from slave to savior of the lycan king Eng Sub All Episode

MoonlitNarrative

Welcome to Maine Reels – your ultimate premium destination for the hottest trending short dramas and the newest viral drama shorts in stunning HD quality!  Immerse yourself in powerful stories that deliver full emotional journeys in just minutes. From heart-pounding revenge plots, passionate romances, emotional family sagas to billionaire twists and thrilling betrayals – every short drama is crafted to keep you hooked from the very first second.  We bring you the most talked-about and newest short dramas from around the world, updated daily with the freshest viral hits. With seamless multi-language support (English, Spanish, Arabic and more), you can enjoy every moment without language barriers.  Perfect for your busy schedule or when you need a quick, powerful emotional escape. Join millions of viewers who start and end their day with the best short dramas on the platform.  Turn on notifications now so you never miss the latest viral sensation!

Transcript

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.

00:00:18Two 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, I've 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 robes,

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 to my force, trapping me

00:01:04in an eternal cage.

00:01:07Oh, thank you. But I will never let your children become your presence.

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

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

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

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, as

00:01:43my consciousness began to fracture.

00:01:45He appeared. He rode through the chaos. As he charged forward on horseback, I could have sworn I saw the

00:01:52spectral shimmer of dragon wings unfurl behind him.

00:01:55A broken sword in one hand, and a spear in the other, cutting a path to my side. In my

00:02:01blurred 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. I 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. Before sending him to the tower

00:02:21was a triumph of my power.

00:02:22Now I found myself sneaking toward it just to catch a glimpse of him. He was right there in my

00:02:28temple, yet I was dying of an incurable heartache.

00:02:32Today was his 22nd birthday. I had spent hours baking a lemon tart with my own hands, wanting to give

00:02:38him a surprise.

00:02:40I wanted to tell him that he was going to be a father.

00:02:43Two years ago in the arena, I bestowed upon him the name Shadow. He was but a flicker of darkness,

00:02:50easily erased.

00:02:51Now, that name has become my only longing. I reached the tower only to find my world collapsing.

00:02:58My shadow was gone. A massive dragon shadow reared its head, its wings sweeping across the ceiling.

00:03:05A blinding burst of molten gold erupted before my eyes, before shrinking and condensing into the form of a noble

00:03:12man.

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

00:03:20He already had a fiancé, a childhood match. Lady 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, skulping in the shadows like a common thief, a royal guard lunged forward, pressing the

00:03:47frigid 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. The ragged, homespun clothes were gone.

00:03:59In their place was a magnificent robe of black and gold. Risking execution, I reached out with trembling fingers, desperately

00:04:09trying to catch his hand.

00:04:11A low, rhythmic vibration pumped in the air, as glowing embers of dragon fire drifted from the golden boitery of

00:04:18his robes.

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

00:04:23Tell me, Miss Vivian, how do you plan to torture me today? Will it be the jeweled whip, or shall

00:04:27I 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.

00:04:45To 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.

00:05:17But 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.

00:05:41Do 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.

00:05:58Golden 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 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.

00:06:18I 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.

00:06:36Disaster struck three days after Arthur's departure.

00:06:39My 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.

00:06:47I rushed to the capital, desperate and breathless, only to be met with the 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 him like acerated blood, but he couldn't find the voice to answer.

00:07:24How 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 bleach, I had left scars upon his back that would never heal.

00:07:40He 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 that opened 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, the ruby whip in my hands buried under a thick

00:08:31shroud of snow.

00:08:32Just as dawn threatened to break, a dragon's roar shattered the clouds.

00:08:35The black waves 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?

00:08:59Which 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.

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

00:09:10Before I could find my voice, my strength failed me.

00:09:13My 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.

00:09:24The way he had pinned me against the altar with a predatory hunger.

00:09:26My 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 glow 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.

00:09:49Very 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.

00:09:56Before 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 head draped in black fox fur.

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

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 being spread wide, bathing the moon in suffocating golden blue.

00:10:40The air crackled with an 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 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.

00:11:08My 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 smear.

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, uselessly, to the floor.

00:11:29His gaze was licking up, grossly well, threatening to turn me very soltois.

