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Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
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Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.
Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.
New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.
#drama #fullmovie #lovestory #dramatic #billionaire #ceo #family #relationships #movie #story
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00:00:00Ivy and I were pulled across the veil without warning.
00:00:03We were summoned into the beast realm by the goddess of fate herself.
00:00:06She gave each of us a sacred trial.
00:00:08The weaver's voice rang in our minds.
00:00:12Daughters of the mortal realm, hear my decree.
00:00:17Each of you shall be bound to a lion lord of my choosing.
00:00:21The air shimmered around us as her words wove themselves into our souls.
00:00:27Win his heart, fulfill the sacred contract, and a fortune beyond your imagining shall be yours.
00:00:33Only then may you return home.
00:00:35Our bindings were sealed.
00:00:37After fulfilling my task, I planned to claim my reward and slip back beyond the veil.
00:00:41But Ivy chose to stay.
00:00:43Please don't be angry with me. I can't leave him. Not now.
00:00:48Mayhogwe me. Are you certain?
00:00:50Once that veil closes behind me, there's no telling when it will open again.
00:00:54I'm certain.
00:00:56Kieran is my heart.
00:00:57I want to build a life with him here.
00:01:00I worried for her.
00:01:01Yet, they were so wrapped up in each other.
00:01:06I respected her choice and returned home alone.
00:01:09Then, five years later, the weaver's voice drifted through my dreams again.
00:01:13Will you return, child?
00:01:14Your sister friend suffers greatly in that realm.
00:01:17Vision stirred at the edge of my mind, drawing me deeper into sleep.
00:01:21She holds the crown princess seat in name only.
00:01:23Yet, she is forced to wait on the prince's mistress.
00:01:28The goddess showed me everything that Ivy had endured in those five years.
00:01:33My sister friend was heavy with child.
00:01:35Her hands were rough and callid.
00:01:38She knelt on the marble floor.
00:01:41She was washing another woman's feet in a basin of rose oil.
00:01:48Fury surged through me.
00:01:50Send me across the veil.
00:01:51Now, this very breath.
00:01:53And give me a new name to wear.
00:01:55One that will let me crush every creature who dared lay a hand on her.
00:01:58It shall be done.
00:01:59You shall walk among them as Empress Dowage Aurelia herself.
00:02:03Empress Dowager.
00:02:04You have returned from the Northern Kingdoms at last.
00:02:06They were all frozen.
00:02:07Every face in the chamber turned toward me.
00:02:10Vanessa kicked the basin.
00:02:11Rose-scented water splashed across Ivy's face.
00:02:15What are you staring at?
00:02:16Kieran sent you here to serve me.
00:02:18Not to stand about gobbling.
00:02:20Ivy I knew was full of light and laughter.
00:02:22Now she trembled from head to toe.
00:02:24Her gaze dropped to the floor before I could blink.
00:02:26I looked at Ivy.
00:02:27Drenched from head to toe.
00:02:28A cold fury rose in my chest.
00:02:30Vanessa was pleased with Ivy's submission.
00:02:33The corner of her mouth lifted in a mean smile.
00:02:35Her eyes raked over me with open hostility.
00:02:38And who are you?
00:02:39Passed your prime by the look of you.
00:02:42Kieran doesn't fancy women your age.
00:02:45Then her face twisted with fury.
00:02:46She jabbed a finger at me.
00:02:48Don't tell me you're clinging to Kyran too.
00:02:50Take a long look in the mirror, old hag.
00:02:55What did they just call you?
00:02:57Empress Dowager?
00:02:58The only crown princess of the Golden Lion Pride of House Thorn
00:03:01is the one washing my feet right now.
00:03:04How has Kyran let the Rorgal Lion in him rot his judgment?
00:03:08Enough to want a creature like you?
00:03:11My lady, hold your tongue.
00:03:12This is his highness mother.
00:03:14The Empress Georgia who has been abroad all these years.
00:03:17Vanessa froze where she stood.
00:03:18Oh?
00:03:19So you do know who the true crown princess of House Thorn is?
00:03:23Then who gave you leave to throw your weight around in my palace?
00:03:26Vanessa decided she had already crossed me.
00:03:29She gathered herself with brazen composure.
00:03:31It was Kyran who ordered her to serve me.
00:03:34I carry a cub of the Royal Bloodline.
00:03:37I did not waste another breath on her.
00:03:39I strode straight past her.
00:03:40I pulled Ivy up from where she still knelt.
00:03:42Her legs gave way beneath her.
00:03:44She nearly crumpled to the floor.
00:03:46Her once rounded face was gaunt.
00:03:47Her cheekbones jutted out.
00:03:49I forced down the rage rising in my throat.
00:03:51I turned to the handmaidens.
00:03:53Take her to the Royal Healer's Chambers.
00:03:54The servants exchanged uneasy glances.
00:03:57My patience snapped.
00:03:59What?
00:04:00Has my word stopped carrying weight in the Thorn Palace?
00:04:03My voice rose to a roar that rattled the chamber's gilded fixtures.
00:04:07Have you all forgotten that this lion dynasty rose to power on my blood and my counsel?
00:04:16Only then did several servants rush forward.
00:04:19They helped Ivy to her feet, fumbling in their haste.
00:04:22Empress Deltra.
00:04:23She shot Ivy a venomous glare.
00:04:25Vanessa's voice was thick with displeasure.
00:04:27What is the meaning of this, Empress Deltra?
00:04:28She lifted her chin defiantly.
00:04:30Are you trying to disgrace His Highness in his own palace?
00:04:33Besides, she offered herself willingly.
00:04:35Willingly.
00:04:36A lioness five months along who needs others to care for her.
00:04:41Willingly serves a woman with a flat belly?
00:04:44Ivy whispered, barely audible.
00:04:46It was my own choice.
00:04:47I forced back my burning tears.
00:04:50My voice came out sharp as cut glass.
00:04:52Your own choice.
00:04:54Enough of that.
00:04:56Go and rest.
00:04:57Do not let this venomous serpent torment you a moment longer.
00:05:01The warmth drained from Vanessa's eyes.
00:05:03In a heartbeat, she switched masks.
00:05:05She threw herself into the arms of the man who had just stepped up behind him.
00:05:11Kieran, I didn't know Her Majesty had returned.
00:05:14She sobbed in delicate little gasps.
00:05:16She came after me the moment she walked in.
00:05:17She called me a serpent.
00:05:19She would not even let dear sister Ivy serve me.
00:05:24Kieran gazed at Vanessa with doting tenderness.
00:05:27When he faced me, there was no warmth.
00:05:29There was only thinly veiled impatience.
00:05:31Mother, really now?
00:05:32You return after all these years and don't even send word ahead.
00:05:34His arm tightened protectively around Vanessa.
00:05:37The moment you arrive, you set yourself against Nessa.
00:05:40She is young and experienced.
00:05:41Why trouble yourself over her?
00:05:43I looked at this man I was meant to call son.
00:05:46Kieran, have you forgotten who you bound your soul to before the goddess?
00:05:50Have you forgotten how you knelt before me?
00:05:53Begging for my blessing to claim Ivy as your bound mate?
00:05:56Kieran's lips parted, but no answer came.
00:05:59Now she carries your cub.
00:06:01Yet you parade your mistress through these halls and have her wait on Ivy.
00:06:06What exactly do you mean by this?
00:06:09Two sentences.
00:06:10That was all it took to drain every drop of color from Kieran's face.
00:06:14But Vanessa only tugged at his sleeve with a small, wounded whimper.
00:06:17Fury crept into Kieran's expression.
00:06:19Mother, these are stories long buried.
00:06:21Why drag them up now?
00:06:23It was only a footpath.
00:06:25Hardly worth all this fuss.
00:06:26I scoffed.
00:06:28Very well then.
00:06:29If it's truly nothing, let Vanessa wash Ivy's feet instead.
00:06:36Nessa is with child.
00:06:38How could she possibly kneel to bathe anyone's feet?
00:06:40My voice stayed calm as still water.
00:06:43Ivy is with child too.
00:06:45Further along than she is.
00:06:47So why is it Ivy who kneels?
00:06:50Kieran's face flickered through shades of fury.
00:06:52It turned red.
00:06:54Then ashen.
00:06:56You!
00:06:56Kieran, see how she speaks to me.
00:06:58I cannot stay here.
00:07:00I cannot bear it.
00:07:01I said, my voice low and cold.
00:07:03I am going up to see Ivy.
00:07:05If any lasting harm befalls her, I will not let this rest.
00:07:09I watched Ivy sleep.
00:07:10I finally let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.
00:07:12I looked her over and a bitter ache settled in my chest.
00:07:15The rightful crown princess of House Thorn.
00:07:18And she has been living in a forgotten servant's chamber.
