned into silence dragon twins were a miracle a rarity whispered up in legends
00:51:12it meant i was carrying a double dragon pulse my resolve to protect them hardened instantly but i
00:51:17forced my voice to stay cold yes i don't want them i'd rather die than have them i'll brew two
00:51:24bowls of
00:51:24the draft and wipe them from existence i glanced at the priest standing in the shadows they weren't
00:51:30moving to help instead they were visibly trembling in terror you really are heartless elena he shoved my
00:51:37hand away and stormed out his cloak swirling like a dark cloud i shouted after him my voice cracking
00:51:43with desperation if two bowls aren't enough i'll drink ten
00:51:50arthur vanished again for several days i was forced to listen to the maids gossiping in the hallways
00:51:56their whispers like jagged glass they said he spent every waking and sleeping hour in isabella's chambers
00:52:05rumor had it that once the dragon bloodline awakened the host possessed a terrifying near limitless stamina
00:52:12he and the duke's daughter were reportedly lost in each other's embrace until the break of every dawn
00:52:19a bitter wave of sorrow crashed over me i assumed he found the idea of having children with a twisted
00:52:27woman like me repulsive leading him to seek solace in someone pure i pitied his burden yet the ache in
00:52:36my own chest only grew more hollow to my absolute shock a summons arrived the emperor and empress
00:52:43demanded an audience with me before arthur reclaimed his throne the highest authority i had ever encountered
00:52:50was a local provincial lord to be called before the absolute rulers of the empire was terrifying i was
00:52:58certain they intended to put me on trial for the crime of desecrating the crown prince the imperial
00:53:04couple was legendary for their sole covenant the emperor had married a commoner when he was nothing
00:53:10more than a minor noble and they had remained devoted to one another ever since after arthur
00:53:17disappeared at age six the empress was so devastated by grief and injury that she could never bear
00:53:23another child their love for arthur was boundless and then there was me the witch who had tormented
00:53:31their precious long lost son i felt certain that if i wasn't sent straight to the pyre it would be
00:53:38a miracle
00:53:42the imperial palace was a fortress of limestone and gold looming over me with a heavy sacred weight
00:53:49every footstep echoed against the marble amplifying my dread i kept my head bowed trembling
00:53:55until a pair of silk slippers appeared in my vision when i looked up i saw a woman of such
00:54:02timeless beauty
00:54:03she looked less like arthur's mother stand up and more like an elder sister she reached out and personally
00:54:09helped me to my feet i held my breath my heart hammering against my ribs was she inspecting my skin
00:54:17to
00:54:17decide which torture would be most effective was she looking for the mark of the witch you are breathtaking
00:54:25even more beautiful than the way arthur described you
00:54:30i heard that when he was a lost nine-year-old wandering the wilderness
00:54:34you were the one who gave him the hope to keep living is that true
00:54:41i froze completely blindsided i had no memory of saving a prince
00:54:48when i was nine i had slipped away from the temple to explore i found a starving filthy beggar boy
00:54:56collapsed by the roadside i had simply tossed him a high-grade healing pill and a heavy pouch of gold
00:55:02coins
00:55:03i only gave him the gold because the coins were weighing down my dress and i wanted to be rid
00:55:08of
00:55:08them it was a casual gesture to a stranger it wasn't until two years ago in the stench of a
00:55:14blood-soaked
00:55:15gladiator pit that i recognized those striking mismatched eyes again i bought him for a single
00:55:21gold coin just so i wouldn't have to watch him rot in the mud i don't understand why they're making
00:55:27such
00:55:28a fuss i only gave him some gold i was planning to throw away such a good child
00:55:42without another word she carefully removed a shimmering mithril amulet from her own neck
00:55:47an artifact pulsing with divine light and placed it gently in my open
00:55:57the empress spent hours speaking with me her voice a gentle lilt as she asked about my past
00:56:02with arthur at the temple cold sweat trickled down my face how could i possibly confess the truth how