00:11:33For the thousandth time, virality crashed down upon me.

00:11:37He 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.

00:11:42Pleasing 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 me 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.

00:12:17Clickering 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.

00:13:03I 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.

00:13:16I, I will do it.

00:13:19I will please you.

00:13:21Arthur 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.

00:13:45Hmph.

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.

00:14:47My 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

00:16:45sharp as her status.

00:16:46It was Isabella, the Duke's most beloved daughter.

00:16:50She was the woman Arthur had personally chosen as his crown princess upon 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.

00:17:19I wanted to scream, to fight back.

00:17:21But a sudden wave of weakness in 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.

00:17:44So 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?

00:18:04Those 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.

00:18:18How 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.

00:18:40A private pet with no name.

00:18:43The insult burned through my veins.

00:18:45I 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.

00:19:47Lord Christopher.

00:19:48My 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.

00:20:21The 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.

00:20:35A 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.

00:21:14Christopher let out a sharp, derisive laugh, his eyes scanning me with a terrifying lack of shame.

00:21:20I 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.

00:21:53He hadn't 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.

00:22:05The 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.

00:22:19Do 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.

00:22:53People 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.

00:23:33Unlike 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

00:23:53worry.

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, and my throat burned as if I had swallowed

00:24:18hot coals.

00:24:20Worse, 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.

00:24:30He wasn't our savior. He was a man who took pleasure in my ruin.

00:24:35A 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.

00:24:49But 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.

00:25:06Those 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,

00:26:33crying over scraped knees,

00:26:35had 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

00:26:44kept me tossing and turning in a feverish unrest.

00:26:49Hours later, I stepped out into the hallway and froze.

00:26:52There stood Julian.

00:26:54But he was unrecognizable.

00:26:57He had changed into a garish flamboyant suit of shimmering silks,

00:27:01with 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.

00:27:32Panic 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! I 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.

00:28:30I told myself, it would be like being bitten by a wild beast.

00:28:33Stainful, 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.

00:28:51He undid the silver clasps at his collar, his smile thick with a sticky predatory mallet.

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.

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 book of my neck.

00:29:42The scent of yours, it's enough to drive a man mad.

00:29:44Stop! Christopher, 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

00:30:14recoil.

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 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.

00:31:09He 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.

00:31:24I 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.

00:31:30The 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 hand.

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.

00:32:05Christopher'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 shaves with a terrifying heavy weight.

00:32:16Get off me! Don't touch me!

00:32:21Keep 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 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?

00:33:22Lover.

00:33:26Since when is it a crime to enjoy a midnight thrisk with one's own...

00:33:31Arthur rained down low after brutal blow, until Christopher lay unconscious in an ever-widening pool of blood.

00:33:39I have not yet signed the decree of abdulation, until I do.

00:33:43She belongs to me.

00:33:45You dared 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.

00:34:09Arthur 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?

00:34:38You 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.

00:34:54I 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, 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, as if I were nothing more than a

00:35:24conquest claimed on a battlefield.

00:35:26I had no hope of escape.

00:35:29Within 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.

00:35:52He 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

00:36:26will 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, 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

00:37:02brushed mine, he 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, 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.

00:37:26You torture me.

00:37:27You humiliate me.

00:37:31Isn't this exactly what you wanted?

00:37:33Take it!

00:37:34Whip me to death if that's what it takes!

00:37:37I stepped on your shoulders.

00:37:38I crushed your pride.

00:37:40So take my hands!

00:37:41Take my feet!

00:37:43Do whatever you want!

00:37:44Just save my father!

00:37:46If you promise to save him, I'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.

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

00:38:02I had wielded this bearing 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.

00:38:18I 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?

00:38:33I'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.

00:38:58Is my touch really that repulsing to you?

00:39:02Well, too bad.

00:39:04Tonight, 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.

00:39:30I punished him, forcing him to kneel shirtless on the cold temple floor, while I used gold ink to paint

00:39:36a 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.

00:39:52Our lips met.

00:39:53That kiss had been clumsy, yet so tender.

00:39:55He had whispered broken pleas, begging me to let him kiss me just once more.

00:40:01My shadow had been so kind then.

