The Dragon Slave I Whipped is Now My King - Full Episode (Full Drama) _ Full Short Drama _ English Sub 2026 - video Dailymotion
Watch the full short drama with English subtitles. CEO, billionaire, revenge, betrayal β complete story in one video.
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Watch the full short drama with English subtitles. CEO, billionaire, revenge, betrayal β complete story in one video.
#shortdrama #ceodrama #drama #revenge #fullmovie #englishsub #reelshort #dramabox #miniseries #love #betrayal #drama2026
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:01Elena, is this how beg?
00:00:09Two years ago, I was the arrogant saintess,
00:00:14and he was the dragon slave I whipped at my whim.
00:00:17Two years later, he awakens the imperial dragon blood
00:00:21and returns to the imperial capital.
00:00:24As the giant dragon dives to the earth,
00:00:27he 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,
00:00:39fallen into the abyss beneath the altar.
00:00:42To save my father, I was forced to kneel at his feet
00:00:46and let him tear away my white robes,
00:00:49the very symbol of my sanctity.
00:00:51He laughed coldly, demanding I pleasure him
00:00:55to repay the debts of those two years.
00:00:57He already has a perfect match by his side,
00:01:00yet he insists on taking me by force,
00:01:03trapping me in an eternal cage.
00:01:06Oh, you are.
00:01:08But I will never let your children become your prisoners.
00:01:12Watching the madness of his possessive gaze,
00:01:15I press my hand against my stomach,
00:01:17where a faint draconic sigil flickered,
00:01:20the mark pulsing of the rhythmic cadence of a heartbeat.
00:01:24It was this very secret that had driven me to ornestate my own death,
00:01:28a scandalous escape that had shocked the world.
00:01:30A month ago, the Holy Kingdom fell under a sudden monster assault.
00:01:35I found myself cornered in the black forest,
00:01:39trapped and suffocating under the weight of a dark malevolent curse,
00:01:42as my consciousness began to fracture.
00:01:44He appeared.
00:01:45He rode through the chaos.
00:01:47As he charged forward on horseback,
00:01:50I could have sworn I saw the spectral shimmer of dragon wings unfurl behind him,
00:01:54a broken sword in one hand and a spear in the other,
00:01:58cutting a path to my side.
00:02:01In my blurred vision, he looked breathtaking.
00:02:05That night, amidst a frantic soul resonance,
00:02:08I 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,
00:02:37wanting to give him a surprise.
00:02:39I wanted to tell him that he was going to be a father.
00:02:42Shadow.
00:02:43Two years ago in the arena,
00:02:45I bestowed upon him the name Shadow.
00:02:47He 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,
00:03:03its 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 fiancΓ©, 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,
00:03:37surrounded 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 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 boitery 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.
00:05:17But to him, my very touch was a defilement.
00:05:20The deposition decree, sealed with the dragon crest, had severed our contract forever.
00:05:25At 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 and father noble dragon heirs.
00:05:39To him.
00:05:40Do you have any final prayers, Miss Vivian?
00:05:43He 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, 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.
00:06:02With a mocking smear, his body shifted and expanded in a blinding 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.
00:06:37After Arthur's departure, my father, the Holy Father, was branded with the twin sins of treason and 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.
00:06:56Inside 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.
00:07:18Her words cut through my leg acerated 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?
00:07:33How could I confess that?
00:07:35In fits of bleach, 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.
00:08:24I knelt until I lost all feeling in my legs, the ruby whip in my hands buried under a thick
00:08:30shroud of snow.
00:08:31Just as dawn threatened to break, a dragon's roar shattered the clouds.
00:08:35The black wings eclipsed the dawn 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.
00:08:46The crunch of his boots against the frozen ground echoed the frantic beating of my heart.
00:08:50His 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 sentence.
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 night of soul resonance.
00:09:23The way he had pinned me against the altar with a 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, and a faint rhythmic blow of molten fire pulsed beneath the skin of
00:09:42his 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, ignoring my cry of protest.
00:10:01He strode ruthlessly through the gallery and hurled me onto the strong shed draped in black fox fur.
00:10:06The 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.
00:10:21One 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 bloom.
00:10:39The air crackled in the womb of ancient dragon fire, as the crushing weight of his aura sealed the room.
00:10:45I shielded my womb with a trembling hand, protecting the fragile life 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.
00:11:04I flash 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 what was leaving this week?
00:11:24The whip slipped from my numb fingers, clattering, uselessly, to the floor.
00:11:29His gaze was licking up, frozen and well, threatening to turn me very soul-toious.
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 flick of his fingers.
00:11:43Pleasing me is your only task.
00:11:46If you can satisfy me, perhaps I will show mercy,
00:11:50and 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.
00:11:59My heart clenching in fear.
00:12:01Ever since, a day here claimed his throne, I had been spotting blood.
00:12:05The physician had warned that the dragon bloodline was too powerful.
00:12:10My pregnancy was fragile.
00:12:11I was terrified of the bleeding.
00:12:13I was even more terrified of losing the tiny life already.
00:12:16Flickering with a dragon's breathing side meh.
00:12:21Are 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.
00:12:32Since the great saint despises her purity so highly, you 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.
00:12:59I had been spoiled my entire life.
00:13:02I had never bowed to anyone.
00:13:04I was terrified of losing the babies, but I was more terrified of my father's execution.
00:13:10I forced back my tears, my voice trembling.