00:07:20The crown princess rightful bedchamber long ago seized by Vanessa.
00:07:23I gave the order.
00:07:25My voice called.
00:07:25Go.
00:07:26Have my own chambers made ready and move Ivy into them.
00:07:29If Vanessa torments her again, you know the consequences.
00:07:35But before things could settle, a handmaiden came to report.
00:07:39Empress Dauchy.
00:07:45I was on my feet and out of the study in a splash.
00:07:48There I found Vanessa directing her attendants.
00:07:51They were setting white lilies all through the room.
00:07:54Seeing me arrive, Vanessa puffed out her still flat stomach.
00:07:58She acted as it already swelled with royal blood.
00:08:01Since dear sister Ivy is with child, I thought to bring blessings to her chamber.
00:08:06In the language of flowers, lilies signify a blessed family.
00:08:11I looked at Vanessa and the lily filling the room.
00:08:13Take them away.
00:08:15On what grounds?
00:08:16I asked Kieran personally before I ordered the flowers.
00:08:20Then you go ask Kieran yourself.
00:08:24Ask him if he remembers his bound mate reacts violently to lily pollen.
00:08:30A flicker of panic crossed Vanessa's eyes.
00:08:32Then she quickly added.
00:08:33But this is my honest intention, my lady.
00:08:37Why do you set yourself against me the moment you return?
00:08:41Is it because she stood before the goddess and bound her soul to his?
00:08:45Does she and her cubs suddenly rank above me and mine?
00:08:49With a single glance from me, the servants brought Ivy forward.
00:08:53Her skin was already blooming with crimson welts.
00:08:56This is your kind gesture?
00:08:59Watching her skin break out in wits?
00:09:01I didn't!
00:09:02I swear I didn't know!
00:09:05Whether you did or not, you know in your own heart.
00:09:09My eyes flick down to her belly.
00:09:11If the child in your dummy truly carries golden thorn blood, the royal pride will see to its care.
00:09:17I let the silence stretch, watching her squirm under my gaze.
00:09:22But you are nothing more than a lowborn mistress.
00:09:25You are not fit to be named in this house.
00:09:28If any harm comes to Ivy, I will have your head for it.
00:09:33The royal healer hurried to Ivy's side and began tending her wounds.
00:09:36A strange smile twisted Vanessa's lips.
00:09:39Empress Dowager binding without his heart is no binding at all.
00:09:42I held her gaze without a word.
00:09:44And do you truly believe Ivy would have fallen this far without Ciaran's blessing?
00:10:17In this palace, Ciaran's word is law.
00:10:18This way.
00:10:24I don't know how I have offended Her Majesty.
00:10:27Ciaran's arms closed around her.
00:10:29She has set herself against me since the moment she returned.
00:10:32Mother, there's no need to torment Ness like this.
00:10:35I snatched up the lily and hurled them at Ciaran's chest.
00:10:38Torment!
00:10:39You remember she reacts to lilies, do you not?
00:10:43Look at the state of her.
00:10:47If I had been a moment later, what would have become of the cub in her womb?
00:10:52Panic flickered across Ciaran's face.
00:10:54The lion stirred uneasily beneath his skin.
00:10:57I had forgotten.
00:10:58But Nessie truly didn't know.
00:10:59Why be so angry with her?
00:11:01She carries your grandchild as well.
00:11:02I roared, the golden lion blood in my own veins surged with rage.
00:11:06Can you not see that Ivy, Ivy carries your child too?
00:11:10And her time is near.
00:11:12You broke your sacred vows while she was heavy with your cub.
00:11:15You brought your pregnant mistress under this very roof.
00:11:19You let her humiliate your bound mate.
00:11:21Is this how I raised you at Ciaran?
00:11:23Ciaran sighed heavily.
00:11:25I have failed in my duty.
00:11:27I will send for a midwife to look after Ivy.
00:11:29You needn't trouble yourself any longer.
00:11:30With that, he swept Vanessa into his arm and turned away.
00:11:34At the last moment, Vanessa turned her head.
00:11:36She shot me a slow, deliberately.
00:11:38I knew then.
00:11:39She had thrown down the gauntlet.
00:11:44Empress Daughter, her highness has stirred.
00:11:47I rushed to Ivy's side and clasped her hand in mine.
00:11:49She saw me and tried to rise.
00:11:51I pressed her back down.
00:11:52Rest now.
00:11:54From this day on, you have me at your back.
00:11:57No one will touch you again.
00:11:59Tears fell from Ivy's eyes without a sound.
00:12:02I held her until the trembling stopped.
00:12:04Then I lifted the Dowager seal from around my neck.
00:12:06I pressed it into a servant's palm.
00:12:08Bring me everything you can dig up on Vanessa.
00:12:10Her bloodline, her past, every shadow she has ever cast.
00:12:14The more you find, the better.
00:12:16My voice dropped lower as I closed his fingers over the seal.
00:12:20And take this seal to Lord Ravenhurt.
00:12:23Tell him the Dowager calls in an old debt.
00:12:26At once, Empress Dowager.
00:12:28I slept on a cot at the fend of at Ivy's bed.
00:12:31I rarely left her chamber.
00:12:32The color soon returned to her cheeks.
00:12:34But less than a moon before her time, everything changed in a single night.
00:12:37The birth pain seized at Ivy without warning.
00:12:40She crumpled to the floor.
00:12:41Her screams tore through the long night, raw and unending.
00:12:44I sent runners flying for the royal healer and the midwife.
00:12:46But a servant burst through the door in panic.
00:12:49Empress Dowager!
00:12:50The royal healer and the midwild have arrived at the palace gates.
00:12:53But the main road into the inner courtyard has been blocked.
00:12:58He fought to catch his breath before continuing.
00:13:01A construction caravan has set up at the bend of the road.
00:13:04Carts of stone and timber stand piled as high as a warhorse.
00:13:08They are blocking every inch.
00:13:11Send word to the owner at once.
00:13:13Have them move the carts.
00:13:15The estate belongs to Lady Vanessa's family, Empress Dowager.
00:13:19In that instant, I understood.
00:13:22Then send riders.
00:13:23Every rider we have.
00:13:24Find Kieran.
00:13:26Drag him back to this palace if you must.
00:13:28Now!
00:13:29Rider after rider went out.
00:13:31I lost count of how many before they finally tracked him down.
00:13:34True to my command, the royal guards dragged him back into the palace halls,
00:13:38with Vanessa trailing nervously behind him.
00:13:41His face was dark with displeasure.
00:13:44He spat, smoothing his rumpled coat.
00:13:48Mother, I may be your son, but I came of age years ago.
00:13:52I needn't report every step I take to you.
00:13:55Am I not allowed my own freedom?
00:13:57I stepped closer.
00:13:58Freedom?
00:13:58My voice trembling with cold fury.
00:14:00Tell Vanessa to clear those stones from the road immediately,
00:14:03so the healer can reach the courtyard.
00:14:06Your bound mate is giving birth!
00:14:09He stood his ground, letting out a cold scoff right to my face.
00:14:12Mother, you are far past the age for such gains.
00:14:20Are you truly playing out this little forest with ivy in front of me?
00:14:26I am well aware her time is still a moon away.
00:14:29Must you drag me back here and poison the very night Nessa and I are meant to celebrate our promised
00:14:35day?
00:14:36The crown of House Thorn rests on my brow now, Mother.
00:14:39Do not forget.
00:14:39If you keep throwing your age and rank around to bully Nessa,
00:14:44do not blame me if I cease to call you Mother.
00:14:47Right on cue, Vanessa stepped out from behind him.
00:14:49Soft, deliberate sobs slipped from her lips.
00:14:52She reached out and grasped his sleeve.
00:14:53Kiven, don't speak to her like that.
00:14:55She is your mother after all.
00:14:58A delicate sniffle, perfectly timed.
00:15:00Don't fall out with her for my sake.
00:15:02Kieran wrapped an arm around her, shielding her.
00:15:05I stared at his face, seeing only a mask of cold pride.
00:15:08I can bear it.
00:15:10For you, I can bear anything.
00:15:12Silence pressed against me from every side of the Grand Hall.
00:15:16Then,
00:15:16Ciaran,
00:15:17Low laughter rose from my throat.
00:15:19Grown your fangs and mane, have you?
00:15:21He glared at me, unimpressed.
00:15:25Then take a closer look.
00:15:27I stepped into his space, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper.
00:15:29Take a much closer look at the sacred conditions you swore before the goddess to take that crown.
00:15:35The arrogant mask shattered.
00:15:37Ciaran's breath caught sharply.
00:15:40Panic flooded his eyes.
00:15:41He wheeled on Vanessa with a snarl, pushing her away.
00:15:45Now!
00:15:46Now have your construction crew clear those stones away.