00:40:03No 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

00:40:22through 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.

00:40:36Is 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, a high justice own daughter.

00:40:55And yet here you are, playing the martyr, preserving 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, his 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 that 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.

00:41:38To 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 saintists 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.

00:42:03Yet their voices were venomous.

00:42:08Did you really think he'd keep a broken doll?

00:42:13His Highness gifted Lady Isabella, the legendary starry knight 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.

00:42:39On the eighth day of my imprisonment, the heavy doors finally groaned open.

00:42:43A 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!

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, I will 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.

00:43:33I 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, he 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 unfast 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.

00:44:52Press 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, my tears weren't enough.

00:45:32I know what you want.

00:45:34You're still angry about that winter, about how I forced you into the frozen lake.

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

00:45:42I'll go. I'll jump into the ice in the back garden.

00:45:46And catch every single one of those damn fish for you.

00:45:50I 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! Have 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?

00:46:44Elena, I'm going to make sure you never forget exactly who I am!

00:46:50The 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.

00:47:08Bastard! You aren't human!

00:47:10But the more I struggled, the 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.

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 as they pulled me tight against a racing heart.

00:48:15When I finally drifted back to consciousness, the heavy velvet curtains had been drawn, sealing out the daylight.

00:48:21The chamber was thick with the bitter, cloying scent of medicinal herbs and 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?

00:48:45Your Highness, Miss Vivian's spirit was already fragile.

00:48:55After 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, the hatchling would have already been

00:49:16lost.

00:49:18A hatchling, signs of a miscarriage.

00:49:21A bitter, self-deprecating smile touched my lips.

00:49:24My little dragon was still there.

00:49:26It was far more resilient than I had imagined, but within seconds.

00:49:30A bone-chilling dread washed over me.

00:49:33Arthur knew.

00:49:34He knew that within me, a secret was growing.

00:49:38A secret the temple would never allow to exist.

00:49:42In an empire where blood purity was everything, the bastard of a fallen saintess would likely never be given the

00:49:49chance to draw his first breath.

00:49:53In a surge of sheer panic, my hand struck the wooden bed frame with a sharp crack at the sound.

00:49:58Arthur pulled back the heavy velvet curtains.

00:50:00He sat beside me, his face a mask of cold stone.

00:50:03I instinctively recoiled into the corner of the bed, desperate for a shred of safety.

00:50:07I knew the protocol of the empire.

00:50:08If I hadn't woken up, I might have already ordered the priest to prepare a purification draft, to erase the

00:50:13evidence of my shame.

00:50:14Arthur gripped my hand with bruising force, his voice devoid of warmth.

00:50:18Are you still in pain?

00:50:20Mind race.

00:50:21Should I tell the truth?

00:50:22Physical ache had mostly subsided.

00:50:23I knew he lived for my suffering.

00:50:24If I told him I was in agony, perhaps his thirst for vengeance would be satisfied.

00:50:29Yes, it hurts.

00:50:31Terrified that he would force the draft down my throat right then, I scrambled to reassure him.

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

00:50:37I would never use this child to trap you or force you.

00:50:41Just let me go.

00:50:42Once I return to my family lands, I'll deal with it myself.

00:50:45I'll make sure it's gone.

00:50:48It was a lie that tasted like ash.

00:50:51I loved my little dragon already, but I needed him to believe I was no threat to his future.

00:50:58Deal with it?

00:51:01You're truly that eager to get rid of these two children.

00:51:05Two?

00:51:06I was stunned into silence.

00:51:08Dragon twins were a miracle, a rarity whispered of in legends.

00:51:12It meant I was carrying a double dragon pulse.

00:51:14My resolve to protect them hardened instantly, but I forced my voice to stay cold.

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

00:51:21I'd rather die than have them.

00:51:23I'll brew two bowls of the draft and wipe them from existence.

00:51:27I glanced at the priest standing in the shadows.

00:51:30They weren't moving to help.

00:51:31Instead, they were visibly trembling in terror.

00:51:34You really are heartless, Elena.

00:51:36He shoved my hand away and stormed out, his cloak swirling like a dark cloud.