00:13:16I...I 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,
00:13:38eventually forcing myself onto my tiptoes to press a desperate, humiliating kiss against his lips.
00:13:45Hmph.
00:13:46Is 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.
00:13:56Back 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!
00:14:13He growled the command.
00:14:16The volatile temper and searing heat unique to the dragon race exploded in an instant,
00:14:22shattering his fragile self-control.
00:14:24I tried to recoil in fear, but instead of pushing me away,
00:14:29his arm clamped around my waist like an iron vice,
00:14:32pinning me ruthlessly against the edge of the bed.
00:14:35He seized control, his kiss so violent I thought he would crush my lips.
00:14:40I struggled for air as the kiss grew more feral,
00:14:44a desperate clash of hatred and hunger.
00:14:47My clothes were reduced to threads.
00:14:49I felt like a fallen leaf adrift on a violent sea,
00:14:53swaying and drowning in the tidal wave of his draconic lust.
00:14:57When the first light of dawn filtered through the windows,
00:14:59I drifted back to consciousness.
00:15:01Arthur was already fully dressed in his black and gold princely regalia,
00:15:05looking cold and peerless once more.
00:15:06Your Highness,
00:15:10last night I did what you asked.
00:15:13You'll save my father now, won't you?
00:15:16Arthur adjusted the dragon scale cufflinks at his wrists,
00:15:19offering a chilling laugh without even bothering to look back.
00:15:23When exactly did I say that sleeping with me once
00:15:26would 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,
00:15:35but the pain in my heart was 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.
00:15:59This was nothing but cold-blooded retaliation,
00:16:02the cruelest way possible to humiliate me for the two years I spent trampling on his dignity.
00:16:07The air felt thin.
00:16:09The 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,
00:16:21he strode away without looking back.
00:16:23Like a hollow shell of a human being,
00:16:25I numbly gathered the shredded remnants of my clothes
00:16:28and draped them over my battered body.
00:16:30I began the long, agonizing trek out of the palace.
00:16:33But as I reached the end of the corridor,
00:16:36I collided with a radiant procession.
00:16:38At the head of the group stood a woman
00:16:40in a vibrant imperial gown trimmed with gold,
00:16:43her elegance as sharp as her status.
00:16:46It was Isabella, the Duke's most beloved daughter.
00:16:49She was the woman Arthur had personally chosen as his crown princess
00:16:52upon his return to the throne.
00:16:54The 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.
00:17:18I 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,
00:17:39making 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.
00:17:54He was my sworn knight.
00:18:02Vows?
00:18:03Those archaic rituals mean less than nothing to a crown prince.
00:18:08I've heard stories of how cruelly you treated him.
00:18:11Now 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.
00:18:29If 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.
00:18:45But 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.
00:19:26He 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.
00:19:53Save 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 eyeballs.
00:20:57My father gave you everything.
00:20:59He 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, my 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 right in front of
00:21:43him.
00:21:44Christopher's face instantly twisted into a blue shade of purple.
00:21:48He had expected tears, or perhaps a desperate surrender.
00:21:52He had expected me to be so physically repulsed by his touch, that I would be sick on the spot.
00:22:01Christopher was clearly stunned by my physical repulsion.
00:22:04The mask of a refined gentleman shattered, leaving behind a gaze so dark and venomous, it chilled my blood.
00:22:12The fake warmth in his voice died instantly, replaced by a low, predatory snarl.
00:22:18Do not test my patience, Elena. I 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, you might as
00:22:37well 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, leaving me to tremble alone in
00:22:47the 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.
00:22:56But 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.
00:23:15I dragged my battered body, feeling as though it had been trampled by a carriage, and began the long, numb
00:23:23walk back to that hollow substitute for a home.
00:23:28I had a younger brother, Julian, who was two years my junior.
00:23:33Unlike 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, his face pale with
00:23:52worry.
00:23:54Crushed and defeated, I dragged my feet down the endless corridor, and with a trembling, uncertain hand, pushed open the
00:24:02massive door.
00:24:04Elena! What did he say?
00:24:06Did Prince Arthur, did Shadow Grie 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!
00:24:12I looked at the flickering sparks of hope in their eyes, and my throat burned as if I had swallowed
00:24:17hot 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, claiming my body with a brutal hunger.
00:24:29He wasn't our savior. He wasn't our savior. He was a man who took pleasure in my ruin.
00:24:34A man who wanted to watch me drown in this hopeless mire, until 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.
00:24:54My 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. It'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.
00:25:37It's that cold-blooded prince who is blind.
00:25:41You deserve the purest devotion this world has to offer.
00:25:45Not 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.
00:25:59Now the proud saintess had finally learned how to bow her head.
00:26:04I no longer prayed for glory or power.
00:26:07I 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. I can carry this family's weight.
00:26:21Trust me. I will bring father home.
00:26:23I looked at the young man standing before me.
00:26:26His 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.
00:26:47Hours 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.
00:27:05Julian, 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.
00:27:31Panic surged through me as I tricked him into the wine cellar and slammed the heavy iron door, locking it
00:27:37tight.
00:27:40Let me out! I was born for this!
00:27:43If it saves father, what does it matter if I'm just a plaything?
00:27:48I 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, as much as I loathed the idea of becoming his caged bird.
00:28:13It seemed the path had narrowed until there was 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.
00:28:23I spent the entire journey numbing my mind, whispering to myself that this was merely a sacrifice.
00:28:29I told myself, it would be like being bitten by a wild beast.