00:15:49If it is too late,
00:15:51I will have your head for it.
00:15:54A cold laugh broke from me.
00:15:56Just then,
00:15:57a thunderous roar shook the very ground beneath our feet.
00:16:00The sound of Lord Ravenhall's warriors tearing the blocked road apart
00:16:04echoed all the way into the hall.
00:16:06You are too late, Ciaran.
00:16:08Lord Caius Ravenbrecht, King of the White Lion Pride,
00:16:10had received the Dowdager's seal.
00:16:12He had answered without question.
00:16:13They tore through Vanessa's family gardens with claws and feline brute strength alone.
00:16:17They leveled them to the ground.
00:16:19Lord Ravenbrecht and I lifted Ivy between us.
00:16:21Our movements were desperate and clumsy.
00:16:22We carried her into the royal healer's carriage.
00:16:25Caius clapped a hand on my shoulder.
00:16:28Save her first.
00:16:29We will speak of the rest later.
00:16:31I gave him a grateful nod.
00:16:33The royal healer pulled out every tool of her craft herbs, runes, healing crystals.
00:16:38She laid them all across ivy's body.
00:16:41But Ivy's face grew paler by the moment.
00:16:44Finally, her eyes fell shut.
00:16:46Her fingers twitched once.
00:16:48Then nothing.
00:17:02I watched the healing crystals glow grow weaker and weaker.
00:17:06I drew in a long breath.
00:17:08Then another.
00:17:10I leaned down to Ivy's ear.
00:17:13My voice was meant only for the two of us.
00:17:15Ivy, you listen to me now.
00:17:19Back home, you were the woman who shattered hearts for sport.
00:17:25How could you throw your life away for one worthless man?
00:17:31For carrying his child?
00:17:33I gripped her hand tighter, willing my warmth into her cold fingers.
00:17:36After I claimed my own reward, I worked my way through a string of gorgeous lovers back home.
00:17:41My voice softened, then hardened again with fierce conviction.
00:17:44You may have been born an orphan, with no pride to claim you.
00:17:49But don't you dare forget.
00:17:52You have me.
00:17:54I am your shield.
00:17:56Your claws.
00:17:57Your home.
00:17:58Ivy's lashes.
00:18:00They trembled, violently.
00:18:02The midwife's attendant and I drew breath.
00:18:05Encouraged.
00:18:06I pressed on.
00:18:07If you die like this...
00:18:09I'll carry your ashes in a vial around my neck.
00:18:12And every time I take a new lover, I'll pour you a drink.
00:18:18I'll torment you in death.
00:18:20Ivy's fingers curled tight, all at once.
00:18:24And then, the healing crystal raised.
00:18:28She seized my fingers.
00:18:30Hard.
00:18:30So hard her knuckles went white.
00:18:31She's responding.
00:18:32She's responding.
00:18:33Quickly, the awakening encounter me.
00:18:35Once, twice, on the second pulse, Ivy finally fought to lift her eyelids.
00:18:40They opened the barest crack.
00:18:42Just a sliver.
00:18:42Just enough.
00:18:43The scattered light in her eyes slowly drew together.
00:18:46Her lips were cracked dry.
00:18:47With what seemed like the last of her strength, she pushed out a few words.
00:18:51You...
00:18:52You...
00:18:52My heart ached as I tightened my grip on her hand.
00:18:55Yes.
00:18:56That's me.
00:18:57For the first time since I returned, Ivy smiled with something real.
00:19:00I knew it.
00:19:01Her teeth dug into her lip.
00:19:03Her smile was fragile.
00:19:04Tears slid endlessly from the corners of her eyes.
00:19:08I should never have stayed for Kieran.
00:19:11My hand shot out to clasp hers.
00:19:14I am Kieran's mother now.
00:19:16The Empress' daughter herself.
00:19:18Once you recover, the two of us together will crush him into the dust.
00:19:22But you must live, Ivy.
00:19:24You must.
00:19:25Ivy nodded with everything she had left, pressing against my hand.
00:19:31She held on by sheer willpower until we breached the Royal Healers' Ward, medics, and midwives.
00:19:37Swarmed her the moment they caught the heavy scent of blood.
00:19:39Hours bled into hours.
00:19:42The tension outside the ward grew suffocating.
00:19:45Finally, a sharp, piercing cry broke the silence of the night.
00:19:49The heavy doors pushed open.
00:19:51The Royal Healer stepped out, wiping blood from her hands, her face glowing.
00:19:56A squirming, golden-furred cub was swaddled in her arms.
00:20:00A strong, royal cub of the Thorn bloodline.
00:20:03His first cry was a true lion's roar.
00:20:07The Goddess favors us.
00:20:08Both mother and cub are safe.
00:20:11Congratulations, Empress Dorgia.
00:20:13Kieran stepped forward from the shadows.
00:20:15The heavy royal aura radiating from his tense shoulders finally dropped.
00:20:19But something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
00:20:22And the mother?
00:20:23How is she?
00:20:25The royal healer chuckled, bowing her head slightly in a gesture of respect to the king.
00:20:31An anxious mate, are we?
00:20:34Rare to see a king ask after his queen before looking at his new heir.
00:20:38Jealousy twisted Vanessa's face.
00:20:40The healer's praise was meant for a true bonded mate.
00:20:43And the queen the healer spoke of wasn't her.
00:20:45I let out a sharp laugh.
00:20:48My words were clipped and hard.
00:20:55She will live.
00:20:56An awkward silence pressed down on the corridor.
00:20:59Thick and suffocating.
00:21:01I could smell the bitter scent of Vanessa's panic from across the room.
00:21:04Sensing the dangerous shift in the pride's dominance, the healer made a hurried excuse.
00:21:10Forgive me, Empress Dorgia.
00:21:12I must settle the cub in his cradle.
00:21:14She vanished down the corridor.
00:21:18Behind us, Vanessa metered under her breath.
00:21:20She thought her words were too soft for anyone to catch.
00:21:22But the lion blood in my veins caught every syllable.
00:21:25A son?
00:21:26Kieran wouldn't truly hand the crown of House Thorn to her cub, would he?
00:21:30Her teeth worried at her lower lip as she pressed a hand to her belly.
00:21:34No, the child in my belly is the one Kieran truly loves.
00:21:37I must find a way.
00:21:37The rest of her words dissolved between her teeth.
00:21:40Kieran's brow furrowed slightly.
00:21:42Mother, why must you do this?
00:21:44Mother and child are both well, are they not?
00:21:47I did not bother to look at Kieran.
00:21:49Instead, I picked up where Vanessa's mutterings had left off.
00:21:52The cub Ivy has just born is of course the future heir to the Golden Lions of House Thorn.
00:21:57As for yours, whether it carries Thorn blood at all remains to be seen.
00:22:02Vanessa's face completely lost its color.
00:22:05Mother, even if you, I still wear the crown of House Thorn now.
00:22:09Kieran's fury broke loose.
00:22:10For Ivy's sake, you destroyed Lady Vanessa's family gardens, and she has not held it against you.
00:22:17I will not have you slander the woman I love.
00:22:20My, my.
00:22:21This little speech of yours sounds like every arrogant young prince who believes the world bends to his will.
00:22:29No wonder Ivy fell so blindly for you.
00:22:32I let out a soft, weary sigh.
00:22:34Then I let the blood test scroll fall from my fingers.
00:22:37It landed at Kieran's feet with a whisper.
00:22:39Read it.
00:22:40Every line.
00:22:42Then tell me again whose honor you are defending.
00:22:52Confused, Kieran bent to pick up the thin sheet of parchment.
00:22:55He read it for ten full minutes.
00:22:57His expression shifted from doubt to fury to, at last, devastation.
00:23:02By the eighth minute, his fangs had begun to lengthen.
00:23:05A phantom golden mane bristled around his neck.
00:23:08By the tenth, his eyes had bled to molten gold.
00:23:11He slammed the parchment across Vanessa's face.
00:23:13The sound cracked through the corridor.
00:23:15He hauled her up by the front of her gown with one savage motion.
00:23:18A devastating lion's roar tore from his throat.
00:23:21I gave you everything.
00:23:24You dared to do this behind my back?
00:23:26Whose bastard do you carry in your belly?
00:23:29Yes, that single sheet of parchment held only one conclusion.
00:23:33The child in Vanessa's belly did not carry a single drop of thorn blood.
00:23:37Vanessa's eyes nearly rolled back into her skull.
00:23:40The commotion quickly drew the palace guards.
00:23:42They rushed in and pried Ciaran's hands from her throat just in time.
00:23:46Otherwise, Vanessa would have died on the spot.
00:23:48Ciaran!
00:23:49I did not!
00:23:51Perhaps her majesty has been mistaken!
00:23:53I drew out five more sealed scrolls.