00:51:41I shouted after him, my voice cracking with desperation.

00:51:44If two bowls aren't enough, I'll drink ten.

00:51:50Arthur vanished again for several days.

00:51:52I was forced to listen to the maids gossiping in the hallways, their whispers like jagged glass.

00:51:58They 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.

00:52:11He 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.

00:52:23I assumed he found the idea of having children with a twisted woman, like me, repulsive, leading him to seek

00:52:31solace in someone pure.

00:52:32I pitied his burden.

00:52:35Yet the ache in my own chest only grew more hollow.

00:52:39To my absolute shock, a summons arrived.

00:52:42The emperor and empress demanded an audience with me.

00:52:45Before Arthur reclaimed his throne, the highest authority I had ever encountered was a local provincial lord.

00:52:52To be called before the absolute rulers of the empire was terrifying.

00:52:57I was certain they intended to put me on trial for the crime of desecrating the crown prince.

00:53:03The imperial couple was legendary for their sole covenant.

00:53:07The emperor had married a commoner when he was nothing more than a minor noble.

00:53:12And they had remained devoted to one another ever since.

00:53:15After Arthur disappeared at age six, the empress was so devastated by grief and injury that she could never bear

00:53:23another child.

00:53:24Their love for Arthur was boundless.

00:53:27And then there was me, the witch who had tormented their precious long lost son.

00:53:33I felt certain that if 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.

00:53:49Every footstep echoed against the marble, amplifying my dread.

00:53:53I kept my head bowed, trembling, until a pair of silk slippers appeared in my vision.

00:53:59When I looked up, I saw a woman of such timeless beauty.

00:54:03She looked less like Arthur's mother and more like an elder sister.

00:54:08She reached out and personally helped me to my feet.

00:54:11I held my breath, my heart hammering against my ribs.

00:54:15Was she inspecting my skin to decide which torture would be most effective?

00:54:20Was she looking for the mark of the witch?

00:54:22You 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.

00:54:36Is that true?

00:54:41I froze, completely blindsided.

00:54:44I had no memory of saving a prince.

00:54:48When I was nine, I had slipped away from the temple to explore.

00:54:53I 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 them.

00:55:09It was a casual gesture to a stranger.

00:55:11It wasn't until two years ago, in the stench of a blood-soaked gladiator pit, that I recognized those striking,

00:55:18mismatched eyes again.

00:55:20I bought him for a single gold coin just so I wouldn't have to watch him rot in the mud.

00:55:25I don't understand why they're making such a fuss.

00:55:29I 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, an artifact pulsing with divine light,

00:55:50and 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 with Arthur

00:56:03at the temple.

00:56:04Cold sweat trickled down my face.

00:56:06How 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 steps?

00:56:13Or 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.

00:56:24When 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 hall.

00:56:35The Empress had even promised to visit me personally in the coming days.

00:56:39My mind was a whirlwind of confusion.

00:56:41Arthur loathed me.

00:56:43Why then had he told his parents I was his savior?

00:56:45But I ran out of time to wonder.

00:56:48The doors to the chambers were thrown open by Arthur's head guard.

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 draught.

00:56:59His Highness's orders.

00:57:01Miss Vivian is to drink this immediately.

00:57:04We cannot allow anything improper to stain the purity of the royal bloodline.

00:57:08The world turned to ice.

00:57:10He was finally coming for the life inside me.

00:57:13He wanted to personally destroy these twin dragon pulses, to burn away the last lingering evidence of our humiliating past.

00:57:19I looked at the black liquid, my hand instinctively dropping to cover my stomach.

00:57:23I could feel them, tiny, flickering sparks of life.

00:57:26I have to run.

00:57:27I have to escape.

00:57:29The 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.

00:57:42I finally felt a weight lift from my chest.

00:57:44I clung to the belief that once the truth was laid bare, the honor of the Vivian family would be

00:57:49restored to its former glory.

00:57:51Now, my only remaining weakness was the twin dragon pulses growing within me.

00:57:55The moment I returned from the palace, a maid entered my chambers carrying a bowl of liquid that shimmered with

00:58:00an eerie violet light.

00:58:01She called it a sacred essence supplement, claiming it was meant to bolster my strength.