00:56:08could i tell her that i had once punished him by making him kneel shirtless on freezing stone steps
00:56:13or that i had branded his chest with the word shadow a title of absolute desecration i could
00:56:19only offer pale hollow lies claiming we had lived as the closest of companions when i returned to
00:56:24the crown prince's estate i was greeted by an overwhelming display of favor carts filled with
00:56:30rare medicinal tonics and bolts of the finest silk were being unloaded into my side hall the empress
00:56:36had even promised to visit me personally in the coming days my mind was a whirlwind of confusion
00:56:41arthur loathed me why then had he told his parents i was his savior but i ran out of time
00:56:47to
00:56:47wonder the doors to the chambers were thrown open by arthur's headguard in his hands he carried a
00:56:52porcelain bowl filled with a black steaming liquid that smelled of death it was the purification draft
00:56:59his highness's orders miss vivian is to drink this immediately we cannot allow anything improper to
00:57:06stain the purity of the royal bloodline the world turned to ice he was finally coming for the life
00:57:12inside me he wanted to personally destroy these twin dragon pulses to burn away the last lingering
00:57:17evidence of our humiliating past i looked at the black liquid my hand instinctively dropping to cover
00:57:23my stomach i could feel them tiny flickering sparks of light i have to run i have to escape
00:57:29the emperor of the empire was indeed a just and formidable ruler when i knelt before him and begged for
00:57:35a thorough investigation into my father's wrongful imprisonment he gave me his word that the case had been
00:57:40transferred to the high tribunal i finally felt a weight lift from my chest i clung to the belief
00:57:45that once the truth was laid bare the honor of the vivian family would be restored to its former glory
00:57:50now my only remaining weakness was the twin dragon pulses growing within me the moment i returned from
00:57:56the palace a maid entered my chambers carrying a bowl of liquid that shimmered with an eerie violet
00:58:00light she called it a sacred essence supplement claiming it was meant to bolster my strength i wasn't
00:58:06a fool i knew arthur was incapable of such sudden mercy i pretended to drink it with a grateful smile
00:58:11but the second the doors were closed and the windows latched i tipped the bowl into a pot of moonlight
00:58:15ivy the magic plant known for its incredible resilience reacted instantly the moment the liquid
00:58:21touched the soil the lush leaves shriveled turning into brittle blackened husks as if scorched by dragon
00:58:27fire my blood ran cold it wasn't a supplement at all it was a blood cleansing draft a lethal poison
00:58:34designed to starve my hatchlings of their magic and kill them in the womb gold can buy even the
00:58:40most depraved of souls using a priceless mithril hairpin as a bribe i managed to smuggle a desperate
00:58:45message to julian through a kitchen maid i begged him for a vial of draft of the living death a
00:58:51forbidden
00:58:52alchemical concoction that could halt a heartbeat and mimic a cold stillness of the grave all without
00:58:58harming the fragile dragon sprouts in my womb when a person dies their debts are supposedly
00:59:03settled if i were dead arthur would have no reason to force those cruel poisonous draughts down my
00:59:09throat at worst he would have my body tossed into a mass grave in the desolate barrens once the effects
00:59:15wore off i could crawl out of the dirt and vanish into the night with my children to find my
00:59:20mother
00:59:20my only terror was arthur's depravity i feared that even in death he might clunge a blade into my chest
00:59:27just
00:59:27to be certain the potion took hold with terrifying speed a bone deep chills spread through my limbs
00:59:33turning my blood to slush my mind remained agonizingly sharp yet i was a prisoner in my own skin
00:59:40unable to move a muscle unable to flicker an eyelid until the heavy doors burst open
00:59:58the frantic scream echoed through the stone chamber sounding more like a celebration of my freedom
01:00:03than a morning of my life i lay there a hollow shell waiting to see if my gambit would lead
01:00:08to the
01:00:09wilderness or the pyre before i heard the heavy rhythmic thud of leather boots against the stone floor
01:00:18arthur had arrived he seemed unable to fathom that the witch who had once tormented him so ruthlessly