00:23:55And five different high temples.
00:23:57Each blessed by a different aspect of the goddess.
00:24:00I let the scrolls fan out across the marble between us.
00:24:03Each forbidden to speak with the others before sealing their verdict.
00:24:06And yet every single one bears the same conclusion.
00:24:10Tell me, Lady Vanessa, am I mistaken five times over?
00:24:15Vanessa had no words left.
00:24:18With nothing else left to her, she let tears fill her eyes.
00:24:21Her sobs came soft and pitiful.
00:24:23Then, in a small broken voice, she began to spin her tail.
00:24:27Kevin.
00:24:29I remember now.
00:24:31One night we quarreled and you went to dear sister Ivy.
00:24:35She reached for his hand with trembling fingers.
00:24:39I was so hurt.
00:24:41I went to a tavern to drown my sorrows.
00:24:45And that was when...
00:24:49My heart has only ever belonged to you.
00:24:55Ciaran.
00:24:58You know this.
00:25:02You know this.
00:25:05You have always known this.
00:25:08Half the fury drained from Ciaran's golden eyes.
00:25:13A true master of her craft.
00:25:16No wonder Ivy was no match for her.
00:25:21Before I could speak, a familiar voice rose from just behind my shoulder.
00:25:26Lady Vanessa's tongue is sharp indeed.
00:25:30Twisting truth into lies.
00:25:33If I had not tracked down your lover...
00:25:39Caius!
00:25:40How dare you set foot in this palace?
00:25:43Did I not warn you?
00:25:44Where Ciaran Thanched stands, you have no place.
00:25:48At the sight of Caius, Ciaran lost all restraint and erupted in fury.
00:25:53Bad blood ran between the golden lions of House Thorn and the white lions of House Ravencrest.
00:25:58It went back three generations, ever since a broken marriage pact had set there to prides against each other.
00:26:03As Ciaran moved to lunge at him, Ciaran stepped between us with a slow, mocking smile.
00:26:09Perhaps your highness should examine the evidence I have brought, and the man I have brought, before speaking another word.
00:26:21At his word, a scrawny young man with the look of a tavern rat was dragged forward.
00:26:29At the sight of him, Vanessa shrank back.
00:26:32Terror flooded her face.
00:26:33Under Caius's cold, knife-sharp gaze, the tavern rat fell to both knees with a heavy thud against the marble
00:26:40floor.
00:26:42I'm sorry, Vanessa.
00:26:46I'm sorry, Vanessa.
00:26:52I couldn't cover the gambling debts you left me with.
00:26:56He kept his eyes fixed on the floor as he spoke, unable to meet hers.
00:27:00Lord Ravenfrist offered more silver than I could refuse.
00:27:05I had no choice, Vanessa, I swear it.
00:27:08Caius gave a dry, knife-edged laugh.
00:27:11Lady Vanessa's house has long been ruined by her father's love of dice.
00:27:18She grew up in the shadow of tavern back rooms.
00:27:21Didn't you know, your highness?
00:27:26As the tavern rat babbled on, Ciaran's knees gave out beneath him.
00:27:30He crashed to the marble floor.
00:27:32The lion blood drained from his eyes, leaving them hollow and dim.
00:27:36He watched the memory stone replay every meeting between the tavern rat and Vanessa.
00:27:40All his fury fell silent.
00:27:43Two tears slid down his cheeks without a sound.
00:27:46Even now, Vanessa reached out to tug at Ciaran's sleeve.
00:27:49Ciaran slapped her hand away with savage force.
00:27:53For the rest of my days, I never want to see your face again.
00:28:00Vanessa knew the game was lost.
00:28:02To my surprise, she did not fight it anymore.
00:28:06She staggered up.
00:28:08Her hand rose, trembling.
00:28:10Her finger pointed straight at Ciaran.
00:28:13You deserved every bit of this.
00:28:17I've had enough of you long ago.
00:28:20You've never cared for anyone but yourself!
00:28:26Ciaran's fangs flashed in fury, but she pressed on without pause.
00:28:30How long has it been?
00:28:32Since your grand proposal to Ivy before the High Temple?
00:28:36The moment she was yours!
00:28:39You lost all interest in her.
00:28:45A male like you.
00:28:48How could I dare bind my life to yours forever?
00:28:52She gave a sharp, bitter laugh.
00:28:58All I ever wanted was a cub to serve as my insurance.
00:29:02To claim a share of the Thorn fortune.
00:29:05I never thought the old witch would catch me out.
00:29:10Just my luck.
00:29:11The veins in Ciaran's neck stood out hard.
00:29:13His fangs and phantom mane flashed in the lantern light.
00:29:16He lunged to seize her again.
00:29:17But Vanessa darted aside with quick, lithe steps.
00:29:20She threw back her head and laughed without restraint.
00:29:23It was a wild, ugly laugh.
00:29:25She did not bother to hide a single sound of it.
00:29:28But it seems you won't be getting anything either.
00:29:31That day in the sealed chamber.
00:29:33I never heard what was said.
00:29:35But I knew one thing.
00:29:38Her laugh sharpened into something almost triumphant.
00:29:41You were never truly the master of House Thorn.
00:29:48Her words struck the secret Ciaran had buried deepest.
00:29:51His face cycled through a dozen colors.
00:29:54All he could do was rasp out heavy, ragged breaths.
00:29:57His eyes fixed on her with deadly focus.
00:30:00His mouth opened.
00:30:02No words came.
00:30:28I almost asked you to sit on the steps and watch the stars with me.
00:30:31With a flask of mead between us.
00:30:39Almost.
00:30:41But then I remembered who you really are.
00:30:44You wear her soul, but you are not Wyn.
00:30:49I followed Caius to a quiet tea room in the healer's tower.
00:30:52We sat across from each other.
00:30:55In all the years since I left, I had never imagined sitting across from Caius again.
00:31:01Through the rising steam of the tea, Caius's expression was hard to read.
00:31:09When?
00:31:10His voice cracked.
00:31:12Tell me.
00:31:13How does she fare?
00:31:16Has she...
00:31:18Has she ever once spoken my name?
00:31:20Without my willing it, my fingers tightened sharply around the teacup.
00:31:24I forced them to ease.
00:31:25It took a long moment before I could swallow the lump in my throat.
00:31:29I arranged my face into something steady.
00:31:31Something stranger to him.
00:31:34She is well.
00:31:38Caius cut me off.
00:31:39Don't.
00:31:41The heartless thing she is, she'd never spare me a thought.
00:31:45Why else would she have walked away the moment her trial ended?
00:31:48I dropped my gaze fast.
00:31:50The last thing I wanted was for him to catch the heat rising in my cheeks.
00:31:54I remembered it as if it were yesterday.
00:31:58Five years ago, I had been ready to slip away, and Caius had caught me at the very door.
00:32:04Wyn.
00:32:06You owe me the truth before you go.
00:32:08What are you?
00:32:10Where did that pendant come from?
00:32:13I am from beyond the veil, Caius.
00:32:17The trial was a contract.
00:32:20I was never yours to keep.
00:32:23Forgive me.
00:32:24He had been stunned, then devastated.
00:32:26And in the end, he had let me go.
00:32:30He held it between two fingers.
00:32:32The same jade pendant I had once worn around my neck,
00:32:35before I walked back through the veil.
00:32:41No metal in the beast realm is made like this.
00:32:47Its existence in my hand is proof enough that you came from beyond the veil.
00:32:52His calm composure returned, edged now with something careful and measuring.
00:32:57His eyes never left mine.
00:32:58Lady Agrawlia.
00:33:02Karen is your son, after all, despite everything we both know.
00:33:07Are you certain you wish to bring him down?
00:33:10I took a sip of tea and let out a small laugh.
00:33:14The fact that I gave you that jade pendant should tell you enough.
00:33:18I am from another world.
00:33:21To me, Ivy comes before all us.
00:33:23I set the cup down with quiet finality.
00:33:26He hurt her.
00:33:32He will pay for every wound he ever gave her.
00:33:38Seeing the resolve in my eyes, a soft laugh came from across the table.
00:33:44If you were not the one sitting before me, I would have sworn I was looking at Rynke herself.
00:33:51But you need not worry.
00:33:53Everything unfold according to our pact.
00:33:55My mind went blank for an instant.
00:33:57I was afraid I would give myself away.
00:34:01Forgive me.
00:34:02I should look in on Ivy.
00:34:03I rose hurriedly from the table.
00:34:06I thought I heard Kaya say something more behind me.
00:34:09But it was lost on the wind, carried away before it could reach me.
00:34:13Perhaps it was just as well.
00:34:14When I returned to Ivy's recovery chamber, Ivy had stirred awake at last.
00:34:19At the sight of me, emotion flooded her face and she seized my hand.