00:58:06I wasn't a fool.

00:58:06I knew Arthur was incapable of such sudden mercy.

00:58:09I 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.

00:58:16The magic plant, known for its incredible resilience, reacted instantly.

00:58:20The moment the liquid touched the soil, the lush leaves shriveled, turning into brittle, blackened husks as if scorched by

00:58:27dragon fire.

00:58:28My blood ran cold.

00:58:29It wasn't a supplement at all.

00:58:31It was a blood-cleansing draught.

00:58:33A lethal poison designed to starve my hatchlings of their magic and kill them in the womb.

00:58:39Gold can buy even the most depraved of souls.

00:58:41Using a priceless mithril hairpin as a bribe, I managed to smuggle a desperate message to Julian through a kitchen

00:58:47maid.

00:58:47I begged him for a vial of Draft of the Living Death.

00:58:51A forbidden alchemical concoction that could halt a heartbeat and mimic a cold stillness of the grave, all without harming

00:58:58the fragile dragon sprouts in my womb.

00:59:00When a person dies, their deaths are supposedly settled.

00:59:04If I were dead, Arthur would have no reason to force those cruel, poisonous draughts down my throat.

00:59:10At worst, he would have my body tossed into a mass grave in the desolate barrens.

00:59:15Once the effects wore off, I could crawl out of the dirt and vanish into the night with my children

00:59:19to find my mother.

00:59:20My only terror was Arthur's depravity.

00:59:22I feared that even in death, he might plunge a blade into my chest.

00:59:27Just to be certain, the potion took hold with terrifying speed.

00:59:31A bone-deep chill spread through my limbs, turning my blood to slush.

00:59:35My mind remained agonizingly sharp.

00:59:38Yet I was a prisoner in my own skin.

00:59:41Unable to move a muscle.

00:59:42Unable to flicker an eyelid.

00:59:44Until the heavy doors burst open.

00:59:48Someone help!

00:59:53Miss Vivian...

00:59:55She stopped breathing!

00:59:57The frantic scream echoed through the stone chamber,

01:00:01sounding more like a celebration of my freedom than a mourning of my life.

01:00:05I lay there, a hollow shell, waiting to see if my gambit would lead to the wilderness or the pyre.

01:00:13Before I heard the heavy rhythmic thud of leather boots against the stone floor,

01:00:18Arthur had arrived.

01:00:20He seemed unable to fathom that the witch, who had once tormented him so ruthlessly, could fall so easily.

01:00:28Who says she is dead?

01:00:30If you are mocking me again,

01:00:35I swear I will bury the entire Vivian family,

01:00:40along with you!

01:00:42But I was merely a corpse now,

01:00:45a silent witness to his descent into hysteria.

01:00:48I stayed frozen,

01:00:50locked in the icy grip of the draft.

01:00:53His voice grew softer,

01:00:55losing its edge,

01:00:57until it was filled with a frantic, staggering sense of panic I had never heard before.

01:01:03Why was he so shaken?

01:01:05Was he afraid my vengeful spirit would haunt him for the rest of his days?

01:01:09Or was he simply realizing that his favorite toy had finally broken beyond repair?

01:01:14Either way,

01:01:16I remained still,

01:01:17praying for the darkness of the burial grounds to come quickly.

01:01:23By now,

01:01:25he must have found the letter I left behind.

01:01:27In it,

01:01:28I wrote that I had finally reached my breaking point,

01:01:32that I had swallowed a lethal poison to end the humiliation,

01:01:36and that no one else was to blame.

01:01:38My only dying wish was for him to honor our old contract,

01:01:43and return my remains to my family's ancestral lands.

01:01:46But his reaction after reading those words,

01:01:49sent a fresh wave of horror through my frozen soul.

01:01:52Do you love Christopher that much?

01:01:54Do you love him so deeply,

01:01:56that you would rather commit suicide?

01:02:01You want your bones returned home?

01:02:03Never.

01:02:04You will stay by my side.

01:02:08Even if you rot.

01:02:10You will do so in my arms!

01:02:13The living death only lasted 12 hours.