01:00:25could fall so easily
01:00:28who says she is dead if you are mocking me again
01:00:35i swear i will bury the entire vivian family along with you but i was merely a corpse now a
01:00:45silent
01:00:46witness to his descent into hysteria i stayed frozen locked in the icy grip of the draft his voice grew
01:00:54softer losing its edge until it was filled with a frantic staggering sense of panic i had never heard
01:01:01before why was he so shaken was he afraid my vengeful spirit would haunt him for the rest of his
01:01:08days
01:01:09or was he simply realizing that his favorite toy had finally broken beyond repair
01:01:14either way i remain still praying for the darkness of the burial grounds to come quickly
01:01:23by now he must have found the letter i left behind
01:01:27in it i wrote that i had finally reached my breaking point that i had swallowed a lethal poison to
01:01:34end the
01:01:35humiliation and that no one else was to blame my only dying wish was for him to honor our old
01:01:42contract
01:01:42and return my remains to my family's ancestral lands but his reaction after reading those words sent a
01:01:49fresh wave of horror through my frozen soul do you love christopher that much do you love him so deeply
01:01:56that you would rather commit suicide you want your bones returned home never you will stay by my side
01:02:08even if you rot you will do so in my arms the living death only lasted 12 hours if he
01:02:17didn't hurry
01:02:17up and bury me i was going to resurrect right in front of him elena please open your eyes and
01:02:26look at me
01:02:28then i felt it a cold trembling kiss pressed against my unresponsive lips
01:02:37time was running out outside the night was dark and the wind was howling
01:02:43the effects of the draft were finally beginning to wane arthur was on the jagged edge of a mental
01:02:49collapse blinded by a grief i never expected as the feeling returned to my limbs my fingers brushed
01:02:57against the paralyzing silver needle julian had hidden among my supplies i waited holding my breath until
01:03:05arthur slumped against my neck with a broken moan with every ounce of strength i had regained
01:03:11i lunged and drove the needle deep into the pressure point at the nape of his neck
01:03:16even a crown prince of the dragon line couldn't withstand a strike so precise and unexpected
01:03:20i moved like a ghost i snatched the dragon seal the symbol of supreme authority from his belt and
01:03:28threw on a nondescript maid's cloak keeping my head low i slipped out of the chamber
01:03:36i abandoned the memory haunted north seeking refuge in emerald harbor the southern air was sweet and
01:03:44blooming with flowers a place where i could finally fade away the night i fled julian met me at the
01:03:52city
01:03:52gates sobbing like a child he pressed a mountain of mana crystal cards into my hands begging to follow
01:03:59it took hours to convince him to stay until my father was freed julian had liquidated half of the
01:04:06vivian family fortune for me even if i lived a life of absolute decadence this wealth would last for
01:04:13lifetimes i opened a boutique named amber eyes while i loathed the dry imperial codes i had a genius for
01:04:24alchemy distilling oils and crafting the eternal youth elixirs that once drove the capital's elite
01:04:31into a frenzy but in the quiet moments the ghosts returned i saw my father's face then arthur's i
01:04:40remembered the whispers of his nights with isabella and the steam rising from the poison he sent for my
01:04:46children whenever the pain flared i drowned it in work my little dragons were growing and for them i had
01:04:54to
01:04:54be strong i found a few displaced starving girls wandering the streets and took them in under my care
01:05:04their hollow cheeks filled out and their fearful eyes began to spark with life they became my loyal
01:05:11apprentices learning the delicate secrets of my shop but i wanted more for them i used my fortune to
01:05:19establish a women's academy at the harbor this world has always been cruel to women demanding they
01:05:25be nothing more than ornaments or property i don't harbor grand illusions of saving the world but i want
01:05:32these girls to master weaving commerce or even basic arcana i want them to have a trade and a voice
01:05:40my business flourished beyond my wildest dreams within six months amber eyes became the ultimate