00:34:24Wynne.
00:34:26It's you.
00:34:31It's really you, isn't it?
00:34:33I nodded, hard and certain.
00:34:35In one breath, she threw herself into my arms.
00:34:38She had no thought of her weakness or the wound in her body.
00:34:43I should have gone home with you.
00:34:47I knew at the moment I let you walk away alone.
00:34:50Her tears soaked through my collar as she clung to me.
00:34:57In all this world, you are the only one who's loved for me.
00:35:04And I have to disculphe an over you as you was ever true.
00:35:09For one breath, I could not move.
00:35:12Then I let out a long sigh.
00:35:13I stroked her back slowly, again and again, until her trembling eased.
00:35:19When we were small, in our days at the temple orphanage, Ivy was a little older than me.
00:35:23Whenever the other children bullied me, Ivy was always the one to step in front of me and fight back
00:35:28with her fists.
00:35:29The matron of the temple beat her bloody for the brawl.
00:35:32She came back to me with a bruised face and a missing tooth.
00:35:35Yet Ivy would only pull me into her arms and hold me.
00:35:38Don't be afraid, Rennie.
00:35:40I'm here.
00:35:41I'll always be here.
00:35:42Just the way I was holding her now.
00:35:44Don't be afraid.
00:35:45I'm here.
00:35:46That was the day I made a silent vow.
00:35:49I would protect Ivy for as long as I drew breath.
00:35:51How long passed, I did not know.
00:35:54At last, the woman in my arms found a few threads of her senses again.
00:35:58She jerked her head up.
00:35:59Sever it.
00:36:00I will sever the binding between us no matter what it takes.
00:36:03Ivy's eyes were filled with iron resolve.
00:36:06And yet, before her resolve could even settle, sorrow rose up to drown it again.
00:36:12But in this realm, if I sever the binding, what becomes of the two of us?
00:36:18Who will stand between us and the world?
00:36:20Her gaze dropped, voice growing smaller.
00:36:23You no longer wear Rennx's face.
00:36:25Caius will not claim you as the woman he once loved.
00:36:28A slow smile lifted the corner of my mouth.
00:36:30Who says we need to lean on anyone?
00:36:32You and I, we are our own greatest strength.
00:36:39Listen carefully.
00:36:40Here is how we are going to bring House Thorn to its knees.
00:36:47The moment Ivy was strong enough to leave the healer's tower, she walked to the High Temple.
00:36:52She filed her petition to sever the sacred binding.
00:36:55By the law of the Goddess Verse, I, Ivy of House Thorn, declare the sacred binding between Kieran Thorn and
00:36:59myself broken.
00:37:00I claim what the High Temple grants me.
00:37:02He shattered the vow first.
00:37:06Even in this realm, a Lion Lord who broke his sacred vows would be stripped of everything.
00:37:10Land, gold, lineage.
00:37:12He would walk away with nothing but the cloak on his back.
00:37:15Kieran had been hiding in the shadows of the palace ever since the truth came out.
00:37:19Word reached him that Ivy was about to lay claim to the outer holdings he had quietly siphoned from her
00:37:24family.
00:37:25Panic finally seized him.
00:37:27He emerged at last in the Crown Prince's chambers.
00:37:30How dare you sever the binding?
00:37:32Without me, what becomes of you and the cub?
00:37:34Mother, you're indulging her in this madness?
00:37:38Now that you've returned,
00:37:40now that Aunt Ivy has born my child,
00:37:43shouldn't we live as one pride under one roof?
00:37:48As one pride?
00:37:53If the child in Vanessa's belly had truly been yours,
00:37:56you would have severed the binding without a moment's hesitation by now.
00:38:03Ivy.
00:38:04My heart was clouded these past months.
00:38:07I lost my way.
00:38:12Don't hold it against me.
00:38:13Let us start again.
00:38:15Let us live the life we promised each other before the Goddess.
00:38:25Make all the noise you like.
00:38:27I still wear the crown of House Thorne.
00:38:29I will hire the finest temple advocates the kingdom can afford.
00:38:34You will not see a single coin from this binding.
00:38:39Oh, Kieran,
00:38:40you poor blind fool.
00:38:42You still think you hold anything at all?
00:38:47Oh, thank you.
00:38:50Your Highness,
00:38:52by order of the Empress Georgia,
00:38:54you held the crown of House Thorne before.
00:38:58You hold it no longer.
00:39:05All the outer holdings of House Thorne have already been claimed by Lord Pious Ravenfield.
00:39:11Together,
00:39:11his Lordship and Her Majesty now hold the majority of House Thorne's power.
00:39:15You are to be stripped of your crown.
00:39:24Tear it.
00:39:25Tear all of it.
00:39:26They are only certified copies.
00:39:28The originals are sealed in the High Temple.
00:39:34Mother!
00:39:35You are my mother!
00:39:36Why do you side with an outsider?
00:39:38With a male from a rival kind?
00:39:40Do you like that, mother?
00:39:41You too are bound to House Thorne.
00:39:45That slap was for forgetting respect for your elders.
00:39:49The moment I returned home,
00:39:51did you give me even one breath of a son's duty?
00:39:56That slap was for becoming an oath-breaker.
00:39:59You knew everything that Iden gave up for you.
00:40:01Have your vows before the Goddess of the Son's duty,
00:40:03and let Iden come from you.
00:40:10So be it.
00:40:12Then do not blame me for what I am about to do.
00:40:15I will sever the bonds of blood between us,
00:40:18with my own claws!
00:40:23Kieran's strike came swift.
00:40:24On the day the Council of House Thorne gathered to cast their votes for a new head.
00:40:33Kieran shoved past the guards at the doors.
00:40:36He burst into the Council chain by force.
00:40:40Hold the vote!
00:40:41Hold the vote, I say!
00:40:43I bring the deathbed testament in of my father,
00:40:46the late Lord of House Thorne.
00:40:52This woman is not my mother!
00:40:58How could any true lioness stand against her own cub?
00:41:02This is my father's deathbed testament.
00:41:05With his dying breath, he named me sole heir to all of House Thorne!
00:41:09The assembled elders exchanged glances.
00:41:12Not one of them spoke a word.
00:41:13No one wished to be drawn into a war between mother and son.
00:41:16I knew at Kieran did not truly come for the holdings.
00:41:18He only sought to stir doubt among the elders.
00:41:21He meant to win them to his side with quiet promises of land.
00:41:23Then he would reclaim his crown, but I would never give him that chance.
00:41:31Steward.
00:41:33The mirror.
00:41:43My steward stepped forward at once
00:41:45and unveiled the great signing mirror
00:41:47at the center of the chamber.
00:41:51So be it.
00:41:53Then do not blame me for what I am about to do.
00:41:56I will sever the bonds of blood between us.
00:41:59With my own claws!
00:42:04Kieran's strike came swift.
00:42:06On the day the Council of House Thorne gathered to cast their votes for a new head.
00:42:14Kieran shoved past the guards at the guards at the doors.
00:42:18He burst into the Council chamber by force.
00:42:21Hold the vote!
00:42:22Hold the vote, I say!
00:42:24I bring the deathbed testament of my father,
00:42:28the late Lord of House Thorne!
00:42:33This woman is not my mother!
00:42:39How could any true lioness stand against her own cub?
00:42:43This is my father's deathbed testament.
00:42:46With his dying breath, he named me sole heir to all of House Thorne!
00:42:50The assembled elders exchanged glances.
00:42:53Not one of them spoke a word.
00:42:54No one wished to be drawn into a war between mother and son.
00:42:57I knew at Kieran did not truly come for the holdings.
00:43:00He only sought to stir doubt among the elders.
00:43:02He meant to win them to his side with quiet promises of land.
00:43:05Then he was weakly in his crown,
00:43:06but I would never give him that chance.
00:43:13Steward, the mirror.
00:43:24My steward stepped forward at once
00:43:26and unveiled the great signing mirror
00:43:28at the center of the chamber.
00:43:31The mirror filled with images from years past.
00:43:34It showed the days when Aurelia and the late Lord of House Thorne
00:43:39had built the family's power from the ground up.
00:43:44Few in the kingdom knew that the true Aurelia had passed years ago,
00:43:47in the lonely north where her mate had cast her.
00:43:54Few knew that the woman who returned wore her face
00:43:56by the will of the goddess alone.
00:43:58I rose to my feet.
00:43:59Every word that left my lips was measured, slow, deliberate.
00:44:02Every elder in this chamber has stood with its earliest days.
00:44:05What kind of man Marcus Thorne was in his early days,
00:44:07every one of you knows full well.
00:44:09The elders shifted in their seats,
00:44:12unable to meet my glaze.
00:44:14Without the lion warriors,
00:44:16the gold and the alliances House Aldenod gave him.