01:02:16If he didn't hurry up and bury me,

01:02:18I was going to resurrect right in front of him.

01:02:22Elena, please.

01:02:25Open your eyes and look at me.

01:02:28Then, I felt it.

01:02:30A 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,

01:02:50blinded 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.

01:03:01I waited, holding my breath,

01:03:04until Arthur slumped against my neck with a broken moan.

01:03:08With 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.

01:03:15Even 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,

01:03:25the symbol of supreme authority,

01:03:27from his belt and threw on a nondescript maid's cloak.

01:03:31Keeping my head low,

01:03:33I slipped out of the chamber.

01:03:36I abandoned the memory-haunted north,

01:03:39seeking 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.

01:03:49The night I fled,

01:03:51Julian met me at the city gates,

01:03:53sobbing like a child.

01:03:55He pressed a mountain of mana crystal cards into my hands,

01:03:59begging to follow.

01:04:00It 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,

01:04:12this wealth would last for lifetimes.

01:04:16I opened a boutique named Amber Eyes.

01:04:19While I loathed the dry imperial codes,

01:04:22I had a genius for alchemy,

01:04:25distilling oils and crafting the eternal youth elixirs

01:04:28that once drove the capital's elite into a frenzy.

01:04:32But in the quiet moments,

01:04:34the ghosts returned.

01:04:36I saw my father's face,

01:04:38then Arthur's.

01:04:40I remembered the whispers of his nights with Isabella,

01:04:43and the steam rising from the poison he sent for my children.

01:04:47Whenever the pain flared,

01:04:49I drowned it in work.

01:04:51My little dragons were growing,

01:04:53and for them, I had to be strong.

01:04:57I found a few displaced, starving girls wandering the streets,

01:05:01and took them in.

01:05:03Under my care,

01:05:04their hollow cheeks filled out,

01:05:07and their fearful eyes began to spark with life.

01:05:10They 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,

01:05:24demanding they be nothing more than ornaments or property.

01:05:28I 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.

01:05:43Within six months,

01:05:45Amber Eyes became the ultimate obsession for the noble women of the South.

01:05:50People often ask me if I fear bankruptcy,

01:05:53considering the academy charges no tuition.

01:05:55I simply offer a faint smile and say nothing.

01:05:59They have no idea I am the daughter of the wealthiest man in the Holy Kingdom.

01:06:04Besides, 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,

01:06:22carrying whispers of a world I had left behind.

01:06:25Five months ago, my father, Bernard, was finally exonerated and released.

01:06:30The High Tribunal had uncovered everything.

01:06:34It was all a web of lies spun by Christopher.

01:06:36The shadow that had loomed over my family's honor was finally dispelled.

01:06:40According to Julian, Christopher's obsession had spiraled into madness.

01:06:46Desperate to replace me,

01:06:47he had kidnapped a girl who shared a passing resemblance to me

01:06:51and kept her imprisoned in the secret villa, calling her by a pet name.

01:06:55But his high-born wife, the daughter of the Lord Chief Justice,

01:07:00discovered his sordid secret.

01:07:02In a fit of betrayed rage, she stormed the villa with her retainers.

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

01:07:14Christopher, the man who pretended to love me so deeply,

01:07:18didn'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 and his political career.

01:07:28He underestimated a woman's wrath.

01:07:31His wife stripped away his mask, exposing his embezzlement in treason.

01:07:36Now, he rots in a lightless dungeon, his limbs broken and his mind shattered.

01:07:42He is a pathetic creature, a far cry from the elegant scholar he once pretended to be.

01:07:49I 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.

01:07:58Julian's letters became increasingly frantic, claiming 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, he personally escorted Isabella to the ghost tower.

01:08:14Arthur! Please! You can't do this!

01:08:17No one knew the reason, but I could guess.

01:08:20A man like Arthur would never tolerate anyone who dared to touch his secrets or threaten his absolute control.

01:08:27Now Arthur spends his days scouring the capital for a ghost.

01:08:30He searches for any trace of my existence.

01:08:33And at night, he stands before my empty grave, screaming to the heavens that I am his only true crown

01:08:40princess.

01:08:41I felt nothing but cold disdain when I read those words.