01:05:47obsession for the noble women of the south people often ask me if i fear bankruptcy considering the
01:05:53academy charges no tuition i simply offer a faint smile and say nothing they have no idea i am the
01:06:01daughter of the wealthiest man in the holy kingdom besides julian still sends crates of mana
01:06:07crystals via secret caravans every month in his eyes i am likely still his reckless spendthrift sister
01:06:13who might run out of pocket money at any moment letters from the capital arrived occasionally through
01:06:20secret channels carrying whispers of a world i had left behind five months ago my father bernard was
01:06:28finally exonerated and released the high tribunal had uncovered everything it was all a web of lies
01:06:35spun by christopher the shadow that had loomed over my family's honor was finally dispelled according to
01:06:41julian christopher's obsession had spiraled into madness desperate to replace me he had kidnapped a
01:06:48girl who shared a passing resemblance to me and kept her imprisoned in the secret villa calling her by a
01:06:54pet
01:06:55name but his highborn wife the daughter of the lord chief justice discovered his sordid spirit
01:07:02in a fit of betrayed rage she stormed the villa with her retainers the innocent girl caught in the
01:07:09crosswalk met a horrific end at the hands of a woman scorned christopher the man who pretended to love me
01:07:16so deeply didn't spare a single tear for his victim he immediately turned on the dead girl slandering
01:07:24her memory to save his own skin and his political career he underestimated a woman's wrath his wife
01:07:31stripped away his mask exposing his embezzlement and treason now he rocks in a lightless dungeon his
01:07:40limbs broken and his mind shattered he is a pathetic creature a far cry from the elegant scholar he once
01:07:47pretended to be i felt no pity as i burned the letter he earned every second of his agony the
01:07:55vivian
01:07:55family was unable to return to the holy kingdom julian's letters became increasingly frantic claiming
01:08:01that arthur had descended into a state of pure madness the wedding between arthur and isabella never happened
01:08:07instead in a shocking twist that paralyzed the capital he personally escorted isabella to the ghost tower
01:08:13arthur please you can't do this no one knew the reason but i could guess a man like arthur would
01:08:21never tolerate anyone who dared to touch his secrets or threaten his absolute control now arthur spends his
01:08:28days scouring the capital for a ghost he searches for any trace of my existence and at night he stands
01:08:35before my empty grave screaming to the heavens that i am his only true crown princess i felt nothing but
01:08:42cold disdain when i read those words he had spent his nights lost in the arms of another woman and
01:08:48now
01:08:48he wants to play the role of the grieving devoted husband it was a pathetic performance my only focus
01:08:55now is the safety of my two little dragons the most experienced midwife in the south warned me
01:09:00the carrying twins especially those of the dragon line is a treacherous path she told me that the
01:09:07day of their birth would be like walking along the precipice of the underworld it is a gamble with
01:09:12death a heavy fear has settled in my bones i am terrified that i will never wait to see julian
01:09:18become a grand archmage and even more terrified that my children will enter this world only to find
01:09:23themselves motherless a soft touch on my shoulder pulled me from my thoughts i looked up to see perron
01:09:31standing before the counter his usual modest expression colored by a hint of nerves perron was a
01:09:37wandering scholar i had rescued three months ago after he collapsed outside my shop he was handsome in
01:09:42a gentle intellectual way possessing a quiet grace that persisted despite his poverty the young girls who
01:09:49worked for me loved to whisper that he was hopelessly in love with me i always dismissed it as childish
01:09:54gossip why would a brilliant young man with his whole life ahead of him want a woman like me
01:09:59i was a widow with a swollen belly living under a story that my husband had perished on some distant
01:10:04battlefield is something wrong mr perron his face flushed crimson the heat spreading all the way to his
01:10:11ears he hesitated for what felt like an eternity fidgeting with his sleeves as if trying to summon every