00:44:19Could Marcus Thannon have risen to power
00:44:21among the great prides of the realm
00:44:22in the span of three short years?
00:44:24Whispers ran through the chamber like wind through dry leaves.
00:44:27One elder leaned to another,
00:44:28then another to a third.
00:44:32Yes.
00:44:33Who in this realm did not say that Lady Aurelia
00:44:35bound herself to a male far beneath her station?
00:44:37Even after House Thorne had risen,
00:44:39it was Lady Aurelia who held the reins of every great matter.
00:44:41Until the house was firmly settled,
00:44:43the old Lord Thorne cast her out of the inner council overnight.
00:44:48Father and son both ingrates of the worst kind.
00:45:02So what?
00:45:03My father was Lord of House Thorne.
00:45:05All of you here were his sworn men.
00:45:07Surely you would not turn against us.
00:45:09I dragged a finger lightly along the curve of my ear
00:45:12as though something there had been buzzing too long.
00:45:16Show them the true testament.
00:45:19Let every elder in this chamber see it with their own eyes.
00:45:23The image in the signing mist shifted.
00:45:25It was a memory taken from Marcus Thorne's deathbed
00:45:27in the hours before he passed.
00:45:29Before the gathered sworn witnesses of the High Temple,
00:45:31Marcus Thorne had set down his last estimate
00:45:33with his own trembling hand.
00:45:34Demi, should Cielan, after taking the seat of Lord,
00:45:37ever come into conflict with Lady Aurelia?
00:45:39The final word shall always belong to Lady Aurelia.
00:45:42So I swear, with my dying breath...
00:45:44Ciaran tried still to argue.
00:45:48No.
00:45:49That one is forged.
00:45:51The testament in my hand.
00:45:52It is the real one.
00:45:56The image in the mirror shifted yet again.
00:46:00It showed every act of damage Ciaran had done
00:46:03to help Thorne in the past years.
00:46:24The line of Thorne does not squander its future.
00:46:28Not on frivolities.
00:46:30By the authority of the Blood Council,
00:46:31we demand you stand down!
00:46:35House Thorne belongs to the Downager.
00:46:45A slow smile lifted my lips.
00:46:47In truth, the Elders cared little for deathbed testaments.
00:46:50That was House's internal blood business.
00:46:51But the moment their own lands and gold were threatened,
00:46:54that was when they showed their true colors.
00:46:55Without a word from me,
00:46:56the Elders summoned the palace guards.
00:46:59Take him.
00:47:00Drag him from this chamber.
00:47:02He is no lord of ours.
00:47:07Ciaran was dragged from the council chamber
00:47:09and thrown into the hall.
00:47:11I took the seat of power.
00:47:16The throne of House Thorne was mine when I was not tending to the affairs of the court.
00:47:22I spent every hour I had raising Ivy's son
00:47:25and watching over Ivy herself.
00:47:29The spectacle in the council chamber had broken the lion in Ciaran utterly.
00:47:34He came to Ivy a few more times,
00:47:36each time she turned in the back at a cold and silent door.
00:47:47Later, Ciaran fell into a vicious quarrel with Vanessa.
00:47:51Ciaran, who had come to cling to him again?
00:47:57The two of them tumbled down the great stone staircase together.
00:48:03Their bodies lived on, but their minds shattered.
00:48:06They became nothing more than breathing hugs,
00:48:09trapped in a waking slumber.
00:48:13Lords from other houses flocked to Ivy to court her,
00:48:16but she had become a different woman.
00:48:17She enjoyed the fleeting thrill of courtship without giving her heart.
00:48:21She focused on the court and raising her son.
00:48:23What is a male worth?
00:48:25Only what you hold in your own two hands is ever truly yours.
00:48:28The words had barely left her lips when a resin chime echoed through my mind.
00:48:32It was clear as silver bells.
00:48:33The weaver's voice drifted through the veil,
00:48:35heard for the first time in years.
00:48:37Trial. Reclaim your own heart.
00:48:39Fulfillment absolute.
00:48:41Is that... is that the weaver?
00:48:43It is.
00:48:44The trial is complete now.
00:48:47Will you come home with me?
00:48:50Ivy looked at her cub, playing nearby.
00:48:53Hesitation crossed her face.
00:48:55But this time, I did not not worry for her.
00:48:58The weaver spoke again, right on cue.
00:49:00A divine boon has been granted.
00:49:02If you do not wish to return to the mortal world now,
00:49:05the veil will open for you again in ten years' time.
00:49:08Ivy let out a breath, her gaze filled with resolve.
00:49:10I choose ten years from now.
00:49:12I have to raise Caden.
00:49:13I must see him grown.
00:49:15I'm sorry, Rin.
00:49:16She took my hand.
00:49:17Guilt was written across her face.
00:49:19But I squeezed her hands back, my gaze fiercely proud.
00:49:22Don't be.
00:49:24This time, the choice is truly yours.
00:49:27I support you.
00:49:28I will wait for you on the other side.
00:49:39Will you really not consider staying?
00:49:42Not for me, then for Caius.
00:49:46He knows who you truly are, Rin.
00:49:48In all these years, he took no other female into his bed.
00:49:51He is a good man.
00:49:53So why don't you?
00:49:56Rin, I know it is you.
00:49:58Will you not give me one more chance?
00:50:01If you had walked away with me five years ago,
00:50:04Kyrian would have seemed a good man too.
00:50:07To me, freedom comes before all else.
00:50:12I chose to let him go, then.
00:50:15I have no reason to turn back now.
00:50:23You're right.
00:50:25I believe Caius will stand by your choice all the same.
00:50:29Rink.
00:50:31Wait for me while on the other side.
00:50:34The moment I stepped back into the mortal world,
00:50:36the warmth of Ivy's embrace still lingered on my skin.
00:50:39Her parting words still rang in my ears.
00:50:41No ordering those male escorts behind my back, Rinny.
00:50:44The scene before me was the same rented flat I had left five years ago.
00:50:47Paint peeled faintly from the walls.
00:50:49On the desk, the photograph of Ivy and me from our days at the orphanage.
00:50:52In it, we smiled with wild, reckless joy.
00:50:54The invincible freedom of youth.
00:50:56The ten-year pact.
00:50:58Fulfilled as promised.
00:51:03It feels like I've lived a hundred lives in the span of a breath.
00:51:06In the Beast Realm, I wore the mask of Empress Dowjid Aurelia for so long.
00:51:10I grew used to commanding the court.
00:51:12I played the Game of Thrones.
00:51:13I shielded everyone behind my back.
00:51:15I had almost forgotten who I truly was.
00:51:17Just an orphan who only ever had Ivy Vs.
00:51:19Unbound.
00:51:20Unanchored.
00:51:20Free.
00:51:21I rose and dug out my phone.
00:51:22The screen lit up.
00:51:23The date.
00:51:24It's the very same day I was pulled across the veil.
00:51:26Only the year has skipped forward five times.
00:51:29My contacts list was pitifully short.
00:51:30Ivy was still pinned at the very top.
00:51:33I ran a finger across the screen ready to send a message then stopped.
00:51:36She's still there, guarding her son.
00:51:37Any longing I feel now is separated by the insurmountable veil between worlds.
00:51:41I tossed the phone onto the cushion and began to clean the flat.
00:51:46Five years with no one living there.
00:51:49A thin layer of dust had settled over everything.
00:51:52Covewebs strung in the corners.
00:51:54Yet every single thing carried memories of Ivy and me.
00:51:59I cleaned until deep into the night.
00:52:02Then I made a cup of instant ramen and sat in the small chair on the balcony.
00:52:07I watched the street lamps below.
00:52:09Memories of the beast realm flashed through my mind.
00:52:12Over and over.
00:52:15I'm glad she's grown into the woman she wanted to be.
00:52:19She's no longer losing herself for the sake of a male.
00:52:23When I think of Caius, something stirred in my chest.
00:52:27In my final time in that realm,
00:52:29his parting words to me had been a small stone into a quiet pond.
00:52:33They sent ripples through a heart I thought was sealed away.
00:52:38When I was bound to win his heart,
00:52:41I had never once spent it.
00:52:43I had treated it as nothing more than a task to complete.
00:52:47Yet his devotion had become the thread that tugged at me when I left.
00:52:52In that other world across the veil,
00:52:54he's guarding a hopeless vigil.
00:52:56He's kept it five years.
00:52:58Perhaps longer.
00:53:01That kind of love is heavy enough that I dare not answer it lightly.
00:53:07Growing up in the system,
00:53:09you see enough people walk away.
00:53:12You learn quickly that love is temporary.
00:53:15But freedom is yours to keep.
00:53:20Ivy was braver than me.
00:53:22She dared to love with her whole heart,
00:53:25even when it left her broken.
00:53:27I only ever hid inside my own shell,
00:53:30unwilling to open the door.
00:53:35I found work as a freelance writer.
00:53:37No nine-to-five grind.
00:53:39My hours were my own.
00:53:41I earned enough to keep myself fed.
00:53:44Now and then,
00:53:45I could even splurge and treat myself to that sushi place Ivy always traved.
00:53:50In my free time,
00:53:51I would visit the orphanage and bring the children snacks and books.
00:53:59Watching those children so much like Ivy and me once were,
00:54:02my heart would melt just a little.
00:54:07Rint,
00:54:08you and Ivy,
00:54:09you've both grown up at last.
00:54:13Though Ivy,
00:54:14I haven't seen that child in such a long while.
00:54:17She's been traveling,
00:54:18Mrs. Hudson.
00:54:19Far away.
00:54:22But she'll come home.
00:54:25When she does,
00:54:26we'll both come and see you.
00:54:31I smiled and answered her,
00:54:33while a thought turned over in my mind.
00:54:35Ten years.
00:54:36Not so long,
00:54:37and not so short.
00:54:38When Ivy comes home,
00:54:40we'll visit the orphanage together again.
00:54:42I'll make sure Mrs. Hudson never has to worry about anything again.
00:54:47Now and then,
00:54:48I would think of House Thorne.
00:54:51I thought of the days I sat upon the Empress Dowager's throne.
00:54:55But those were someone else's life in the end.
00:54:59I was only a passing guest.
00:55:01Back in reality,
00:55:02I was still the same Rick who loved her lazy, easy days.
00:55:05I loved bickering and laughing with Ivy.
00:55:08Only I could not shake the feeling
00:55:10that the Beast Realm was never truly severed from me.
00:55:15Sometimes,
00:55:16walking down the street,
00:55:17I would catch sight of a man with eyes and brows like Caius's.
00:55:20I would stop without thinking.
00:55:22Only when he had walked on would I come back to myself
00:55:25and laugh at my own foolishness.
00:55:27Foolish woman.
00:55:28He's a whole world away.
00:55:30Sometimes,
00:55:31tasting a particular batch of mac and cheese,
00:55:32I would remember the comfort food Ivy craved.
00:55:34I remembered the bowl I made for her with my own hands.
00:55:37Time slipped away.
00:55:38Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
00:55:40In those three years,
00:55:40I moved into a bigger place,
00:55:42a little closer to the orphanage.
00:55:43It was decorated in the style Ivy loved.
00:55:45My freelance writing took off.
00:55:47I became a somewhat well-known fantasy author.
00:55:49Now and then,
00:55:50there would be reader events.
00:55:51Ms. Wynn,
00:55:52the fearless harrow in your books,
00:55:53is she based on a real person?
00:55:54Yes.
00:55:55The model is my best friend.
00:55:57She is braver than any harrow I could write.
00:56:00People tried to set me up with someone,
00:56:02and I turned them all down.
00:56:04It was not that I never met anyone good.
00:56:10It was just that my heart was already occupied
00:56:13by ghosts of another world.
00:56:15Ivy still appeared in my dreams now and then.
00:56:18In my dreams,
00:56:19she would be standing at the great iron gates of House Thorn,
00:56:23holding little Caden by the hand,
00:56:25waving to me.
00:56:27I'm coming home soon, Rini.
00:56:31When I woke,
00:56:32I would look out at the sky.
00:56:34I waited for the dawn.
00:56:41I waited for the 10-year pact to come due.
00:56:47In the summer of the fourth year,
00:56:49I traveled down south for a writer's conference.
00:56:51When it ended,
00:56:52I walked alone along the waterfront promenade.
00:56:55The wind off the river was in my face.
00:56:57I watched the boats drift by,
00:57:00and a loneliness crept over me.
00:57:02Just then,
00:57:03my phone rang,
00:57:04an unfamiliar number,
00:57:05from a city I had never been to.
00:57:07I hesitated,
00:57:08then answered.
00:57:09The voice on the other end was deep.
00:57:11It carried a familiar,
00:57:13rough edge,
00:57:14exactly like Caius's.
00:57:16Rink.
00:57:17My heart slammed against my ribs.
00:57:18My fingers gripped the phone so hard
00:57:20my knuckles turned white.
00:57:21For a long moment,
00:57:22the words died in my throat.
00:57:24I know it is you.
00:57:25The man spoke again.
00:57:26A note of barely hidden joy was in his voice.
00:57:28It's Caius.
00:57:30I stood frozen in place,
00:57:31the river wind tangling my hair.
00:57:33How,
00:57:34how can you be here?
00:57:35How do you have my number?
00:57:37I crossed the veil for you.
00:57:39Caius's voice was calm,
00:57:40yet it struck me like a thunderclap.
00:57:42The weaver said that if the longing ran deep enough,
00:57:45if the one you sought was your true anchor,
00:57:49a soul could cross the veil into the mortal realm.
00:57:54It took me four years to find the way.
00:57:56I leaned against the railing by the river,
00:57:59watching the light ripple across the water.
00:58:01My eyes suddenly sting.
00:58:04You really crossed two worlds?
00:58:07For me?
00:58:09I did.
00:58:11I am downstairs at your hotel right now.
00:58:16No, okay.
00:58:19Can I see you?
00:58:29Calm down.
00:58:31Calm down.
00:58:33He's here.
00:58:35He's really here.
00:58:45Rin.
00:58:50It's been a long time.
00:58:55It's been a long time.
00:58:57Four years of waiting.
00:58:59The distance between two worlds.
00:59:01Every word I might have said
00:59:03dissolved into that one simple greeting.
00:59:07A whiskey for me.
00:59:08And for the lady.
00:59:10A virgin mojita.
00:59:11Thank you.
00:59:13How did you know I was here?
00:59:19I can sense where you are.
00:59:25From the moment I came to this world,
00:59:27there has been only one thing in my mind.
00:59:30Where you are.
00:59:32Your number, the weaver gave to me.
00:59:35It said this was my reward.
00:59:40Why bother, Pais?
00:59:42Back during my trial, I was only completing a task.
00:59:45I never once gave you my heart.
00:59:48I know.
00:59:49I knew it from the moment you left.
00:59:54But I could not stop myself.
00:59:57I could not stop thinking of you.
00:59:59I wondered whether you fared well in the other world.
01:00:02Whether you had ever thought of me.
01:00:05In the beast realm, I guarded the white lion pride.
01:00:09I guarded the jade pendant you left behind.
01:00:12I guarded my longing for you.
01:00:14I watched Ivy raise Caden to manhood.
01:00:19I watched Kylian and Vanessa linger as breathing husks.
01:00:24I watched everything unfold in that realm across the veil.
01:00:27And still my longing for you only went deep.
01:00:31I tried to forget you.
01:00:34I could not.
01:00:35The weaver said that the price of crossing the veil was sacrificing everything I had in that realm.
01:00:41I had to leave every memory of it behind.
01:00:44I agreed.
01:00:48I did not come to this world to force an answer from you.
01:00:51I only wanted to be near you.
01:00:53Even as a friend.
01:00:55Even just to look at you.
01:00:56That would be enough.
01:00:58No one has ever chosen me so firmly.
01:01:00No one has ever given so much for me.
01:01:02Ivy was the light of my life.
01:01:04And now Caius.
01:01:05The one willing to cross mountains and seas only to stand beside me.
01:01:08Caius, I run from messy things.
01:01:10I fear partings.
01:01:11I fear being hurt.
01:01:12So I never dare to begin.
01:01:13I am used to being free.
01:01:14Used to being alone.
01:01:16I don't know if I can give you what you want.
01:01:18I don't need your answer now.
01:01:20I can wait.
01:01:21Wait until you are willing to open your heart.
01:01:24His gaze on me was warm and unwavering.
01:01:26Wait until you believe I will always be beside you.
01:01:29That I will not leave.
01:01:30That I will not let you be hurt.
01:01:31The ten-year pact still has six years to run before Ivy returns.
01:01:35Let me spend these six years beside you.
01:01:38Will you let me?
01:01:39I looked into his eyes.
01:01:40They were full of sincerity and resolve, without a trudge of falsehood.
01:01:45I nodded.
01:01:46A smile lifting my lips.
01:01:48Yes.
01:01:52From that day on, Caius stayed beside me.
01:01:55He demanded nothing.
01:01:56He only kept me company quietly as a friend.
01:01:59I stayed up late, drafting my fantasy novels.
01:02:02He would set a cup of warm milk beside me.
01:02:05Don't push too hard tonight.
01:02:07The chapter will still be there in the morning.
01:02:12He sat nearby with a book, never disturbing me.
01:02:16When I went to the orphanage, he came with me.
01:02:19He bought the children toys and played games with them.
01:02:22Mrs. Hudson took his hand and said to me,
01:02:26Rink, this young man is a good one.
01:02:28He treats you well.
01:02:31Sometimes I was low and wanted to walk by the sea.
01:02:36Caius, can we go to the coast?
01:02:38Grab your coat.
01:02:40I'll bring the car around.
01:02:41We sat by the water with the sea wind in our faces.
01:02:45He listened as I poured out on him.
01:02:48His companionship was like a slow, steeping tea.
01:02:52It steadily spread a gentle warmth in my life.
01:02:55I grew used to having you beside me.
01:02:58I'm no longer the Rink who walks alone.
01:03:04I've begun to learn to lean on someone.
01:03:07I've learned to accept a sincere love.
01:03:10Ivy still appeared in my dreams.
01:03:12In them, she watched Caius and me walking side by side.
01:03:15Her eyes curving with a smile.
01:03:17Winnie, I knew it.
01:03:19Caius is a good man.
01:03:20In the blink of an eye, the tenth year came.
01:03:23In those six years, Caius never once left himself.
01:03:28With his tenderness and his steadiness,
01:03:30he melted the ice in my heart bit by bit.
01:03:35We were like any ordinary couple.
01:03:38We ate together.
01:03:41Watched films.
01:03:43Traveled.
01:03:44And planned a future.
01:03:45I slowly learned to care for him, too.
01:03:48I cooked for him.
01:03:49I rubbed his shoulders when his work wore him down.
01:03:53I poured him a glass of the whiskey he liked.
01:03:59I know it now.
01:04:02I've fallen in love with the man who crossed worlds for me.
01:04:05That winter, a light snow drifted down.
01:04:08It's exactly like the day I was first pulled across the veil.
01:04:11Caius and I sat on the balcony at home,
01:04:13watching the snow beyond the window.
01:04:15Caius had moved the little daisies indoors,
01:04:17and they bloomed bright as ever.
01:04:19On the table sat the photograph of Ivy and me.
01:04:22Beside it now was a photograph of Caius and me.
01:04:24In it, we smiled with happiness.
01:04:26Caius held my hand.
01:04:28His own was warm, wrapping mine completely.
01:04:32Three days more, and it's the ten-year pact.
01:04:36Ivy is coming home.
01:04:40Yes.
01:04:41Ten years.
01:04:42She's finally coming back.
01:04:45I've missed her so.
01:04:47Caius smiled.
01:04:48I've missed her, too.
01:04:49She's your best friend and my benefactor, too.
01:04:51Without her, I might never have been able to see you at all.
01:04:53I leaned my head against Caius' shoulder, watching the snow beyond the window.
01:04:57Ten years.
01:04:57I've waited for Ive.
01:04:59And I've waited, too, for the happiness that's mine.
01:05:01Three days later, at dawn, I was wakened by a voice I knew so well.
01:05:06A little rough, yet utterly familiar.
01:05:09It was Ivy's voice.
01:05:11Rennie!
01:05:12Renn!
01:05:14You get up right now.
01:05:17A pause, then her voice rose in pock indignation.
01:05:21You promised we'd order those mail orders together when I got back.
01:05:24Did you order them without me?
01:05:25Standing in the bedroom doorway, her features were just as they had always been.
01:05:29Only there was a little more maturity and grace now.
01:05:32Her gaze was full of the joy of a long-awaited reunion.
01:05:35Beside her stood a boy of 14 or so.
01:05:36His features were so like Ciaran's, yet he was gentler than the young lion ever was.
01:05:41Auntie Rake.
01:05:42His eyes were clear and bright.
01:05:44It was Caden.
01:05:47I rushed over and threw my arms around Ivy.
01:05:50My eyes flooded red in an instant.
01:05:54Ivy held me tight as well.
01:05:56Ten years of longing.
01:05:58Rennie, I'm home.
01:06:01Ten years of waiting.
01:06:03I missed you so much.
01:06:05All of it poured into that single embrace.
01:06:08Caius walked in, smiling at the sight of us.
01:06:11He handed Ivy a cup of warm milk.
01:06:13Good to have you home.
01:06:14It must have been a long road.
01:06:15Ivy let go of me.
01:06:16She looked at Caius, then back at me.
01:06:18A sly little grin lifted the corner of her mouth.
01:06:21Well, well, Rink.
01:06:22You kept that quiet?
01:06:25You actually managed to drag Caius across the veil into the mortal realm.
01:06:29And ended up together too.
01:06:31You, look at you.
01:06:32Drag him?
01:06:33He followed me across worlds all on his own.
01:06:36After Ivy came home, our lives returned to the way they had been and grew even livelier
01:06:40than before.
01:06:41Caden adapted quickly to life in the mortal world.
01:06:44He was thoughtful and well-behaved.
01:06:46He knew the whole story of Ivy and me.
01:06:48He knew everything Kieran and Vanessa had done, and yet he never once complained.
01:06:52He only said,
01:06:54Auntie Rick, Mom, as long as I have you both, I have a home.
01:06:58After Ivy came home, she became a licensed therapist.
01:07:01I want to use my own story to help others.
01:07:03She worked to help women who had been hurt in love.
01:07:06I hope they won't lose themselves for a man like I once did.
01:07:09Her therapy practice opened right next door to my writing studio.
01:07:12We still went to and from work together.
01:07:14We ate and shopped together.
01:07:16Now and then, we would travel with Caius and Caden.
01:07:19We went to see every corner of this world.
01:07:21Ivy had a suitor too.
01:07:22He was a gentle doctor who was good to her, and good to Caden, but she did not say yes
01:07:27right away.
01:07:27My life is happy as it is now.
01:07:29I have you, I have Caden, and I have Caius.
01:07:32As for love, if you find me, so be it.
01:07:35She hasn't stopped believing in love.
01:07:37She's only learned to love herself.
01:07:44Rurn.
01:08:07Finally, Caius, if you ever dare mistreat Rink, Caden and I won't let it stand.
01:08:12In this life, in any other, I will never let her come to harm.
01:08:19I will spend the rest of my days loving her as she deserves.
01:08:28How wonderful.
01:08:29How wonderful.
01:08:31You both finally found your safe harbor.
01:08:38Wern, congratulations.
01:08:41You've found the happiness that's yours at last.
01:08:45Ivy, yours will come too.
01:08:47The happiness that belongs to you will find its way.
01:08:55Life after the wedding was plain and happy.
01:08:58Caius was as tender and thoughtful as ever, treating me like an absolute queen.
01:09:03I went on with my work as a freelance fantasy author.
01:09:06I kept writing our story.
01:09:08Ivy's therapy practice flourished and helped a great many people.
01:09:12That gentle doctor stayed beside her still.
01:09:15He guarded her quietly, never rushing, never pressing.
01:09:20Caden was accepted into a top-themed university, majoring in finance.
01:09:24Mom?
01:09:25Auntie Rick?
01:09:26Uncle Caius?
01:09:27I want to learn finance well.
01:09:29One day I can manage things for you and guard our family.
01:09:33Two more years passed.
01:09:35Ivy at last said yes to the doctor's proposal.
01:09:37Her wedding, like mine, was simple and warm.
01:09:39I was her maid of honor and Caius associated the ceremony.
01:09:42At the wedding, Ivy looked at me, her eyes brimming with tears.
01:09:46Brink, thank you.
01:09:46Thank you for staying by my side all this time.
01:09:49Thank you for being my shield and for letting me become the woman I always wanted to be.
01:09:54Ivy, I held her close.
01:09:56Ivy, we are the best of friends.
01:09:58We are family to each other.
01:10:00I will be with you for the rest of my life.
01:10:03Always.
01:10:06Later, Caius and I had a daughter.
01:10:09She had my eyes and her father's protective nature.
01:10:14Ivy and the doctor had a son.
01:10:16He had Ivy's features, mischievous and sweet.
01:10:20The two children grew up together, just as Ivy and I once had.
01:10:25They leaned on each other, bickering and laughing.
01:10:28In our free time, our two families would gather.
01:10:32We ate, talked, and watched the children play in the yard.
01:10:38Now and then, I would think of the beast realm.
01:10:42But those days had faded like mist.
01:10:47The weaver's voice never echoed in my mind again.
01:10:53Ivy and I were the lucky ones in the end.
01:10:57We started as two little girls in an orphanage.
01:11:02We survived our trials across the vale and guarded each other.
01:11:06We found our own happiness in the mortal world.
01:11:12We fought our way through every storm.
01:11:15Through it all, we only ever truly had each other.
01:11:21We had seen the ugliest sides of nature.
01:11:24We survived the bitterest of betrayals.
01:11:29And still, we're here.
01:11:33We're here.
01:11:34We're here.
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