01:08:44He had spent his nights lost in the arms of another woman.

01:08:48And now, he wants to play the role of the grieving, devoted husband.

01:08:52It was a pathetic performance.

01:08:54My only focus now is the safety of my two little dragons.

01:08:57The most experienced midwife in the south warned me that carrying twins, especially those of the dragon line, is a

01:09:04treacherous path.

01:09:05She told me that the day of their birth would be like walking along the precipice of the underworld.

01:09:11It is a gamble with death.

01:09:13A heavy fear has settled in my bones.

01:09:15I am terrified that I will never wake to see Julian become a grand archmage.

01:09:19And even more terrified that my children will enter this world only to find themselves motherless.

01:09:27A soft touch on my shoulder pulled me from my thoughts.

01:09:30I looked up to see Perrin standing before the counter, his usual modest expression colored by a hint of nerves.

01:09:36Perrin was a wandering scholar I had rescued three months ago after he collapsed outside my shop.

01:09:41He was handsome in a gentle, intellectual way, possessing a quiet grace that persisted despite his poverty.

01:09:48The young girls who worked for me loved to whisper that he was hopelessly in love with me.

01:09:52I always dismissed it as childish gossip.

01:09:55Why 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.

01:10:06Is something wrong, Mr. Perrin?

01:10:07His face flushed crimson, the heat spreading all the way to his ears.

01:10:12He hesitated for what felt like an eternity, fidgeting with his sleeves as if trying to summon every ounce of

01:10:17courage in his soul.

01:10:19Miss Vivian, I have admired you for a very long time.

01:10:23I don't care about your past, and I don't care about the rumors.

01:10:26I want to take care of you.

01:10:28If you would honor me by becoming my wife, I promise to love your children as if they were my

01:10:32own blood.

01:10:33I froze, my mind racing to find a kind way to reject him.

01:10:37Before I could speak, however, a voice like a sudden arctic gale tore through the room, turning the humid southern

01:10:43air to ice.

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

01:10:51Lowly 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, stood the man who should have been a thousand miles away.

01:11:04Arthur's face was a mask of sheer murderous rage.

01:11:10The moment Perrin finished his confession, the air in the room shattered.

01:11:14A suffocating pressure, the raw, primal weight of a dragon's aura, exploded outward, pinning everyone to the spot.

01:11:22Arthur 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-month

01:11:38escape had finally arrived.

01:11:40My legs turned to water.

01:11:42In a frantic, useless panic, I grabbed a handful of monocrystals and tried to bolt for the back exit, but

01:11:47it was already too late.

01:11:48The doorway was blocked by a wall of iron, a phalanx of paladins, their armor gleaming with an oppressive, holy

01:11:55light.

01:11:55There was no escape.

01:11:57His eyes turned a violent, bloodshot crimson, his voice cracking with a shock that looked far too much like genuine

01:12:02pain.

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

01:12:06Elena, your audacity truly knows no bounds.

01:12:09You were the one who sent that bowl of poison!

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

01:12:17Poison! I never gave such an order!

01:12:24Perrin stood paralyzed, the sheer weight of the crown prince's presence crushing the air from his lungs.

01:12:29Miss Vivian...

01:12:30He looked at me.

01:12:31You told me your husband had... that he had been martyred on the northern front.

01:12:35Martyr?

01:12:37Elena, 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.

01:12:42I hadn't wished for his death. It was quite the opposite.

01:12:45I had missed him so much that the only way to survive the silence was to bury his memory under

01:12:50a lie.

01:12:51Your highness, please, do not distress her. She is heavily pregnant. She cannot handle such a shock.

01:12:58Despite the visible trembling of his hands, Perrin stepped forward, shielding me with his own body.

01:13:02Get out of my way!

01:13:04He lunged forward, reaching to seize me.

01:13:06But before his fingers could brush my skin, a cataclysmic pain tore through my lower body.

01:13:11It felt as if my very soul was being ripped in two.

01:13:15It hurts. Arthur, something is wrong. The hatchlings, they're coming now!

01:13:21I doubled over, my breath pitching and strangled straight into the world began to tilt into darkness.