00:28:33Painful, yes, but 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, my stomach churned with
00:28:44violent 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.
00:29:00My body is rigid as stone.
00:29:03Not used to this yet?
00:29:04Don't worry.
00:29:05I'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 as he tried to bury his face in
00:29:41the hook of my neck.
00:29:41The scent of yours, it's enough to drive a man mad.
00:29:45Christopher, listen to me. I 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.
00:29:59He began to tear at my sacred robes with a frantic, desperate violence.
00:30:03Go ahead, keep fighting me. If you do, I'll make sure Bernard is dead.
00:30:07Before the sun rises tomorrow!
00:30:09Arthur was a man of violence, but when he touched me, there was a part of my soul that didn't
00:30:13recoil.
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.
00:30:33No one could have ever guessed that behind his gentle, refined demeanor hit a dark and twisted heart.
00:30:41He leaned close to my neck, his every word laced with chilling, hidden malice that sent shivers down my spine.
00:30:50To tell you the truth, Elena, I orchestrated everything.
00:30:56Bernard's downfall, the treason, the trial, it 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.
00:31:11How 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. So 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
00:31:28mother 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.
00:31:45Now, kiss me.
00:31:47He ruthlessly tore open my inner robes.
00:31:50The sudden bite of the cold air stung my exposed skin.
00:31:52I couldn't stop shaking, and as his face descended toward mine, a wave of visceral, physical revulsion took hold.
00:31:58With every ounce of strength I had left, I shoved him away.
00:32:04Christopher's mask of civility shattered into a hundred jagged pieces.
00:32:08His 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.
00:32:22But 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 grinding 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.
00:32:48Christopher 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.
00:33:17Since when is it a crime to enjoy a midnight thrisk with one's own lover?
00:33:22Lover.
00:33:31Arthur rained down blow 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.
00:33:41Until I do, she belongs to me.
00:33:45You dare to touch what is mine, and for that, you will die!
00:33:51Between 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.
00:34:09Arthur reached out, his arms snaking around me like an iron band to haul me into his chest.
00:34:14Seeing 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?
00:34:27Do 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.
00:34:52But I didn't dare fight back.
00:34:54I 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.
00:35:02My 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.
00:35:17Arthur tossed me into his massive war chariot, pulled by snarling drakes, as if I were nothing more than a
00:35:24conquest claimed on a battlefield.
00:35:26I had no hope of escape.
00:35:28Within the hour, I was back in the palace, thrown once again onto the suffocating black fox furs of his
00:35:35bed.
00:35:35I curled into a ball, my eyes red and swollen, rubbing the small of my back where the impact had
00:35:42left a dull, throbbing ache.
00:35:46His voice was a low, terrifying rumble, cold as a mountain grave.
00:35:51He pressed his callous thumb against my lips, rubbing 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, if you ever dare to shame me with another man again, I
00:36:25will 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.
00:36:46And the draconic aura swirling around him was so suffocating, it felt as though he had just clawed his way
00:36:53out of the deepest pits of hell.
00:36:54Looking at the sheer madness in his expression, I knew, with terrifying certainty, if I admitted that Christopher's lips even
00:37:01brushed mine, he would cut my lips away without a second thought.
00:37:05In truth, Christopher hadn't touched me.
00:37:09I should have been paralyzed by fear, but 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.
00:37:25You 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, take my feet!
00:37:42Do whatever you want!
00:37:44Just save my father, if you promise to save him.
00:37:48I'll let you sacrifice me on the altar right now!
00:37:55Arthur remained silent as he reached down to retrieve the heavy, jewel-encrusted whip.
00:37:59I couldn't help the violent flinch that wracked my body.
00:38:02I had wielded this very weapon countless times, but 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.
00:38:17I forced my spine to straighten and close my eyes, waiting for the end.
00:38:24After I'm gone, would you place a bouquet of fresh roses on my grave?
00:38:32I'm afraid of the cold on the other side.
00:38:41A woman from this wretched holy kingdom has no place beside my throne.
00:38:49He didn't swing the whip.
00:38:51Instead, he lunged forward, his searing fingers clamping around my slender waist like iron bands.
00:38:57Is my touch really that repulsing to you?
00:39:01Well, too bad.
00:39:03Tonight, I'm taking exactly what I want.
00:39:09His lips crashed against mine, fueled by a scorching, desperate rage.
00:39:13In the chaos of the kiss, a 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, my heart had hammered so wildly.
00:39:27I had accused him of placing a curse on me.
00:39:29I punished him, forcing him to kneel shirtless on the cold temple floor, while I used gold ink to paint
00:39:35a massive, ridiculous creature across his broad back.
00:39:39His ears had turned a deep, burning crimson.
00:39:42I thought it was humiliation, so I insolently grabbed his ear to make him turn around.
00:39:47But as he moved, I lost my balance and tumbled into his arms.
00:39:51Our lips met.
00:39:52That kiss had been clumsy, yet so tender.
00:39:56He had whispered broken pleas, begging me to let him kiss me just once more.
00:40:00My shadow had been so kind then.
00:40:02No matter how I shamed him, he would have handed me the entire world on a silver platter just to
00:40:07see me smile.
00:40:10But the Arthur of today only knew how to bully me, how to make me hurt.
00:40:15As he ruthlessly tore away my silk inner robes, the tears I had fought so hard to suppress finally broke
00:40:21through the dam once again.
00:40:23They cascaded down my cheeks, hot and bitter, splashing against the side of his face.
00:40:29Arthur's movements froze instantly.
00:40:31He remained motionless, his hands still white-knuckled around a shred of the ruined silk.
00:40:35Is my touch so unbearable?
00:40:38He let out a sharp, guttural sound of disgust, and shoved me aside like a discarded rag.
00:40:43Before I could even shiver, he grabbed a heavy black fox fur blanket and wrapped it around me.
00:40:48That piece of filth, Christopher, already has a wife.
00:40:53High Justice's own daughter.
00:40:55And yet here you are, playing the martyr, preserving your purity.
00:41:00To Venus's, your controls no purity for him.
00:41:04You really are a devoted fool, Miss Vivian.
00:41:08He stood up, his eyes flashing with a final, cutting spark of disdain.
00:41:12Don't flatter yourself.
00:41:15You aren't the only woman in the world.
00:41:17I don't need you.
00:41:19He turned and strode out of the chamber, the massive oak door slamming shut with a thunderous crash that echoed
00:41:25through the hollow silence of my heart.
00:41:27I wept until my throat was raw, and only then did the dull throbbing ache in my womb begin to
00:41:33subside.
00:41:33I was desperate to go home, to save my father, to stop Julian from selling his soul for a scrap
00:41:40of 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.
00:41:48He wanted to watch the once haughty saintess rot in a gilded cage, until there was nothing left of my
00:41:54pride.
00:41:54For seven days, Arthur never showed his face.
00:41:58Instead, he sent a flock of handmaids to tend to me.
00:42:00They were meticulously attentive, yet 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, he would be a corpse.
00:42:38On the eighth day of my imprisonment, the heavy doors finally groaned open.
00:42:42A silhouette draped in black and gold stepped through the threshold, bringing 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! I have to see my mother!
00:43:00I have to save my father!
00:43:03Shadow, you are nothing but a cold-blooded beast!
00:43:06If you let my father die without me saying goodbye, I swore make you regret it for the rest of
00:43:13your life!
00:43:14I snatched out the ruby-encrusted whip trying to shield my vulnerability behind a pathetic empty threat.
00:43:19Bernard is still alive.
00:43:22The air rushed back into my lungs.
00:43:25My father was safe, at least for now.
00:43:28But as the panic receded, a different kind of poison took its place.
00:43:32I 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.
00:43:43The jealousy was a sudden, searing heat.
00:43:47When he had taken me, he hadn't shown half that much endurance.
00:43:51He was spending so much time entangled with that duke's daughter.
00:43:54I 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.
00:44:14Vivian, 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? Then take it!
00:44:47Do to me exactly what I did to you two years ago.
00:44:51Press your boot into my shoulder.
00:44:54Draw those ridiculous, mocking creatures on my skin.
00:44:58Burn me with your humiliation!
00:44:59My 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?
00:46:14I hadn't expected him to do it.
00:46:17But 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.
00:46:26Vivian!
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?
00:46:40None 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.
00:47:07You 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.
00:47:15I 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.
00:47:49A rose severed from its stem.
00:47:51And the world dissolved into a hollow silent void.
00:47:55Elena, Elena.
00:47:58Was that panic in his voice?
00:48:00It felt almost comedic.
00:48:01Didn'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.
00:48:14When 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?
00:48:45Her Chagot?
00:48:46Your Highness Miss 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
00:49:29a bone-chilling dread washed over me arthur knew he knew that within me a secret was growing
00:49:37a 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 had
00:50:22mostly subsided i knew he lived for my suffering if i told him i was in agony perhaps his thirst
00:50:26for
00:50:26vengeance would be satisfied yes it hurts terrified that he would force the draft down my throat right
00:50:33then i scrambled to reassure him you don't have to worry i would never use this child to trap you
00:50:39or
00:50:40force you just let me go once i return to my family lands i'll deal with it myself i'll make
00:50:46sure it's
00:50:46gone it was a lie that tasted like ash i loved my little dragon already but i needed him to
00:50:54believe
00:50:55i was no threat to his future deal with it you're truly that eager to get rid of these two
00:51:03children
00:51:05two i was stunned into silence dragon twins were a miracle a rarity whispered of in legends it meant i
00:51:12was carrying a double dragon pulse my resolve to protect them hardened instantly but i forced my
00:51:18voice to stay cold yes i don't want them i'd rather die than have them i'll brew two bowls of
00:51:24the draft
00:51:25and wipe them from existence i glanced at the priest standing in the shadows they weren't moving to help
00:51:31instead they were visibly trembling in terror you really are heartless elena he shoved my hand away
00:51:37and stormed out his cloak swirling like a dark cloud i shouted after him my voice cracking with
00:51:43desperation 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
00:51:55their whispers like jagged glass they said he spent every waking and sleeping hour in isabella's
00:52:03chambers rumor had it that once the dragon bloodline awakened the host possessed a terrifying near
00:52:10limitless stamina he and the duke's daughter were reportedly lost in each other's embrace until the
00:52:16break of every dawn a bitter wave of sorrow crashed over me i assumed he found the idea of having
00:52:25children with a twisted woman like me repulsive leading him to seek solace in someone pure
00:52:32i pitied his burden yet the ache in my own chest only grew more hollow to my absolute shock a
00:52:41summons
00:52:41arrived the emperor and empress demanded an audience with me before arthur reclaimed his throne
00:52:47the highest authority i had ever encountered was a local provincial lord to be called before the
00:52:54absolute rulers of the empire was terrifying i was certain they intended to put me on trial for
00:53:00the crime of desecrating the crown prince the imperial couple was legendary for their sole covenant
00:53:06the emperor had married a commoner when he was nothing more than a minor noble and they had remained
00:53:13devoted to one another ever since after arthur disappeared at age six the empress was so devastated
00:53:20by grief and injury that she could never bear another child their love for arthur was boundless
00:53:27and then there was me the witch who had tormented their precious long lost son i felt certain that
00:53:35if i wasn't sent straight to the pyre it would be a miracle
00:53:42the imperial palace was a fortress of limestone and gold looming over me with a heavy sacred weight
00:53:48every 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
00:54:09personally helped me to my feet i held my breath my heart hammering against my ribs
00:54:15was she inspecting my skin to decide which torture would be most effective was she looking for the
00:54:21mark of the witch you are breathtaking even 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
00:54:52i found a starving filthy beggar boy collapsed by the roadside
00:54:57i had simply tossed him a high-grade healing pill and a heavy pouch of gold coins
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 gladiator pit that i recognized those striking mismatched eyes again i bought him for a
00:55:21single gold coin just so i wouldn't have to watch him rot in the mud i don't understand why they're
00:55:27making such a fuss i only gave him some gold i was planning to throw away
00:55:37such a good child
00:55:42without another word she carefully removed a shimmering mithril amulet from her own neck
00:55:46an 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
00:56:08how could i tell her that i had once punished him by making him kneel shirtless on freezing stone
00:56:13steps or that i had branded his chest with the word shadow a tale of absolute desecration
00:56:18i could only offer pale hollow lies claiming we had lived as the closest of companions
00:56:23when i returned to the crown prince's estate i was greeted by an overwhelming display of favor
00:56:29carts filled with rare medicinal tonics and bolts of the finest silk were being unloaded into my side
00:56:34hall the empress had even promised to visit me personally in the coming days
00:56:38my mind was a whirlwind of confusion arthur loathed me
00:56:42why then had he told his parents i was his savior
00:56:45but i ran out of time to wonder the doors to the chambers were thrown open by arthur's headguard
00:56:50in his hands he carried a porcelain bowl filled with a black steaming liquid that smelled of death
00:56:56it was the purification draft
00:56:58his highness's orders miss vivian is to drink this immediately
00:57:03we cannot allow anything improper to stain the purity of the royal bloodline
00:57:08the world turned to ice he was finally coming for the life inside me he wanted to personally destroy these
00:57:14twin dragon pulses to burn away the last lingering evidence of our humiliating past i looked at the black liquid
00:57:20my hand instinctively dropping to cover my stomach i could feel them tiny flickering sparks of life i have to
00:57:26run i have to escape
00:57:28the emperor of the empire was indeed a just and formidable ruler
00:57:33when i knelt before him and begged for a thorough investigation into my father's wrongful imprisonment
00:57:38he gave me his word that the case had been transferred to the high tribunal
00:57:41i finally felt a weight lift from my chest
00:57:43i clung to the belief that once the truth was laid bare
00:57:46the 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
00:57:55the moment i returned from the palace
00:57:56a maid entered my chambers carrying a bowl of liquid that shimmered with an eerie violet light
00:58:01she called it a sacred essence supplement
00:58:03claiming it was meant to bolster my strength
00:58:05i wasn't a fool i knew arthur was incapable of such sudden mercy
00:58:08i pretended to drink it with a grateful smile
00:58:10but the second the doors were closed and the windows latched
00:58:13i tipped the bowl into a pot of moonlight ivy
00:58:15the magic plant known for its incredible resilience
00:58:18reacted instantly
00:58:20the moment the liquid touched the soil
00:58:22the lush leaves shriveled
00:58:23turning into brittle blackened husks
00:58:25as if scorched by dragon fire
00:58:27my blood ran cold
00:58:29it wasn't a supplement at all
00:58:30it was a blood cleansing draft
00:58:32a lethal poison
00:58:33designed to starve my hatchlings of their magic and kill them in the womb
00:58:38gold can buy even the most depraved of souls
00:58:41using a priceless mithril hairpin as a bribe
00:58:43i managed to smuggle a desperate message to julian through a kitchen maid
00:58:47i begged him for a vial of draft of the living death
00:58:50a forbidden alchemical concoction that could halt a heartbeat and mimic a cold stillness
00:58:56of the grave all without harming the fragile dragon sprouts in my womb
00:59:00when a person dies
00:59:01their deaths are supposedly settled if i were dead arthur would have no reason to force those cruel poisonous drafts
00:59:09down my throat
00:59:09at worst he would have my body tossed into a mass grave in the desolate barrens
00:59:14once the effects wore off
00:59:16i could crawl out of the dirt and vanish into the night with my children to find my mother
00:59:20my only terror was arthur's depravity
00:59:22i feared that even in death
00:59:24he might plunge a blade into my chest
00:59:26just to be certain
00:59:27the potion took hold with terrifying speed
00:59:30a bone deep chill spread through my limbs
00:59:33turning my blood to slush
00:59:35my mind remained agonizingly sharp
00:59:38yet i was a prisoner in my own skin
00:59:40unable to move a muscle
00:59:42unable to flicker an eyelid
00:59:44until the heavy door's doors opened
00:59:57the frantic scream echoed through the stone chamber
01:00:00sounding more like a celebration of my freedom than a morning of my life
01:00:04i lay there
01:00:05a hollow shell
01:00:06waiting to see if my gambit would lead to the wilderness or the pyre
01:00:12before i heard the heavy rhythmic thud
01:00:15of leather boots against the stone floor
01:00:17arthur had arrived
01:00:19he seemed unable to fathom that the witch
01:00:22who had once tormented him so ruthlessly
01:00:24could fall so easily
01:00:28who says she is dead
01:00:30if you are mocking
01:00:32me again
01:00:35i swear i will bury
01:00:37the entire vivian family
01:00:39along with you
01:00:42but i was merely a corpse now
01:00:44a silent witness to his descent into hysteria
01:00:48i stayed frozen
01:00:50locked in the icy grip of the draft
01:00:52his voice grew softer
01:00:55losing its edge
01:00:56until it was filled with a frantic
01:00:59staggering sense of panic
01:01:00i had never heard before
01:01:01why was he so shaken
01:01:04wake up
01:01:05was he afraid my vengeful spirit would haunt him
01:01:07for the rest of his days
01:01:08wake up
01:01:10or was he simply realizing that his favorite toy had finally broken beyond repair
01:01:14either way
01:01:15i remain still
01:01:17praying 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
01:01:31that i had swallowed a lethal poison to end the humiliation
01:01:35and that no one else was to blame
01:01:38my only dying wish was for him to honor our old contract
01:01:42and return my remains to my family's ancestral lands
01:01:45but his reaction after reading those words
01:01:48sent a fresh wave of horror through my frozen soul
01:01:52do you love christopher
01:01:53do you love christopher that much
01:01:53do you love him so deeply
01:01:55that you would rather commit suicide
01:02:00you want your bones returned home
01:02:02never
01:02:04you will stay by my side
01:02:07even if you rot
01:02:09you will do so in my arms
01:02:12the living death only lasted 12 hours
01:02:15if he didn't hurry up and bury me
01:02:18i was going to resurrect right in front of him
01:02:21elena
01:02:22please
01:02:25open your eyes and look at me
01:02:28then i felt it
01:02:29a cold trembling kiss pressed against my unresponsive lips
01:02:37time was running out
01:02:40outside the night was dark and the wind was howling
01:02:43the effects of the draft were finally beginning to wane
01:02:47arthur was on the jagged edge of a mental collapse
01:02:49blinded by a grief i never expected
01:02:53as the feeling returned to my limbs
01:02:55my fingers brushed against the paralyzing silver needle julian had hidden among my supplies
01:03:00i waited
01:03:02holding my breath
01:03:03until arthur slumped against my neck with a broken moan
01:03:07with every ounce of strength i had regained
01:03:10i lunged and drove the needle deep into the pressure point at the nape of his neck
01:03:15even a crown prince of the dragon line couldn't withstand a strike so precise and unexpected
01:03:20i moved like a ghost
01:03:22i snatched the dragon seal
01:03:24the symbol of supreme authority
01:03:26from his belt
01:03:27and threw on a nondescript maid's cloak
01:03:30keeping my head low
01:03:32i slipped out of the chamber
01:03:36i abandoned the memory haunted north seeking refuge in emerald harbor
01:03:41the southern air was sweet and blooming with flowers
01:03:45a place where i could finally fade away
01:03:48the night i fled julian met me at the city gates
01:03:52sobbing like a child
01:03:54he pressed a mountain of mana crystal cards into my hands
01:03:58begging to follow
01:03:59it took hours to convince him to stay until my father was free
01:04:04julian had liquidated half of the vivian family fortune for me
01:04:08even if i lived a life of absolute decadence
01:04:11this wealth would last for lifetimes
01:04:15i opened a boutique named amber eyes
01:04:18while i loathed the dry imperial codes
01:04:22i had a genius for alchemy
01:04:24distilling oils and crafting the eternal youth elixirs
01:04:28that once drove the capital's elite into a frenzy
01:04:31but in the quiet moments
01:04:33the ghosts returned
01:04:35i saw my father's face
01:04:37then arthur's
01:04:39i remembered the whispers of his nights with isabella
01:04:43and the steam rising from the poison he sent for my children
01:04:46whenever the pain flared
01:04:48i drowned it in work
01:04:50my little dragons were growing
01:04:52and for them
01:04:53i had to be strong
01:04:57i found a few displaced starving girls wandering the streets
01:05:01and took them in
01:05:02under my care
01:05:04their hollow cheeks filled out
01:05:06and their fearful eyes began to spark with life
01:05:09they became my loyal apprentices
01:05:12learning the delicate secrets of my shop
01:05:15but i wanted more for them
01:05:17i used my fortune to establish a women's academy at the harbor
01:05:21this world has always been cruel to women
01:05:23demanding they be nothing more than ornaments or property
01:05:27i don't harbor grand illusions of saving the world
01:05:31but i want these girls to master weaving commerce or even basic arcana
01:05:36i want them to have a trade and a voice
01:05:39my business flourished beyond my wildest dreams
01:05:42within six months
01:05:44amber eyes became the ultimate obsession for the noble women of the south
01:05:49people often ask me if i fear bankruptcy
01:05:52considering the academy charges no tuition
01:05:55i simply offer a faint smile and say nothing
01:05:58they have no idea i am the daughter of the wealthiest man in the holy kingdom
01:06:03besides julian still sends crates of mana crystals via secret caravans every month
01:06:09in his eyes i am likely still his reckless spendthrift sister
01:06:13who might run out of pocket money at any moment
01:06:17letters from the capital arrived occasionally through secret channels
01:06:21carrying whispers of a world i had left behind
01:06:24five months ago my father bernard
01:06:27was finally exonerated and released
01:06:29the high tribunal had uncovered everything
01:06:32it was all a web of lies spun by christopher
01:06:35the shadow that had loomed over my family's honor was finally dispelled
01:06:40according to julian christopher's obsession had spiraled into madness
01:06:45desperate to replace me
01:06:47he had kidnapped a girl who shared a passing resemblance to me
01:06:50and kept her imprisoned in a secret villa
01:06:53calling her by a pet name
01:06:55but his highborn wife
01:06:57the daughter of the lord chief justice
01:06:59discovered his sordid spirit
01:07:02in a fit of betrayed rage
01:07:04she stormed the villa with her retainers
01:07:06the innocent girl caught
01:07:08in the crossfire met a horrific end
01:07:11at the hands of a woman scorned
01:07:13christopher
01:07:14the man who pretended to love me so deeply
01:07:17didn't spare a single tear for his victim
01:07:20he immediately turned on the dead girl
01:07:23slandering her memory to save his own skin
01:07:26and his political career
01:07:27he underestimated a woman's wrath
01:07:30his wife stripped away his mask
01:07:33exposing his embezzlement and treason
01:07:35now he rots in a lightless dungeon
01:07:39his limbs broken and his mind shattered
01:07:42he is a pathetic creature
01:07:44a far cry from the elegant scholar he once pretended to be
01:07:48i felt no pity as i burned the letter
01:07:51he earned every second of his agony
01:07:54the vivian family was unable to return to the holy kingdom
01:07:57julian's letters became increasingly frantic
01:08:00claiming that arthur had descended into a state of pure madness
01:08:04the wedding between arthur and isabella never happened
01:08:07instead in a shocking twist that paralyzed the capital
01:08:10he personally escorted isabella to the ghost tower
01:08:13arthur please you can't do this
01:08:17no one knew the reason
01:08:18but i could guess
01:08:19a man like arthur would never tolerate anyone who dared to touch his secrets
01:08:24or threaten his absolute control
01:08:26now arthur spends his days scouring the capital for a ghost
01:08:30he searches for any trace of my existence
01:08:32and at night
01:08:33he stands before my empty grave
01:08:36screaming to the heavens that i am his only true crown princess
01:08:40i felt nothing but cold disdain when i read those words
01:08:44he had spent his nights lost in the arms of another woman
01:08:47and now he wants to play the role of the grieving devoted husband
01:08:52it was a pathetic performance
01:08:53my only focus now is the safety of my two little dragons
01:08:57the most experienced midwife in the south warned me
01:09:00the carrying twins
01:09:01especially those of the dragon line
01:09:03is a treacherous path
01:09:05she told me that the day of their birth
01:09:07would be like walking along the precipice of the underworld
01:09:10it is a gamble with death
01:09:12a heavy fear has settled in my bones
01:09:15i am terrified that i will never wait to see julian become a grand archmage
01:09:19and even more terrified that my children will enter this world
01:09:22only to find themselves motherless
01:09:27a soft touch on my shoulder pulled me from my thoughts
01:09:29i looked up to see peron standing before the counter
01:09:32his usual modest expression colored by a hint of nerves
01:09:35peron was a wandering scholar i had rescued three months ago
01:09:38after he collapsed outside my shop
01:09:40he was handsome in a gentle intellectual way
01:09:44possessing a quiet grace that persisted despite his poverty
01:09:47the young girls who worked for me loved to whisper
01:09:50that he was hopelessly in love with me
01:09:51i always dismissed it as childish gossip
01:09:54why would a brilliant young man with his whole life ahead of him
01:09:57want a woman like me
01:09:58i was a widow with a swollen belly
01:10:01living under a story that my husband had perished
01:10:03on some distant battlefield
01:10:05is something wrong mr peron
01:10:07his face flushed crimson
01:10:08the heat spreading all the way to his ears
01:10:12he hesitated for what felt like an eternity
01:10:14fidgeting with his sleeves
01:10:15as if trying to summon every ounce of courage in his soul
01:10:18miss vivian
01:10:20i have admired you for a very long time
01:10:22i don't care about your past
01:10:24and i don't care about the rumors
01:10:25i want to take care of you
01:10:27if you would honor me by becoming my wife
01:10:29i promise to love your children as if they were my own blood
01:10:32i froze
01:10:33my mind racing to find a kind way to reject him
01:10:36before i could speak however
01:10:38a voice like a sudden arctic gale tore through the room
01:10:41turning the humid southern air to ice
01:10:46elena
01:10:46you intend to take my children and marry
01:10:50this pathetic lowly commoner
01:10:52my body turned to stone
01:10:54i turned my head slowly toward the doorway
01:10:56there framed against the dying rays of the sunset
01:11:00stood the man who should have been a thousand miles away
01:11:03arthur's face was a mask of sheer murderous rage
01:11:10the moment peron finished his confession
01:11:12the air in the room shattered
01:11:14a suffocating pressure
01:11:15the raw primal weight of a dragon's aura
01:11:18exploded outward
01:11:19pinning everyone to the spot
01:11:21arthur stepped into my workshop
01:11:23clad in robes of deep obsidian and gold
01:11:26his eyes were twin glaciers
01:11:28harboring a frost cold enough to freeze the entire southern coast
01:11:32he moved with a heavy deliberate stride
01:11:34and i knew instantly that the day of reckoning for my six month escape
01:11:38had finally arrived
01:11:39my legs turned to water
01:11:41in a frantic useless panic
01:11:43i grabbed a handful of monocrystals and tried to bolt for the back exit
01:11:47but it was already too late
01:11:48the doorway was blocked by a wall of iron
01:11:51the feelings of paladins
01:11:52their armor gleaming with an oppressive holy light
01:11:55there was no escape
01:11:56his eyes turned a violent bloodshot crimson
01:11:59his voice cracking with a shock that looked far too much like genuine pain
01:12:03faking your own death to deceive me
01:12:05elena your audacity truly knows no bounds
01:12:08you were the one who sent that bowl of poison
01:12:12if i hadn't fled
01:12:13my children would be nothing but a memory by now
01:12:16poison
01:12:17i never gave such an order
01:12:23parents stood paralyzed
01:12:25the sheer weight of the crown prince's presence crushing the air from his lungs
01:12:29miss vivian
01:12:29he looked at me
01:12:30you told me your husband had
01:12:32that he had been marted on the northern front
01:12:35marted
01:12:36elena are you so desperate for my death that you've already buried me in your stories
01:12:40i couldn't look him in the eye
01:12:41i hadn't wished for his death
01:12:43it was quite the opposite
01:12:44i had missed him so much that the only way to survive the silence was to bury his memory under
01:12:50a lie
01:12:50your highness
01:12:51please do not distress her
01:12:55she is heavily pregnant
01:12:56she cannot handle such a shock
01:12:57despite the visible trembling of his hands
01:12:59parents stepped forward
01:13:00shielding me with his own body
01:13:02get out of my way
01:13:04he lunged forward
01:13:05reaching to seize me
01:13:06but before his fingers could brush my skin
01:13:08a cataclysmic pain tore through my lower body
01:13:11it felt as if my very soul was being ripped in two
01:13:14it hurts
01:13:16arthur something is wrong
01:13:17the hatchlings
01:13:19they're coming now
01:13:20i doubled over
01:13:21my breath itching and strangled screams
01:13:23the world began to tilt into darkness
01:13:28the crown prince
01:13:29who only moments ago had looked ready to tear the world apart
01:13:32instantly lost his composure
01:13:34arthur gathered me into his arms
01:13:36those hands
01:13:37usually so steady when gripping a sword
01:13:40or signing a death warrant
01:13:41were now shaking uncontrollably
01:13:44don't be afraid elena
01:13:47i've got you
01:13:48i'm taking you home
01:13:51he stayed right there
01:13:52pacing the halls of the manor i had bought six months ago
01:13:55the healers and midwives begged him to leave
01:13:58citing ancient superstitions that
01:14:00a crown prince's presence in a birthing chamber
01:14:02would bring ruin to his divine love
01:14:04arthur didn't argue
01:14:05he simply drew his sword
01:14:07and stood guard at the door
01:14:08as the hours bled into one another
01:14:10and the labor became unbearable
01:14:12i began to sob
01:14:13the tears flowing freely
01:14:15every time i cried out
01:14:16the cold ruthless leader of the dragon line
01:14:19the man who made the empire tremble
01:14:21found 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 cleaned 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
01:14:42the room was bathed in 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
01:14:49the old bitterness blared up
01:14:51stop pretending to care
01:14:52you never wanted us
01:14:53the day you returned to the capital
01:14:55you were so eager to have me disposed
01:14:57you stayed in your chambers with isabella for three days and 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 twenty times because of your pravity
01:15:08i never touched isabella
01:15:10and i never not for a single second intended to depose you
01:15:12when i returned
01:15:14my father did push for an alliance
01:15:16but i stood before the entire court and declared that 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
01:15:36a 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 engineered 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
01:16:03designed to wither the dragon line
01:16:05his 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 the eternal waves
01:16:18for the rest of her life
01:16:21elena thank god you were alert enough
01:16:23to 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 crumbled in an instant
01:16:37for 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 of pure unadulterated longing
01:16:45since you never chose her
01:16:47you aren't allowed to look at anyone else ever again
01:16:49arthur if you ever dare to betray our contract
01:16:52i will take our children and vanish into the mistwood
01:16:55i will hide so well that 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
01:17:07his eyes searching mine with a look of frantic overwhelming joy
01:17:11as if he were a drowning man who had finally found the shore
01:17:16i looked at his face
01:17:17the face of a man so devastatingly handsome
01:17:20yet currently twisted into an expression of 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
01:17:33especially a dragon like you
01:17:35greedy
01:17:35humble
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
01:17:47that predatory glint returned to his mismatched eyes
01:17:51dancing with a renewed fire
01:17:53he crushed his lips against mine
01:17:55kissing me with a ferocity that suggested he wanted to grind my very soul into his own
01:18:03i am your shadow
01:18:06i am your guardian dragon
01:18:10you will never push me away again as 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 by two loud synchronized wails
01:18:24the babies
01:18:25arthur stop i haven't even seen our children yet
01:18:28the dignified crown prince lowered his lashes in 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
01:18:42with a resigned sigh
01:18:44he reached into the bassinets and scooped up the two velvet wrap 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 by a single inch
01:19:02i gave a helpless quiet laugh
01:19:05my fingertips brushed against the faint shimmering gold scales on the hatchling's foreheads
01:19:10the most sacred mark of the imperial line
01:19:13then to be fair
01:19:14i leaned up and pressed a lingering reassuring kiss to 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
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