01:10:17ounce of courage in his soul miss vivian i have admired you for a very long time i don't care
01:10:23about your past and i don't care about the rumors i want to take care of you if you would
01:10:28honor me by
01:10:29becoming my wife i promise to love your children as if they were my own blood i froze my mind
01:10:34racing
01:10:35to find a kind way to reject him before i could speak however a voice like a sudden arctic gale
01:10:41tore through
01:10:41the room turning the humid southern air to ice elena you intend to take my children and marry
01:10:50this pathetic lowly commoner my body turned to stone i turned my head slowly toward the doorway
01:10:57there framed against the dying rays of the sunset stood the man who should have been a thousand miles
01:11:03away arthur's face was a mask of sheer murderous rage the moment perron finished his confession the
01:11:13air in the room shattered a suffocating pressure the raw primal weight of a dragon's aura exploded
01:11:19outward pinning everyone to the spot arthur stepped into my workshop clad in robes of deep obsidian and gold
01:11:26his eyes were twin glaciers harboring a frost cold enough to freeze the entire southern coast
01:11:32he moved with a heavy deliberate stride and i knew instantly that the day of reckoning for my six
01:11:38month escape had finally arrived my legs turned to water in a frantic useless panic i grabbed a
01:11:44handful of monocrystals and tried to bolt for the back exit but it was already too late the doorway
01:11:49was blocked by a wall of iron a phalanx paladin their armor gleaming with an impressive holy light
01:11:55there was no escape his eyes turned a violent bloodshot crimson his voice cracking with a shock that looked far
01:12:02too much like genuine pain faking your own death to deceive me elena your audacity truly knows no
01:12:08bounds you were the one who sent that bowl of poison if i hadn't fled my children would be nothing
01:12:15but a
01:12:15memory by now poison i never gave such an order
01:12:24parents stood paralyzed the sheer weight of the crown prince's presence crushing the air from his lungs
01:12:29miss vivian he looked at me you told me your husband had that he had been marted on the northern
01:12:34front
01:12:36marted elena are you so desperate for my death that you've already buried me in your stories i couldn't
01:12:41look him in the eye i hadn't wished for his death it was quite the opposite i had missed him
01:12:45so much
01:12:46that the only way to survive the silence was to bury his memory under a lie your highness please do
01:12:53not distress her she is heavily pregnant she cannot handle such a shock despite the visible trembling of
01:12:59his hands parents stepped forward shielding me with his own body get out of my way he lunged forward
01:13:05reaching to seize me but before his fingers could brush my skin a cataclysmic pain tore through my
01:13:10lower body it felt as if my very soul was being ripped in two it hurts arthur something is wrong
01:13:18the hatchlings they're coming now i doubled over my breath itching and strangled screams the world began
01:13:24to tilt into darkness
01:13:28the crown prince who only moments ago had looked ready to tear the world apart instantly lost his composure
01:13:34arthur gathered me into his arms those hands usually so steady when gripping a sword or signing a
01:13:41death warrant were now shaking uncontrollably don't be afraid elena i've got you i'm taking you home
01:13:51he stayed right there pacing the halls of the manor i had bought six months ago the healers and midwives
01:13:57begged him to leave citing ancient superstitions that a crown prince's presence in a birthing chamber would bring
01:14:03ruin to his divine love arthur didn't argue he simply drew his sword and stood guard at the door as
01:14:09the
01:14:09hours led into one another and the labor became unbearable i began to sob the tears flowing freely
01:14:15every time i cried out the cold ruthless leader of the dragon line the man who made the empire tremble
01:14:21found his own eyes welling with moisture finally two sharp frozen cries laying out a boy and a girl had
01:14:28safely entered the world the midwives whispered among themselves as they cleaned the infants in all
01:14:33their years of delivering children they had never seen a mother endure labor while the father stood
01:14:37by and cried his eyes out when i finally opened my eyes the room was bathed in the golden dying
01:14:44light
01:14:45of the next day's twilight arthur was right there sitting by the bed but as soon as my mind cleared
01:14:49the old bitterness blared up stop pretending to care you never wanted us the day you returned to the
01:14:54capital you were so eager to have me disposed you stayed in your chambers with isabella for three
01:15:00days and three nights they said you were lost in each other until dawn that the priest had to change
01:15:05the holy water 20 times because of your gravity i never touched isabella and i never not for a single
01:15:11second intended to depose you when i returned my father did push for an alliance but i stood before
01:15:17the entire court and declared that i already had a wife by sacred contract he urged me to bring you
01:15:22to
01:15:22the palace immediately i thought your heart was still full of christopher i was so mad with pain
01:15:27that i delayed the official proclamation of your title i was a fool elena but i was never unfaithful
01:15:37a deep flush crept up my neck all those stories the whispered nights of passion were nothing more than
01:15:43illusions and rumors engineered by isabella to drive me to the edge of insanity i've uncovered the truth
01:15:54it was isabella she bribed the priests in the side hall to lace your medicine with a cursed powder
01:16:03designed to wither the dragon line his voice turns cold and predatory a low vibration of pure hatred
01:16:12i've stripped her of her noble name and condemned her the tower to eternal weights for the rest of her
01:16:20life
01:16:22elena thank god you were alert enough to refuse that drast
01:16:28if you hadn't his arms began to shake violently this powerful terrifying crown prince looked suddenly
01:16:34heartbreakingly fragile the walls i had built around my heart crumbled in an instant for the first time
01:16:38in two years i reached out and wound my arms around his neck leaning into him with a surge of
01:16:43pure
01:16:44unadulterated longing since you never chose her you aren't allowed to look at anyone else ever again
01:16:50arthur if you ever dare to betray our contract i will take our children and vanish into the
01:16:55mistwood i will hide so well that you could spend the rest of your life searching and never see my
01:17:00face again what did you just say you you're willing to stay for me he pulled back his eyes searching
01:17:09mind with a look of frantic overwhelming joy as if he were a drowning man who had finally found the
01:17:14shore
01:17:16i looked at his face the face of a man so devastatingly handsome yet currently twisted
01:17:22into an expression of clumsy desperate anxiety and i couldn't help but let out a soft laugh
01:17:29i've always had a fondness for beasts especially a dragon like you greedy humble and so utterly obsessed
01:17:40that once you've chosen a master you can never be shaken off arthur's gaze darkened instantly that
01:17:48predatory glint returned to his mismatched eyes dancing with a renewed fire he crushed his lips against
01:17:55mine kissing me with a ferocity that suggested he wanted to grind my very soul into his own
01:18:04i am your shadow i am your guardian dragon
01:18:10you will never push me away again as long as you live his kiss was beginning to wander growing more
01:18:16fervent and hungry until it was abruptly shattered by two loud synchronized whales
01:18:24the babies arthur stop i haven't even seen our children yet the dignified crown prince lowered his
01:18:31lashes in a fit of silent brooding resentment he looked exactly like a great dragon who had just seen his
01:18:39most precious treasure stolen yet lacked the heart to retaliate with a resigned sigh he reached into the
01:18:46bassinets and scooped up the two velvet wrap bundles elena even with these two little things stealing
01:18:55your attention you are not allowed to reduce the love you give me by a single inch
01:19:02i gave a helpless quiet laugh my fingertips brushed against the faint shimmering gold scales on the hatchling's
01:19:09foreheads the most sacred mark of the imperial line then to be fair i leaned up and pressed a lingering
01:19:17reassuring kiss to the lips of their jealous father the evening breeze of emerald harbor drifted through the
01:19:23window carrying the scent of salt and blooming flowers on this ancient continent of miracles and strong wine
01:19:31we finally had our future and for the first time it was enough
Comments