01:13:28The crown prince, who only moments ago had looked ready to tear the world apart, instantly lost his composure.

01:13:35Arthur gathered me into his arms. Those hands, usually so steady when gripping a sword or signing a death warrant,

01:13:41were now shaking uncontrollably.

01:13:44Don'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.

01:13:56The healers and midwives begged him to leave, citing ancient superstitions that a crown prince's presence in a birthing chamber

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

01:14:05Arthur didn't argue. He simply drew his sword and stood guard at the door as the hours bled into one

01:14:10another, and the labor became unbearable.

01:14:12I 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.

01:14:23Finally, two sharp innocent cries rang out. A 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, they had never seen a mother endure labor, while the father stood by

01:14:38and cried his eyes out.

01:14:40When I finally opened my eyes, the room was bathed in the golden, dying light of the next day's twilight.

01:14:46Arthur was right there, sitting by the bed. But as soon as my mind cleared, the old bitterness flared up.

01:14:51Stop pretending to care! You never wanted us! The day you returned to the capital, you were so eager to

01:14:57have me disposed.

01:14:57You stayed in your chambers with Isabella for three days and three nights. They said you were lost in each

01:15:03other until dawn.

01:15:04That the priests had to change the holy water twenty times because of your pravity!

01:15:09I never touched Isabella.

01:15:10And I never, not for a single second intended to depose you. When I returned, my father did push for

01:15:16an alliance.

01:15:16But I stood before the entire court and declared that I already had a wife by sacred contract.

01:15:21He urged me to bring you to the palace immediately. I thought your heart was still full of Christopher.

01:15:25I was so mad with pain that I delayed the official proclamation of your title.

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

01:15:37A deep flush crept up my neck. All those stories, the whispered nights of passion, were nothing more than illusions

01:15:44and rumors engineered by Isabella to drive me to the edge of insanity.

01:15:49I've uncovered the truth.

01:15:54It was Isabella.

01:15:55Isabella.

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.

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

01:16:09A low vibration of pure hatred.

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

01:16:15And condemned her the tower to eternal waves.

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

01:16:22Elena.

01:16:22I'm glad you were alert enough.

01:16:24To refuse that drast.

01:16:28If you hadn't.

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

01:16:31This powerful, terrifying crown prince looked suddenly, heartbreakingly fragile.

01:16:35The walls I had built around my heart crumbled in an instant.

01:16:38For the first time in two years, I reached out and wound my arms around his neck.

01:16:42Leaning into him with a surge of pure, unadulterated longing.

01:16:46Since 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 miscourt.

01:16:56I will hide so well that you could spend the rest of your life searching and never see my face

01:17:00again.

01:17:01What did you just say?

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

01:17:07He pulled back, his eyes searching mine with a look of frantic, overwhelming joy.

01:17:12As if he were a drowning man who had finally found the shore.

01:17:16I looked at his face.

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

01:17:21yet currently twisted into an expression of clumsy, desperate anxiety.

01:17:26And 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.

01:17:35Greedy, humble, and so utterly obsessed.

01:17:40That once you've chosen a master, you can never be shaken off.

01:17:45Arthur's gaze darkened instantly.

01:17:48That predatory glint returned to his mismatched eyes, dancing with a renewed fire.

01:17:54He crushed his lips against mine, kissing me with a ferocity that suggested he wanted to grind my very soul

01:18:01into his own.

01:18:04I 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, growing more fervent and hungry, until it was abruptly shattered by two loud synchronized

01:18:21wails.

01:18:25The babies! Arthur, stop! I haven't even seen our children yet!

01:18:29The dignified crown prince lowered his lashes in a fit of silent, brooding resentment.

01:18:35He looked exactly like a great dragon, who had just seen his most precious treasure stolen,

01:18:41yet lacked the heart to retaliate.

01:18:43With a resigned sigh, he reached into the bassinets and scooped up the two velvet-wrapped bundles.

01:18:52Elena, even 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, I 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,

01:19:24carrying the scent of salt and blooming flowers.

01:19:27On this ancient continent of miracles and strong wine, we finally had our future.

01:19:34And for the first time, it was enough.

01:19:38ALEC

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended