From Slave to Savior of the Lycan King Goldreel Tv - All Episodes 2026 - Vidéo Dailymotion

Narrative Arc

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Transcript

00:00:01Elayna, est-ce que c'est qu'il y a beg?

00:00:10Two years ago, I was the arrogant saintess, and he was the dragon slave I whipped at my whim.

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

00:00:24As 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.

00:00:36Once his equal, now a disgraced slave of the clan, I've fallen into the abyss beneath the altar.

00:00:43To save my father, I was forced to kneel at his feet and let him tear away my white rose,

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

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

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

00:01:04an eternal cage.

00:01:07Oh, Elayna, but I will never let your children become my presence.

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

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

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

00:01:30the world.

00:01:31A month ago, the Holy Kingdom fell under a sudden monster assault.

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

00:01:43As my consciousness began to fracture, he appeared.

00:01:46He rode through the chaos.

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

00:01:54him.

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

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

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

00:02:11I think I might have actually fallen for him.

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

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

00:02:20Before sending him to the tower was a triumph of my power.

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

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

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

00:02:32Today was his 22nd birthday.

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

00:02:40I 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.

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

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

00:02:55I reached the tower only to find my world collapsing.

00:02:58My shadow was gone.

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

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

00:03:09before shrinking and condensing into the form of a noble man.

00:03:13The slave had vanished, replaced by a prince radiating golden light.

00:03:17The rumors followed quickly.

00:03:20He already had a fiancé, a childhood match.

00:03:24Lady Isabella, the most brilliant woman in the empire.

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

00:03:34My sanctuary had been transformed into a cage, surrounded by the cold steel of the paladins.

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

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

00:03:50Neil, daughter of a traitor, how dare you stand in the presence of Prince Arthur?

00:03:54I looked past the blade at the man in the center of the crowd.

00:03:57The ragged, homespun clothes were gone.

00:04:00In their place was a magnificent robe of blackened gold.

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

00:04:09desperately trying to catch his hand.

00:04:11A low, rhythmic vibration hummed in the air

00:04:14as glowing embers of dragon fire drifted from the golden poitry of his robes.

00:04:20You? Are you truly the crown prince?

00:04:23Tell me, Miss Vivian, how do you plan to torture me today?

00:04:26Will it be the jeweled whip, or shall I feel the weight of your dancing shoes again?

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

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

00:04:38My eyes burned with unshed tears.

00:04:41I hadn't come to hurt him.

00:04:43I had come to celebrate his birth,

00:04:45to tell him that I was carrying his children.

00:04:48But 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.

00:05:21The deposition decree, sealed with the dragon crest,

00:05:24had severed our contract forever.

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

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

00:05:33Arthur hated me.

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

00:05:37and father noble dragon heirs.

00:05:39To him.

00:05:41Do you have any final prayers, Miss Vivian?

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

00:05:48I 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,

00:05:54I could only bite my lip and shake my head through a blur of tears.

00:05:58Golden scales erupted across his skin,

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

00:06:03With a mocking smear, his body shifted and expanded in a blinded flash of light,

00:06:08transforming into a massive dragon.

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

00:06:14He vanished into the clouds without a single backward glance.

00:06:18I sat frozen in the ice,

00:06:20until a sharp searing pain tore through my abdomen,

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

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

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

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

00:06:35Disaster struck.

00:06:37Three days.

00:06:38After Arthur's departure,

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

00:06:42with the twin sins of treason and black magic.

00:06:45Then cast into the darkest depths of the abyss prison,

00:06:47I rushed to the capital, desperate and breathless,

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

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

00:06:55on the night of the next full moon.

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

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

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

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

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

00:07:13You are Haiwan-only contract holder.

00:07:16He cannot simply watch us die.

00:07:19Her words cut through my leg as a rated blood,

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

00:07:24How could I admit that during those two years of shadow,

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

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

00:07:34How could I confess that?

00:07:35In fits of bleach,

00:07:37I had left scars upon his back that would never heal.

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

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

00:07:45But looking at the last flickering spark of hope

00:07:47in my mother's eyes,

00:07:48I forced myself to move.

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

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

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

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

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

00:08:06Back in the Holy Kingdom,

00:08:08a single command from my lips

00:08:09was enough to make shadow crawl to my feet.

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

00:08:14he never dared to meet my eyes.

00:08:15But now, the tables had turned to the cruel irony.

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

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

00:08:24Begging a shred of mercy.

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

00:08:28The ruby whip in my hands

00:08:30buried after a thick shroud of snow.

00:08:32Just as dawn threatened to break,

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

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

00:08:38only to contract and transform

00:08:39the instant they struck the earth.

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

00:08:44Arthur emerged in human form,

00:08:46breaking through the mist.

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

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

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

00:08:55Tell me, Miss Vivian,

00:08:57which hand was it?

00:08:59Which hand did you use to leave those scars on my body?

00:09:02His voice held no warmth,

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

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

00:09:10Before I could find my voice,

00:09:11my strength failed me.

00:09:13My knees buckled and I collapsed forward,

00:09:15falling directly into his arms.

00:09:17His chest was burning hot,

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

00:09:20The heat instantly triggered the memory

00:09:22of our night of soul resonance,

00:09:24the way he had pinned me against the altar

00:09:26with predatory hunger.

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

00:09:31Your Highness, please.

00:09:33Save my father.

00:09:35I'm begging you.

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

00:09:39and a faint rhythmic glow of molten fire

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

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

00:09:47just to save that old man?

00:09:49Hmph.

00:09:50Very well.

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

00:09:53the High and Holy Princess has learned

00:09:55about the art of submission.

00:09:56Before I could gasp,

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

00:09:59ignoring my cry of protest.

00:10:01He strode ruthlessly through the gallery

00:10:03and hurled me onto the strong bed

00:10:05draped in black fox fur.

00:10:07The air ignited with the violent scent

00:10:09of the dragon kin.

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

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

00:10:15Arthur descended like a predator,

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

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

00:10:22One hand,

00:10:23cold as iron,

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

00:10:26Elena,

00:10:27every agony you put me through

00:10:28over these last two years,

00:10:30I am going to repay it,

00:10:31inch by inch,

00:10:33upon this bed.

00:10:35Then Tazma's wings spread wide,

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

00:10:40The air crackled in the womb

00:10:41of ancient dragon fire.

00:10:43As the crushing weight of his aura

00:10:44sealed the room,

00:10:45I shielded my womb

00:10:47with a trembling hand,

00:10:48protecting the fragile light within

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

00:10:54Shadow.

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

00:10:58with such violence

00:10:59that a sharp pain

00:11:00flared through my lower back.

00:11:01Under the weight

00:11:02of his suffocating draconic aura,

00:11:05I flashed off my old,

00:11:06haughty temper flared.

00:11:08My hand instinctively reached it for me,

00:11:10ruby-encrusted,

00:11:11disciplinary whip.

00:11:12In the next heartbeat,

00:11:14Arthur ruthlessly shredded

00:11:15my inner robes,

00:11:17hakurled his lips

00:11:18into a mocking smear.

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

00:11:21unreachable detachment.

00:11:22Is this your idea

00:11:23of a sling in this movie?

00:11:25The whip slipped from my numb fingers,

00:11:27clattering,

00:11:27uselessly to the floor.

00:11:29His gaze was licking up,

00:11:30grossly well,

00:11:31threatening to turn me

00:11:32very soltoious.

00:11:33For the thousandth time,

00:11:35virality crashed down upon me.

00:11:37He was no longer the slave

00:11:38I could trample at will.

00:11:39He was a dragon king

00:11:40who crushed my entire bloodline

00:11:42with a lick of his fingers.

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

00:11:46If you can satisfy me,

00:11:48perhaps I will show mercy

00:11:50and grant that old man,

00:11:51Bernard,

00:11:52a chance to live.

00:11:53Pleasing him,

00:11:55a wave of bitterness

00:11:56washed over me.

00:11:57I looked down at Miss Till,

00:11:59flat abdomen,

00:12:00my heart clenching in fear.

00:12:02Ever since,

00:12:03a day here claimed his throne,

00:12:05I had been spotting blood.

00:12:06The physician had warned

00:12:07that that the dragon bloodline

00:12:09was too powerful.

00:12:10My pregnancy was fragile.

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

00:12:14I was even more terrified

00:12:15of losing the tiny life already,

00:12:17flickering with a dragon's

00:12:18breathing side meth.

00:12:22Are you truly that unwilling?

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

00:12:26his eyes flickering

00:12:27with pure disdain.

00:12:29I have no interest

00:12:31in forcing anyone.

00:12:33Since the great saint

00:12:34despises her purity so highly,

00:12:37you can simply wait

00:12:39until the next full moon.

00:12:42then you can collect

00:12:44Bernard's charred remains

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

00:12:48He tossed the shredded remnants

00:12:50of my sacred robes

00:12:51onto the floor like trash

00:12:52and turned to leave.

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

00:12:56I lunged forward

00:12:58and threw my arms around him

00:12:59from behind.

00:13:00I had been spoiled

00:13:01my entire life.

00:13:03I had never bowed to anyone.

00:13:05I was terrified

00:13:06of losing the babies,

00:13:07but I was more terrified

00:13:09of my father's execution.

00:13:11I forced back my tears,

00:13:12my voice trembling.

00:13:15I...

00:13:17I will do it.

00:13:19I will please you.

00:13:21Arthur stood with his back to me,

00:13:23letting out a laugh

00:13:24that was bone-chillingly cold.

00:13:26I couldn't see his face,

00:13:27but the frost radiating from him

00:13:29was suffocating.

00:13:31To save a life,

00:13:32I had to mimic

00:13:33the clumsy movements

00:13:34of a dancing girl.

00:13:36I reached out

00:13:37with shaking hands

00:13:38to touch him,

00:13:39eventually forcing myself

00:13:40onto my tiptoes

00:13:41to press a desperate,

00:13:42humiliating kiss

00:13:44against his lips.

00:13:46Hmph.

00:13:47Is this all

00:13:48the saintess is capable of?

00:13:50I wanted the floor

00:13:52to swallow me whole.

00:13:53My mind flashed back

00:13:55to that night

00:13:55of chaotic soul resonance.

00:13:57Back then,

00:13:58though he was wild,

00:14:00he had kissed away my tears

00:14:02and whispered

00:14:02gentle comforts

00:14:03into my ear.

00:14:04The Arthur standing here

00:14:06now didn't want

00:14:07to comfort me.

00:14:08He wanted to watch me break.

00:14:12Get away from me!

00:14:14He growled the command.

00:14:16The volatile temper

00:14:18and searing heat

00:14:19unique to the dragon race

00:14:20exploded in an instant,

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

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

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

00:14:29his arm clamped around my waist

00:14:31like an iron vice,

00:14:32pinning me ruthlessly

00:14:34against the edge of the bed.

00:14:35He seized control,

00:14:37his kiss so violent

00:14:39I thought he would crush my lips.

00:14:41I struggled for air

00:14:43as the kiss grew more feral,

00:14:44a desperate clash

00:14:45of hatred and hunger.

00:14:47My clothes were reduced

00:14:48to threads.

00:14:49I felt like a fallen leaf

00:14:51adrift on a violent sea,

00:14:54swaying and drowning

00:14:55in the tidal wave

00:14:56of his draconic lust.

00:14:57When the first light of dawn

00:14:59filtered through the windows,

00:15:00I drifted back to consciousness.

00:15:01Arthur was already fully dressed

00:15:03in his black and gold

00:15:04princely regalia,

00:15:05looking cold and peerless

00:15:06once more.

00:15:17Arthur adjusted the dragon scale

00:15:18cufflinks at his wrists,

00:15:20offering a chilling laugh

00:15:21without even bothering

00:15:22to look back.

00:15:24When exactly did I say

00:15:25that sleeping with me once

00:15:27would guarantee a pardon

00:15:29for a traitor?

00:15:31My eyes snapped open.

00:15:32Every bone in my body

00:15:33felt as though it had been

00:15:34ground to dust,

00:15:35but the pain in my heart

00:15:36was far worse.

00:15:42You...

00:15:46Besides,

00:15:47do you really think

00:15:48a body as broken as yours

00:15:50is enough to satisfy me?

00:15:53I felt as though

00:15:54I had been plunged

00:15:56into an abyss of ice.

00:15:58He never intended

00:15:59to save anyone.

00:16:00This was nothing

00:16:01but cold-blooded retaliation,

00:16:03the cruelest way possible

00:16:04to humiliate me

00:16:05for the two years

00:16:06as I spent trampling

00:16:07on his dignity.

00:16:08The air felt thin,

00:16:09the weight of his betrayal

00:16:11suffocating me.

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

00:16:14Please, save my father!

00:16:17He didn't spare me

00:16:18even a fleeting glance.

00:16:19Shrouded in a frost

00:16:20that cut like a blade,

00:16:21he strode away

00:16:22without looking back.

00:16:24Like a hollow shell

00:16:25of a human being,

00:16:25I numbly gathered the shredded

00:16:27remnants of my clothes

00:16:28and draped them

00:16:29over my battered body.

00:16:31I began the long,

00:16:32agonizing trek

00:16:33out of the palace.

00:16:34But as I reached

00:16:35the end of the corridor,

00:16:36I collided

00:16:37with a radiant procession.

00:16:38At the head of the group

00:16:40stood a woman

00:16:40in a vibrant imperial gown

00:16:42trimmed with gold,

00:16:43her elegance

00:16:44as sharp as her status.

00:16:46It was Isabella,

00:16:47the Duke's

00:16:48most beloved daughter.

00:16:50She was the woman

00:16:51Arthur had personally chosen

00:16:52as his crown princess

00:16:53upon his return

00:16:54to the throne.

00:16:55The Saint-Rus?

00:16:57I must say,

00:16:59I never expected

00:17:00to find you

00:17:01in the prince's

00:17:01private chambers

00:17:02in such a state.

00:17:07It seems his highness's

00:17:09mercy hasn't taught you

00:17:11anything about dignity.

00:17:15I gripped my collar so hard

00:17:17my nails bit into my pants.

00:17:19I wanted to scream

00:17:20to fight back.

00:17:21But a sudden wave

00:17:22of weakness

00:17:23in my abdomen

00:17:23stopped me.

00:17:24If I collapsed here,

00:17:26my children,

00:17:27my only remaining secret

00:17:28would be lost forever.

00:17:33Isabella was breathtaking.

00:17:35She possessed

00:17:35an innate regal air

00:17:37that only comes

00:17:38from a lifetime

00:17:38spent at the pinnacle

00:17:39of power,

00:17:40making me feel

00:17:41a sudden stinging

00:17:42sense of inferiority.

00:17:44So you're

00:17:44that common girl

00:17:45Arthur used for diversion

00:17:47back in the Holy Kingdom?

00:17:50It wasn't a diversion.

00:17:51We exchanged the vows

00:17:53of the rose

00:17:53before the gods.

00:17:54He was my sworn knight.

00:18:02Vows?

00:18:04Those archaic rituals

00:18:05mean less than nothing

00:18:07to a crown prince.

00:18:08I've heard stories of how cruelly

00:18:11you treated him.

00:18:12Now that he's reclaimed

00:18:13his throne,

00:18:14you've come crawling back

00:18:16to beg for mercy.

00:18:18How could a man like Arthur

00:18:19ever truly want a woman

00:18:21with a heart

00:18:22as poisonous as yours?

00:18:24She stepped closer,

00:18:26her voice dripping

00:18:27with the arrogance

00:18:27of a benefactor.

00:18:30If you're truly

00:18:31that desperate

00:18:32to stay in the capital,

00:18:34I might allow him

00:18:36to keep you

00:18:37after our wedding

00:18:38as an unmarked mistress,

00:18:41a private pet

00:18:42with no name.

00:18:43The insult

00:18:44burned through my veins.

00:18:46I didn't want to be

00:18:47anyone's secret pet.

00:18:48Even if my heart

00:18:49had begun to waver,

00:18:50I knew one thing

00:18:51for certain.

00:18:52If he chose

00:18:53to marry another,

00:18:54I would never linger

00:18:55for a single second.

00:18:59As I stepped out

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

00:19:01the scorching sun

00:19:02felt like a physical assault,

00:19:04making my eyes sting.

00:19:06The truth

00:19:07was a cold,

00:19:08hard weight

00:19:08in my chest.

00:19:09Arthur hated me.

00:19:11He had no intention

00:19:12of saving my father.

00:19:13He only wanted

00:19:14to watch me spiral

00:19:15into the abyss

00:19:16until there was

00:19:17nothing left of me.

00:19:20Miss Elena,

00:19:22I hurriedly wiped

00:19:23the tears

00:19:24from the corners

00:19:24of my eyes,

00:19:25looking up

00:19:26to see Christopher.

00:19:27He had once been

00:19:28a common scholar

00:19:29sponsored by my father.

00:19:30Two years ago,

00:19:31during that fateful ceremony,

00:19:33he had been

00:19:34my first choice

00:19:34for a knight.

00:19:35But through a cruel

00:19:36twist of fate,

00:19:37I had chosen

00:19:38Arthur instead.

00:19:39Now,

00:19:40Christopher had climbed

00:19:41the ranks

00:19:42to become the chief executive

00:19:43of the Imperial Tribunal.

00:19:45Lord Christopher,

00:19:47my father was framed.

00:19:50Please,

00:19:52I'm begging you.

00:19:54Save him.

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

00:20:00You've grown even more.

00:20:03Breathstaking

00:20:04than I remembered.

00:20:07I have always admired you.

00:20:12Elena,

00:20:14I've always wanted you

00:20:15by my side.

00:20:16He stared at me

00:20:18with a fixed intensity

00:20:19that made my skin crawl.

00:20:21The naked greed

00:20:22in his eyes

00:20:22was nauseating.

00:20:23He had already

00:20:24secured his future

00:20:25by marrying

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

00:20:28carving a path

00:20:29to the heights of power.

00:20:30now,

00:20:31he was looking at me

00:20:32as if I were

00:20:33a prize to be collected,

00:20:35a secret lover

00:20:36to be kept

00:20:37in the shadows

00:20:38of his perfect life.

00:20:42I will purchase

00:20:43a secluded manor

00:20:44for you.

00:20:46You will live there,

00:20:47and when the timing

00:20:48is right,

00:20:49I'll arrange for you

00:20:50to be appointed

00:20:51as a chamber attendant.

00:20:52It's the perfect way

00:20:53to keep you

00:20:54under my protection,

00:20:55without raising eyeballs.

00:20:58My father gave you everything.

00:21:00He funded your education

00:21:01and your rise to power.

00:21:03Is your sense of honor

00:21:05so easily swallowed

00:21:06by greed?

00:21:06I struggled

00:21:07to keep the fury

00:21:08from my voice,

00:21:09my body trembling

00:21:10with a mixture

00:21:11of rage and exhaustion.

00:21:14Christopher let out

00:21:15a sharp, derisive laugh,

00:21:16his eyes scanning me

00:21:18with a terrifying

00:21:19lack of shame.

00:21:20I have plenty of gold now.

00:21:21What I lack

00:21:22is a plaything like you,

00:21:23so holy,

00:21:24yet so utterly ruined.

00:21:25I know you spent

00:21:26two years

00:21:27with the crown prince,

00:21:28but his wedding

00:21:28is imminent.

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

00:21:30He won't look Bernard

00:21:31to stay alive,

00:21:32you have no other choice.

00:21:33You belong to me now.

00:21:34I didn't even have

00:21:35the chance to retort.

00:21:37A sudden,

00:21:38violent wave of nausea

00:21:39surged from my stomach,

00:21:40and I doubled over,

00:21:42dry heaving

00:21:42right in front of him.

00:21:44Christopher's face

00:21:45instantly twisted

00:21:46into a blue shade

00:21:47of purple.

00:21:48He had expected tears,

00:21:50or perhaps

00:21:51a desperate surrender.

00:21:53He had expected me

00:21:54to be so visibly

00:21:55repulsed by his

00:21:57that I would be

00:21:58sick on the spot.

00:22:01Christopher was

00:22:02clearly stunned

00:22:03by my physical repulsion.

00:22:05The mask

00:22:06of a refined gentleman

00:22:07shattered,

00:22:08leaving behind a gaze

00:22:09so dark and venomous,

00:22:11it chilled my blood.

00:22:12The fake warmth

00:22:13in his voice

00:22:14died instantly,

00:22:16replaced by a low,

00:22:17predatory snarl.

00:22:19Do not test my patience,

00:22:21Elena.

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

00:22:24If I want that old man dead,

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

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

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

00:22:33If I don't see you at my manor

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

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

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

00:22:39He turned on his heel

00:22:41and stormed away

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

00:22:45leaving me to tremble alone

00:22:47in the biting wind.

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

00:22:51sinking into an abyss.

00:22:53People always whispered that scholars

00:22:55were the most virtuous among us.

00:22:57But in reality,

00:22:58the most wretched souls

00:23:00are often those hidden

00:23:01behind tailored suits

00:23:02and polite smiles.

00:23:03My family was still wealthy.

00:23:05Even after spending a fortune

00:23:07to save my father,

00:23:08what remained could sustain us

00:23:10for generations.

00:23:12My mother had already secured

00:23:13a secluded safe house

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

00:23:16I dragged my battered body,

00:23:18feeling as though

00:23:19it had been trampled by a carriage,

00:23:21and began the long,

00:23:23numb walk back

00:23:24to that hollow substitute

00:23:25for a home.

00:23:28I had a younger brother, Julian,

00:23:31who was two years my junior.

00:23:33Unlike me,

00:23:34who grew dizzy

00:23:35at the mere sight

00:23:36of ancient texts,

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

00:23:40By the age of five,

00:23:42he could already decipher

00:23:44forbidden runes.

00:23:45Upon hearing of our family's downfall,

00:23:48he had rushed from the arcane academy

00:23:50to the capital,

00:23:51his face pale with worry.

00:23:54crushed and defeated,

00:23:56I dragged my feet

00:23:57down the endless corridor

00:23:58and, with a trembling,

00:24:00uncertain hand,

00:24:01pushed open the massive door.

00:24:12I looked at the flickering sparks

00:24:15of hope in their eyes,

00:24:16and my throat burned

00:24:17as if I had swallowed hot coals.

00:24:20Worse,

00:24:20I couldn't bring myself

00:24:21to describe the previous night,

00:24:23how Arthur had pinned me

00:24:25to those luxurious black fox furs,

00:24:28claiming my body

00:24:29with a brutal hunger.

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

00:24:32He was a man

00:24:33who took pleasure in my ruin,

00:24:35a man who wanted to watch me drown

00:24:37in this hopeless mire

00:24:38until the last breath

00:24:40left my lungs.

00:24:44I couldn't bear to shatter

00:24:46the fragile hope

00:24:47in my mother's

00:24:47and Julian's eyes,

00:24:49but with my father's life

00:24:50on the line,

00:24:51I didn't dare weave a lie.

00:24:55My voice cracked

00:24:56as the cold reality spilled out.

00:25:00He refused.

00:25:02Arthur hates me

00:25:03more than you can imagine.

00:25:05Those two years of torment

00:25:07turned his heart

00:25:09into a block of ice.

00:25:11I've brought this

00:25:11upon our family.

00:25:13It's my fault

00:25:14that father is in that cage.

00:25:16My mother pulled me

00:25:17into a fierce,

00:25:18trembling embrace.

00:25:20Her scent of lavender

00:25:21and old books

00:25:22a brief comfort

00:25:23against the storm.

00:25:24You are the most precious jewel

00:25:25of the Vivian family.

00:25:26If this is truly

00:25:27Bernard's trial,

00:25:28then it is a judgment

00:25:29of fate itself.

00:25:30You will not chain yourself

00:25:31to a guilt

00:25:32that isn't yours to bear.

00:25:33She's right.

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

00:25:37Elena.

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

00:25:40who is blind.

00:25:41You deserve the purest devotion

00:25:43this world has to offer,

00:25:46not his cruelty.

00:25:48Listening to them,

00:25:50a wave of bitter sorrow

00:25:51washed over me.

00:25:52The House of Vivian

00:25:54had once been

00:25:54the glorious pillar

00:25:56of the Holy Kingdom,

00:25:57a name spoken

00:25:58with reverence and awe.

00:26:00Now the proud saintess

00:26:02had finally learned

00:26:03how to bow her head.

00:26:04I no longer prayed

00:26:06for glory or power.

00:26:08I only prayed

00:26:09that those I loved

00:26:10might survive the winter.

00:26:13Elena,

00:26:14mother told me

00:26:15you're pregnant.

00:26:16Go back to your room

00:26:18and 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

00:26:25standing before me,

00:26:27his shoulders broad

00:26:28and his gaze steady.

00:26:31The little boy

00:26:32who 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

00:26:39of caution

00:26:40before retreating to my room.

00:26:41But the dull,

00:26:43persistent ache

00:26:44in my womb

00:26:44kept me tossing

00:26:46and turning

00:26:46in a feverish unrest.

00:26:49Hours later,

00:26:50I stepped out

00:26:51into the hallway

00:26:52and froze.

00:26:52There stood Julian.

00:26:54but he was unrecognizable.

00:26:57He had changed

00:26:58into a garish flamboyant

00:27:00suit of shimmering silks

00:27:01with an oversized

00:27:02ruby pendant

00:27:03dangling against his chest.

00:27:05Julian,

00:27:06what are you dressed like?

00:27:10I heard Duchess Audley

00:27:12has a weakness

00:27:12for collecting

00:27:13exquisite young men.

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

00:27:15to offer myself.

00:27:16If she takes me

00:27:17as her pet,

00:27:17even the crown prince

00:27:18will have to show her

00:27:19some respect.

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

00:27:22My heart stopped.

00:27:25Julian was a once

00:27:26in a century genius

00:27:27at the Arcane Academy.

00:27:29I couldn't let him

00:27:30sell his soul.

00:27:32Panic surged through me

00:27:33as I tricked him

00:27:34into the wine cellar

00:27:35and slammed

00:27:36the heavy iron door,

00:27:37locking it tight.

00:27:41Let me out!

00:27:42I was born for this!

00:27:43If it saves father,

00:27:44what does it matter

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

00:27:49I couldn't let my brother

00:27:50destroy his future

00:27:51and his dignity.

00:27:52The thought of Julian,

00:27:54a brilliant prodigy,

00:27:55rotting away

00:27:56as a noblewoman's plaything

00:27:58was a nightmare

00:27:58I wouldn't allow

00:27:59to come true.

00:28:00Begging Arthur again

00:28:01was a dead end.

00:28:02It would only invite

00:28:03more humiliation

00:28:04and perhaps even

00:28:05ignite his lethal temper.

00:28:07That left Christopher,

00:28:08the hypocritical viper,

00:28:10as much as I loathed

00:28:11the idea of becoming

00:28:12his caged bird.

00:28:13It seemed the path

00:28:14had narrowed

00:28:15until there was

00:28:16nowhere left to run.

00:28:17As night fell,

00:28:18I carried a single

00:28:19flickering magic lamp

00:28:20and crept toward

00:28:21Christopher's secret villa

00:28:22on the south side

00:28:23of the city.

00:28:24I spent the entire journey

00:28:26numbing my mind,

00:28:27whispering to myself

00:28:28that this was merely

00:28:29a sacrifice.

00:28:30I told myself,

00:28:31it would be like

00:28:32being bitten by a wild beast.

00:28:33Painful, yes,

00:28:34but something I could endure

00:28:36if I just closed my eyes.

00:28:37The moment I stepped

00:28:38into that dim,

00:28:39oppressive bedroom

00:28:40and saw Christopher

00:28:41unfastening his outer robe,

00:28:43my stomach churned

00:28:44with violent revulsion.

00:28:45Miss Vivian,

00:28:48I have waited

00:28:49two long years

00:28:50for this day.

00:28:51He undid the silver clasps

00:28:52at his collar,

00:28:53his smile thick

00:28:54with a sticky

00:28:55predatory mallet.

00:28:55From this moment on,

00:28:56you are my private property.

00:28:58Now come here,

00:29:00help me undress.

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

00:29:03Not used to this yet?

00:29:04Don't worry,

00:29:05I'll spend the rest

00:29:06of the night

00:29:07teaching you

00:29:07exactly how to serve me.

00:29:10Christopher shed

00:29:11his hypocritical

00:29:12priestly robes,

00:29:13his eyes gleaming

00:29:14with a feverish light.

00:29:15Tonight,

00:29:16we finally celebrate

00:29:17our sacred union,

00:29:19two years late.

00:29:20He advanced toward me,

00:29:21one predatory step

00:29:22at a time.

00:29:22Despite the biting

00:29:23cold of the room,

00:29:24my palms were slit

00:29:25with a cold sweat.

00:29:26I realized in that moment

00:29:27that I couldn't endure

00:29:27his proximity.

00:29:28The sensation was visceral,

00:29:30like a slimy serpent

00:29:31slithering up my ankle,

00:29:32cold and suffocating.

00:29:33A sickly, distorted desire

00:29:35burned in his gaze.

00:29:36He lunged forward,

00:29:37his hands clamping

00:29:38around my waist

00:29:39like iron shackle

00:29:40as he tried to bury

00:29:41his face

00:29:41in the book of my neck.

00:29:42The scent of yours,

00:29:43it's enough to drive

00:29:44a man mad.

00:29:44Stop!

00:29:45Christopher,

00:29:46listen to me.

00:29:47I will give you

00:29:47every coin in the

00:29:48Vivian family vault.

00:29:49Just save my father

00:29:50and let me go.

00:29:52I don't want

00:29:53your filthy gold,

00:29:54Elena.

00:29:54I want you!

00:29:55His face twisted

00:29:56into a mask

00:29:57of pure malice

00:29:57as he shoved me

00:29:58backward

00:29:58onto the black velvet shade.

00:30:00He began to tear

00:30:00at my sacred robes

00:30:01with a frantic,

00:30:02desperate violence.

00:30:03Go ahead,

00:30:04keep fighting me.

00:30:05If you do,

00:30:06I'll make sure

00:30:06Bernard is dead

00:30:07before the sun

00:30:08rises tomorrow.

00:30:09Arthur was a man

00:30:10of violence,

00:30:10but when he touched me,

00:30:12there was a part

00:30:13of my soul

00:30:13that didn't recoil.

00:30:15Here,

00:30:15pinned under Christopher,

00:30:17I felt only

00:30:18a bone-deep revulsion.

00:30:19Ever since I saw you

00:30:20standing so high

00:30:21above everyone

00:30:22two years ago,

00:30:23I've dreamt

00:30:23of dragging you

00:30:24into the mud.

00:30:25Tonight,

00:30:26I finally get

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

00:30:31I first met Christopher

00:30:33when I was still young.

00:30:35No one could have

00:30:36ever guessed

00:30:36that behind his

00:30:37gentle, refined

00:30:38demeanor

00:30:39hid a dark

00:30:40and twisted heart.

00:30:42He leaned

00:30:43close to my neck,

00:30:44his every word

00:30:45laced with chilling,

00:30:47hidden malice

00:30:48that sent shivers

00:30:49down my spine.

00:30:50To tell you the truth,

00:30:52Elena,

00:30:53I orchestrated

00:30:54everything.

00:30:56Bernard's downfall,

00:30:58the treason,

00:30:59the trial,

00:31:00it was all

00:31:01my design.

00:31:02My eyes snapped

00:31:03wide as the horror

00:31:04of his confession

00:31:05sank in.

00:31:06He funded

00:31:07your education.

00:31:09He gave you

00:31:10a future.

00:31:12How could you

00:31:13betray the man

00:31:13who saved you?

00:31:15If he hadn't

00:31:15gone to prison,

00:31:16would you be here

00:31:17now,

00:31:18kneeling and begging

00:31:19for my favor?

00:31:20No.

00:31:21So be a good girl

00:31:22and please me.

00:31:24I have the power

00:31:25to make your father's

00:31:26life a living hell

00:31:27and I can just as

00:31:28easily destroy

00:31:29your mother and Julian.

00:31:30The sheer cruelty

00:31:31of it left me gasping.

00:31:32I wanted nothing more

00:31:33than to kill him

00:31:34and myself

00:31:34in a single stroke

00:31:36of vengeance.

00:31:36He held

00:31:37my every weakness

00:31:38in his hand.

00:31:39No matter how much

00:31:40my soul screamed

00:31:40in protest,

00:31:41I was trapped,

00:31:42forced to shiver

00:31:43and endure beneath him.

00:31:46Now,

00:31:46kiss me.

00:31:48He ruthlessly

00:31:49tore open

00:31:49my inner robes.

00:31:50The sudden bite

00:31:50of the cold air

00:31:51stung my exposed skin.

00:31:53I couldn't stop shaking

00:31:54and as his face

00:31:55descended toward mine,

00:31:56a wave of visceral,

00:31:57physical revulsion

00:31:58took hold.

00:31:59Every ounce of strength

00:32:00I had left,

00:32:01I shoved him away.

00:32:05Christopher's mask

00:32:06of civility

00:32:06shattered into

00:32:07a hundred jagged pieces.

00:32:09His patience

00:32:10had run dry

00:32:10and he pinned me

00:32:12against the edge

00:32:12of the shades

00:32:13with a terrifying

00:32:14heavy weight.

00:32:16Get off me!

00:32:17Don't touch me!

00:32:21Keep shouting,

00:32:22Elena,

00:32:22but for every word

00:32:23you scream,

00:32:24I'll have a piece

00:32:25of Bernard's flesh

00:32:26carved away.

00:32:27I went silent instantly,

00:32:28the sound of my own teeth

00:32:29grained together

00:32:29echoing in my skull.

00:32:30To save my father

00:32:31from the torture rack,

00:32:32I could only close my eyes

00:32:33in absolute despair,

00:32:34just as I prepared

00:32:35to bite my own tongue

00:32:35and end it all.

00:32:36The heavy oak doors

00:32:37of the bedchamber

00:32:38were obliterated,

00:32:40kicked inward

00:32:41with a force

00:32:41that shook

00:32:42the foundations

00:32:43of the villa.

00:32:44It was Arthur.

00:32:48Christopher stood paralyzed,

00:32:51his eyes wide

00:32:52with disbelief.

00:32:53He never imagined

00:32:55the crown prince

00:32:55would descend upon

00:32:56this secret sanctuary.

00:32:58Panicked,

00:32:59he scrambled

00:33:00to clutch

00:33:01his discarded robes,

00:33:02his face draining

00:33:03of color

00:33:04as the temperature

00:33:05in the room plummeted.

00:33:06Arthur approached

00:33:07with a terrifying,

00:33:09predatory calm.

00:33:13Your highness,

00:33:15I do not understand

00:33:16why you would strike me.

00:33:18Since when is it a crime

00:33:19to enjoy a midnight thrisk

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

00:33:22Lover.

00:33:26Since when is it a crime

00:33:27to enjoy

00:33:28a midnight thrisk

00:33:30with one's own...

00:33:31Arthur rained down low

00:33:33after brutal blow

00:33:34until Christopher

00:33:36lay unconscious

00:33:36in an ever-widening

00:33:38pool of blood.

00:33:39I have not yet signed

00:33:40the decree of abdulation.

00:33:42Until I do,

00:33:43she belongs to me.

00:33:45You dare to touch

00:33:47what is mine,

00:33:48and for that,

00:33:49you will die!

00:33:52Between the sheer terror

00:33:53of the night

00:33:54and the gnawing dread

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

00:33:57the fragile dam

00:33:58of my emotions

00:33:59finally broke.

00:34:01My pregnancy

00:34:02had made me volatile,

00:34:03and now,

00:34:04the tears fell

00:34:05in a relentless,

00:34:06silent torrent

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

00:34:09Arthur reached out,

00:34:10his arms snaking around me

00:34:12like an iron band

00:34:13to haul me

00:34:14into his chest.

00:34:15Seeing my face

00:34:17streaked with tears,

00:34:18the darkness

00:34:19in his eyes

00:34:19didn't soften.

00:34:21Instead,

00:34:22his fury

00:34:23seemed to congeal

00:34:24into something

00:34:24even more lethal.

00:34:26Do you love him

00:34:26that much?

00:34:28Do you love him

00:34:29that much?

00:34:33Does it break

00:34:34your heart

00:34:35that I interrupted

00:34:36your little trisk?

00:34:38You actually

00:34:39degraded yourself

00:34:40to this point

00:34:41for a piece

00:34:42of filth like him!

00:34:43when had I ever

00:34:44shown an ounce

00:34:45of affection

00:34:45for Christopher?

00:34:46The man was

00:34:47a monster,

00:34:48yet here was

00:34:49Arthur,

00:34:50twisting my desperation

00:34:51into a betrayal.

00:34:53But I didn't dare

00:34:54fight back.

00:34:55I couldn't risk

00:34:56my father

00:34:56bearing the brunt

00:34:57of a crown prince's

00:34:58lightning strike rage.

00:34:59I could only bury

00:35:00my face against

00:35:01his chest,

00:35:02my body shaking

00:35:03with muffled,

00:35:04agonizing sobs.

00:35:07Is being with me

00:35:08such a miserable fate,

00:35:09Elena?

00:35:10Well,

00:35:11weep all you want,

00:35:11it doesn't change

00:35:12a thing.

00:35:13You're coming back

00:35:14to the palace

00:35:14with me,

00:35:15where you belong.

00:35:18Arthur tossed me

00:35:19into his massive

00:35:20war chariot,

00:35:21pulled by snarling

00:35:22drakes,

00:35:22as if I were

00:35:23nothing more

00:35:24than a conquest

00:35:25claimed on a

00:35:25battlefield.

00:35:26I had no hope

00:35:27of escape.

00:35:29Within the hour,

00:35:30I was back

00:35:31in the palace,

00:35:32thrown once again

00:35:33onto the suffocating

00:35:34black fox furs

00:35:35of his bed.

00:35:36I curled into a ball,

00:35:37my eyes red and swollen,

00:35:39rubbing the small

00:35:41of my back

00:35:41where the impact

00:35:42had left a dull,

00:35:43throbbing ache.

00:35:46His voice was a low,

00:35:48terrifying rumble,

00:35:50cold as a mountain grave.

00:35:52He pressed his callous

00:35:53thumb against my lips,

00:35:55rubbing them

00:35:55with a punishing force

00:35:56that threatened

00:35:57to draw blood.

00:35:59Did he kiss you here?

00:36:04I won't stay.

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

00:36:09pet.

00:36:12You think you're worthy

00:36:13of being my mistress?

00:36:15Don't flatter yourself.

00:36:17Let me make this clear,

00:36:19Elena.

00:36:20Until the day I choose

00:36:21to discard you,

00:36:23if you ever dare to shame

00:36:24me with another man again,

00:36:25I will personally ensure

00:36:27you never draw

00:36:28another breath.

00:36:37I stared at Arthur,

00:36:39my heart hammering

00:36:41against my ribs

00:36:42like a trapped bird.

00:36:44His heterochromatic eyes

00:36:45were threaded

00:36:45with dark red veins,

00:36:47and the draconic aura

00:36:48swirling around him

00:36:49was so suffocating,

00:36:51it felt as though

00:36:52he had just clawed

00:36:53his way out of the deepest

00:36:54pits of hell.

00:36:55Looking at the sheer

00:36:55madness in his expression,

00:36:57I knew with terrifying

00:36:58certainty.

00:36:59If I admitted

00:37:01that Christopher's lips

00:37:01even brushed mine,

00:37:03he would cut my lips away

00:37:04without a second thought.

00:37:06In truth,

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

00:37:09I should have been

00:37:10paralyzed by fear,

00:37:11but every nerve in my body

00:37:13was screaming

00:37:13in pain and exhaustion.

00:37:15I couldn't help

00:37:16but lash out.

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

00:37:21You're that desperate

00:37:23to escape me, Vivian.

00:37:26You torture me.

00:37:28You humiliate me.

00:37:31Isn't this exactly

00:37:32what you wanted?

00:37:33Take it!

00:37:34Whip me to death

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

00:37:37I stepped on your shoulders.

00:37:39I crushed your pride.

00:37:40So take my hands!

00:37:41Take my feet!

00:37:43Do whatever you want!

00:37:45Just save my father

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

00:37:49I'll let you sacrifice me

00:37:50on the altar right now!

00:37:55Arthur remained silent

00:37:56as he reached down

00:37:58to retrieve

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

00:38:00I couldn't help

00:38:00the violent flinch

00:38:01that wracked my body.

00:38:02I had wielded

00:38:03this very weapon

00:38:04countless times,

00:38:05but I was naturally frail.

00:38:07My strikes had barely

00:38:08left a red mark

00:38:09on his skin.

00:38:10Arthur was different.

00:38:12He possessed

00:38:12the terrifying raw strength

00:38:14of the dragon race.

00:38:15If he struck me once

00:38:16with that whip,

00:38:17I would shatter.

00:38:18I forced my spine

00:38:19to straighten

00:38:20and close my eyes,

00:38:21waiting for the end.

00:38:24After I'm gone,

00:38:27would you place

00:38:28a bouquet

00:38:29of fresh roses

00:38:30on my grave?

00:38:33I'm afraid

00:38:34of the cold

00:38:35on the other side.

00:38:41A woman

00:38:42from this wretched

00:38:43holy kingdom

00:38:44has no place

00:38:45beside my throne.

00:38:50He didn't swing

00:38:51the whip.

00:38:51Instead,

00:38:52he lunged forward,

00:38:53his searing fingers

00:38:54clamping around

00:38:55my slender waist

00:38:56like iron bands.

00:38:58Is my touch

00:38:59really that repulsing

00:39:00to you?

00:39:02Well, too bad.

00:39:04Tonight,

00:39:04I'm taking

00:39:05exactly what I want.

00:39:09His lips

00:39:10crashed against mine,

00:39:11fueled by a scorching,

00:39:12desperate rage.

00:39:13In the chaos

00:39:14of the kiss,

00:39:15a memory of my birthday

00:39:15last year surfaced.

00:39:17He was still

00:39:17my shadow then.

00:39:18He had spent weeks

00:39:19carving a wooden

00:39:20statuette of me,

00:39:21a perfect miniature

00:39:22saintess.

00:39:24When I saw the gift,

00:39:25my heart had hammered

00:39:26so wildly,

00:39:27I had accused him

00:39:29of placing a curse

00:39:29on me.

00:39:30I punished him,

00:39:31forcing him to kneel

00:39:32shirtless on the

00:39:33cold temple floor

00:39:34while I used gold ink

00:39:35to paint a massive,

00:39:36ridiculous creature

00:39:37across his broad back.

00:39:39His ears had turned

00:39:40a deep,

00:39:41burning crimson.

00:39:42I thought it was

00:39:43humiliation,

00:39:44so I insolently

00:39:45grabbed his ear

00:39:46to make him turn around.

00:39:47But as he moved,

00:39:49I lost my balance

00:39:50and tumbled

00:39:50into his arms.

00:39:51Our lips met,

00:39:53and that kiss

00:39:53had been clumsy,

00:39:55yet so tender.

00:39:56He had whispered

00:39:57broken pleas,

00:39:58begging me to let him

00:39:59kiss me just once more.

00:40:01My shadow had been

00:40:02so kind then.

00:40:03No matter how I shamed him,

00:40:04he would have handed me

00:40:05the entire world

00:40:06on a silver platter

00:40:07just to see me smile.

00:40:10But the Arthur of today

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

00:40:14how to make me hurt.

00:40:15As he ruthlessly

00:40:17tore away my silk inner robes,

00:40:18the tears I had fought

00:40:20so hard to suppress

00:40:21finally broke through

00:40:22the dam once again.

00:40:23They cascaded down my cheeks,

00:40:25hot and bitter,

00:40:27slashing against

00:40:28the side of his face.

00:40:29Arthur's movements

00:40:30froze instantly.

00:40:31He remained motionless,

00:40:33his hands still white-knuckled

00:40:34around a shred

00:40:35of the ruined silk.

00:40:35Is my touch so unbearable?

00:40:38He let out a sharp,

00:40:39guttural sound of disgust

00:40:40and shoved me aside

00:40:42like a discarded rag.

00:40:43Before I could even shiver,

00:40:45he grabbed a heavy

00:40:46black fox fur blanket

00:40:47and wrapped it around me.

00:40:49That piece of filth,

00:40:50Christopher,

00:40:52already has a wife,

00:40:53a high justice

00:40:54own daughter.

00:40:55And yet here you are,

00:40:57playing the martyr,

00:40:59preserving your purity.

00:41:01To Venice's,

00:41:02your controls

00:41:02no purity for him.

00:41:04You really are

00:41:06a devoted fool,

00:41:07Miss Vivian.

00:41:08He stood up,

00:41:10his eyes flashing

00:41:10with a final,

00:41:11cutting spark of disdain.

00:41:13Don't flatter yourself.

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

00:41:16in the world.

00:41:18I don't need you.

00:41:20He turned and strode

00:41:21out of the chamber,

00:41:22the massive oak door

00:41:23slamming shut

00:41:23with a thunderous crash

00:41:24that echoed through

00:41:25the hollow silence

00:41:26of my heart.

00:41:27I wept until

00:41:29my throat was raw

00:41:30and only then

00:41:31did the dull throbbing ache

00:41:32in my womb

00:41:33begin to subside.

00:41:34I was desperate

00:41:35to go home,

00:41:36to save my father,

00:41:38to stop Julian

00:41:38from selling his soul

00:41:39for a scrap of influence.

00:41:41But the world outside

00:41:42had vanished.

00:41:43Arthur had placed me

00:41:45under house arrest.

00:41:46I knew his game.

00:41:47He wanted to break me slowly.

00:41:49He wanted to watch

00:41:50the once-haughty saintess

00:41:51rot in a gilded cage

00:41:53until there was

00:41:54nothing left of my pride.

00:41:55For seven days,

00:41:57Arthur never showed his face.

00:41:58Instead,

00:41:59he sent a flock of handmaids

00:42:00to tend to me.

00:42:01They were meticulously attentive,

00:42:03yet their voices

00:42:04were venomous.

00:42:08Did you really think

00:42:10he'd keep a broken doll?

00:42:13His Highness gifted

00:42:14Lady Isabella

00:42:15the legendary

00:42:16Starry Night necklace.

00:42:17The prince

00:42:18and the duke's daughter

00:42:19are inseparable

00:42:20at the royal hunting grounds.

00:42:22They look so perfect together.

00:42:25Every day,

00:42:26they made sure

00:42:27I heard the rumors

00:42:27of Arthur's devotion

00:42:28to Isabella.

00:42:29Each word cut deeper

00:42:30than any whip.

00:42:31I loathed being a caged bird.

00:42:33But my true terror

00:42:35was the fear

00:42:35that the next time

00:42:36I saw my father,

00:42:37he would be a corpse.

00:42:39On the eighth day

00:42:40of my imprisonment,

00:42:41the heavy doors

00:42:41finally groaned open.

00:42:43A silhouette draped

00:42:44in black and gold

00:42:45stepped through the threshold,

00:42:46bringing with him

00:42:47a rush of winter air.

00:42:48Arthur had returned.

00:42:51Arthur, you bastard!

00:42:53The days of isolation

00:42:54had driven me

00:42:55to the brink of madness.

00:42:58Let me out!

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

00:43:01I have to save my father!

00:43:04Shadow, you are nothing

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

00:43:07If you let my father die

00:43:09without me saying goodbye,

00:43:10I will make you regret it

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

00:43:14I snatched out

00:43:15the ruby-encrusted whip

00:43:16trying to shield

00:43:16my vulnerability

00:43:17behind a pathetic

00:43:18empty threat.

00:43:19Bernard is still alive.

00:43:22The air rushed

00:43:24back into my lungs.

00:43:25My father was safe,

00:43:27at least for now.

00:43:29But as the panic receded,

00:43:31a different kind of poison

00:43:32took its place.

00:43:33I remembered

00:43:34the maid's whispers,

00:43:36stories of how

00:43:37he had spent

00:43:38the last few nights

00:43:39locked away with Isabella,

00:43:41lost in a passion

00:43:42that lasted until dawn.

00:43:44The jealousy

00:43:45was a sudden,

00:43:46searing heat.

00:43:47When he had taken me,

00:43:49he hadn't shown

00:43:49half that much endurance.

00:43:51He was spending

00:43:52so much time

00:43:53entangled with

00:43:54that duke's daughter.

00:43:55I wondered if he was

00:43:56trying to drain

00:43:57every drop

00:43:57of his royal blood dry.

00:44:00Are you so desperate

00:44:01to run back to Christopher?

00:44:03To wallow in the dirt

00:44:04as his caged bird

00:44:05keep dreaming?

00:44:06I just refuse

00:44:07to stay near a man

00:44:08who belongs to Isabella!

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

00:44:11I lunged at him

00:44:12and sank my teeth

00:44:13into his shoulder.

00:44:15Vivian, stop!

00:44:17Are you truly

00:44:18in such a hurry

00:44:19to bury your father?

00:44:20I stopped struggling,

00:44:21but the air

00:44:22between us

00:44:23was thick

00:44:24with loathing.

00:44:25I backed away,

00:44:26slammed the door shut,

00:44:28and turned the lock

00:44:29with a definitive click.

00:44:30Then,

00:44:31staring me straight

00:44:32into the eyes.

00:44:33I began to

00:44:34unmask my sacred robes.

00:44:37Elena, stop!

00:44:38Put your clothes

00:44:39back on!

00:44:40His breath hitched,

00:44:42but I wouldn't be swayed

00:44:43by his feigned restraint.

00:44:45You want your revenge?

00:44:46Then take it!

00:44:47Do to me exactly

00:44:49what I did to you

00:44:50two years ago.

00:44:52Press your boot

00:44:53into my shoulder.

00:44:54Draw those ridiculous,

00:44:56mocking creatures

00:44:57on my skin.

00:44:58Burn me

00:44:59with your humiliation!

00:45:00and my voice

00:45:01broke into a pathetic,

00:45:02desperate sob

00:45:03as I looked at him

00:45:04through a blur of tears.

00:45:07I'm begging you,

00:45:09just finish your revenge

00:45:10and save my father.

00:45:11You swore an oath

00:45:13of loyalty to him

00:45:14before the altar.

00:45:15For the sake

00:45:16of that one vow,

00:45:17please help him.

00:45:19Arthur stood

00:45:20like a statue,

00:45:22his expression

00:45:23unreadable

00:45:24and frozen.

00:45:25The silence

00:45:26was deafening.

00:45:27I realized then

00:45:29that my words

00:45:30weren't enough.

00:45:31My tears

00:45:31weren't enough.

00:45:32I know what you want.

00:45:35You're still angry

00:45:36about that winter,

00:45:37about how I forced you

00:45:38into the frozen lake.

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

00:45:42I'll go.

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

00:45:45in the back garden

00:45:46and catch every single

00:45:48one of those

00:45:48damn fish for you.

00:45:50I remembered

00:45:51that day vividly.

00:45:52The snow

00:45:53had been blinding

00:45:54and he had been

00:45:55practicing his sword

00:45:56play in the courtyard.

00:45:57I had been in a foul

00:45:59mood, agitated

00:46:00by the sight

00:46:01of his bare,

00:46:02powerful torso.

00:46:03I had mocked him,

00:46:05my voice dripping

00:46:06with disdain.

00:46:07If you're really

00:46:08as strong as you look,

00:46:11why don't you

00:46:12dive into the lake

00:46:13and bring me a snack?

00:46:16I hadn't expected

00:46:17him to do it,

00:46:18but without a word,

00:46:19he had plunged

00:46:21into the bone-chilling

00:46:22waters of the sacred lake.

00:46:24I spun around

00:46:26and bolted

00:46:26toward the door.

00:46:27Vivian,

00:46:28have you lost your mind?

00:46:29Where do you think

00:46:30you're going dressed

00:46:31like that?

00:46:31Whether a filthy woman

00:46:33like me lives or dies,

00:46:36what is it to you?

00:46:41None of my business,

00:46:43Elena,

00:46:45I'm going to make sure

00:46:46you never forget

00:46:48exactly who I am!

00:46:50The predatory

00:46:51glint in his eyes

00:46:52was enough

00:46:53to devour me.

00:46:54I am Arthur.

00:46:56I am your sworn knight.

00:46:58He descended upon me

00:46:59like a wolf.

00:47:00And I am your

00:47:01lawful husband.

00:47:02His teeth

00:47:03raising my lips

00:47:05like a kiss

00:47:05that felt more

00:47:06like a claim

00:47:07of territory.

00:47:08Bastard!

00:47:09You aren't human!

00:47:10But the more

00:47:11I struggled,

00:47:12the more

00:47:12his possessiveness

00:47:13spiraled into

00:47:14a feverish madness.

00:47:16I hurled

00:47:17every curse

00:47:18I knew at him.

00:47:19Even as the world

00:47:20began to blur

00:47:21into a dizzying,

00:47:22unwanted pleasure,

00:47:23I wanted him

00:47:24to feel my hatred

00:47:25even if my body

00:47:26was betraying me

00:47:27in his arms.

00:47:30I felt my life force

00:47:32draining away

00:47:32like sand

00:47:33through an hourglass

00:47:34as he pinned me

00:47:35to the bed once more,

00:47:37claiming me

00:47:37with a desperate

00:47:38crushing intensity.

00:47:40A sharp,

00:47:41tearing agony

00:47:42exploded deep

00:47:43within my abdomen.

00:47:44It was as if a blade

00:47:45had been twisted

00:47:46inside me.

00:47:47I collapsed

00:47:48into the black fox furs,

00:47:50a rose severed

00:47:51from its stem,

00:47:52and the world

00:47:53dissolved

00:47:53into a hollow,

00:47:55silent void.

00:47:56Elena.

00:47:57Elena.

00:47:58Was that panic

00:47:59in his voice?

00:48:00It felt almost comedic.

00:48:02Didn't he want

00:48:02to cast this beautiful

00:48:04witch into the fires

00:48:05of purgatory?

00:48:06In the final second

00:48:06before the darkness

00:48:07swallowed me whole,

00:48:08I felt a pair

00:48:09of searing,

00:48:10calloused hands

00:48:11trembling

00:48:11as they pulled me

00:48:13tight against

00:48:14a racing heart.

00:48:15When I finally

00:48:16drifted back

00:48:16to consciousness,

00:48:17the heavy velvet

00:48:19curtains had been drawn,

00:48:20sealing out

00:48:21the daylight.

00:48:22The chamber

00:48:23was thick

00:48:23with the bitter,

00:48:24cloying scent

00:48:25of medicinal herbs

00:48:26and the metallic

00:48:27tang of holy water.

00:48:29From beyond

00:48:30the veil

00:48:30of the bed curtains,

00:48:32I heard Arthur's voice.

00:48:34A low,

00:48:35dangerous growl

00:48:36vibrating

00:48:37with suppressed fury.

00:48:39Why isn't she awake yet?

00:48:47Miss Vivian's spirit

00:48:50was already fragile.

00:48:55After the physical trauma,

00:48:57she is showing signs

00:48:59of a miscarriage.

00:49:18A hatchling.

00:49:20Signs of a miscarriage.

00:49:21A bitter,

00:49:22self-deprecating smile

00:49:23touched my lips.

00:49:24My little dragon

00:49:25was still there.

00:49:26It was far more resilient

00:49:28than I had imagined,

00:49:29but within seconds.

00:49:30A bone-chilling dread

00:49:32washed over me.

00:49:33Arthur knew.

00:49:35He knew that within me,

00:49:36a secret was growing.

00:49:38A secret the temple

00:49:40would never allow

00:49:41to exist.

00:49:42In an empire

00:49:43where blood purity

00:49:44was everything,

00:49:44the bastard

00:49:46of a fallen saintess

00:49:47would likely never be given

00:49:49the chance

00:49:49to draw

00:49:50his first breath.

00:49:53in a surge

00:49:54of sheer panic,

00:49:55my hand struck

00:49:55the wooden bed frame

00:49:56with a sharp crack

00:49:57at the sound.

00:49:58Arthur pulled back

00:49:59the heavy velvet curtains.

00:50:00He sat beside me,

00:50:01his face a mask

00:50:02of cold stone.

00:50:03I instinctively recoiled

00:50:04into the corner of the bed,

00:50:05desperate for a shred

00:50:06of safety.

00:50:07I knew the protocol

00:50:08of the empire.

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

00:50:09I might have already

00:50:10ordered the priest

00:50:11to prepare a purification draft

00:50:12to erase the evidence

00:50:14of my shame.

00:50:15Arthur gripped my hand

00:50:15with bruising force,

00:50:17his voice devoid of warmth.

00:50:18Are you still in pain?

00:50:19Mind race.

00:50:21Should I tell the truth?

00:50:22Physical ache

00:50:22had mostly subsided.

00:50:23I knew he lived

00:50:24for my suffering.

00:50:25If I told him

00:50:25I was in agony,

00:50:26perhaps his thirst

00:50:26for vengeance

00:50:27would be satisfied.

00:50:29Yes,

00:50:30it hurts.

00:50:31Terrified that he would

00:50:32force the draft

00:50:33down my throat right then,

00:50:34I scrambled

00:50:34to reassure him.

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

00:50:37I would never use

00:50:38this child to trap you

00:50:40or force you.

00:50:41Just let me go.

00:50:42Once I return

00:50:43to my family lands,

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

00:50:46I'll make sure it's gone.

00:50:48It was a lie

00:50:49that tasted like ash.

00:50:51I loved my little dragon already,

00:50:54but I needed him

00:50:55to believe I was

00:50:56no threat to his future.

00:50:58Deal with it?

00:51:01You're truly that eager

00:51:02to get rid of

00:51:03these two children.

00:51:05Two?

00:51:06I was stunned

00:51:07into silence.

00:51:08Dragon twins

00:51:09were a miracle,

00:51:10a rarity

00:51:11whispered up in legends.

00:51:12It meant I was

00:51:13carrying a double dragon pulse.

00:51:14My resolve to protect them

00:51:16hardened instantly,

00:51:17but I forced my voice

00:51:18to stay cold.

00:51:19Yes,

00:51:20I don't want them.

00:51:21I'd rather die

00:51:22than have them.

00:51:23I'll brew two bowls

00:51:24of the draft

00:51:25and wipe them

00:51:26from existence.

00:51:27I glanced at the priest

00:51:28standing in the shadows.

00:51:30They weren't moving

00:51:30to help.

00:51:31Instead,

00:51:32they were visibly

00:51:33trembling in terror.

00:51:34You really are

00:51:35heartless, Elena.

00:51:36He shoved my hand away

00:51:37and stormed out,

00:51:39his cloak swirling

00:51:40like a dark cloud.

00:51:41I shouted after him,

00:51:42my voice cracking

00:51:43with desperation.

00:51:44If two bowls aren't enough,

00:51:46I'll drink ten!

00:51:50Arthur vanished again

00:51:51for several days.

00:51:53I was forced to listen

00:51:54to the maids gossiping

00:51:55in the hallways,

00:51:56their whispers

00:51:57like jagged glass.

00:51:59They said he spent

00:52:00every waking

00:52:01and sleeping,

00:52:02hour,

00:52:03in Isabella's chambers.

00:52:05Rumor had it

00:52:06that once the dragon

00:52:07bloodline awakened,

00:52:08the host possessed

00:52:09a terrifying,

00:52:10near-limitless stamina.

00:52:12He and the duke's daughter

00:52:13were reportedly lost

00:52:14in each other's embrace

00:52:15until the break

00:52:17of every dawn.

00:52:19A bitter wave

00:52:21of sorrow

00:52:21crashed over me.

00:52:23I assumed he found

00:52:24the idea

00:52:25of having children

00:52:26with a twisted woman,

00:52:28like me,

00:52:29repulsive,

00:52:30leading him

00:52:30to seek solace

00:52:31in someone pure.

00:52:33I pitied his burden,

00:52:35yet the ache

00:52:36in my own chest

00:52:37only grew more hollow.

00:52:39To my absolute shock,

00:52:41a summons arrived.

00:52:42The emperor

00:52:43and empress

00:52:43demanded an audience

00:52:45with me.

00:52:45Before Arthur

00:52:46reclaimed his throne,

00:52:48the highest authority

00:52:49I had ever encountered

00:52:50was a local

00:52:51provincial lord.

00:52:53To be called

00:52:54before the absolute

00:52:55rulers of the empire

00:52:56was terrifying.

00:52:58I was certain

00:52:59they intended

00:52:59to put me on trial

00:53:00for the crime

00:53:01of desecrating

00:53:02the crown prince.

00:53:03The imperial couple

00:53:04was legendary

00:53:05for their sole covenant.

00:53:06The emperor

00:53:08had married

00:53:08a commoner

00:53:09when he was

00:53:10nothing more

00:53:11than a minor noble

00:53:12and they had remained

00:53:13devoted to one another

00:53:15ever since.

00:53:16After Arthur

00:53:17disappeared at age six,

00:53:19the empress

00:53:19was so devastated

00:53:20by grief and injury

00:53:22that she could never

00:53:23bear another child.

00:53:25Their love for Arthur

00:53:26was boundless.

00:53:28And then there was me,

00:53:30the witch

00:53:30who had tormented

00:53:31their precious,

00:53:32long-lost son.

00:53:33I felt certain

00:53:35that if I wasn't

00:53:36sent straight to the pyre,

00:53:37it would be a miracle.

00:53:42The imperial palace

00:53:44was a fortress

00:53:44of limestone and gold

00:53:46looming over me

00:53:47with a heavy

00:53:47sacred weight.

00:53:49Every footstep

00:53:50echoed against the marble,

00:53:51amplifying my dread.

00:53:53I kept my head bowed,

00:53:55trembling,

00:53:56until a pair of silk slippers

00:53:57appeared in my vision.

00:53:59When I looked up,

00:54:01I saw a woman

00:54:02of such timeless beauty.

00:54:03She looked less like

00:54:05Arthur's mother.

00:54:06Please, stand up.

00:54:06And more like

00:54:07an elder sister.

00:54:08She reached out

00:54:09and personally

00:54:10helped me to my feet.

00:54:11I held my breath,

00:54:12my heart hammering

00:54:14against my ribs.

00:54:15Was she inspecting

00:54:16my skin to decide

00:54:17which torture

00:54:18would be most effective?

00:54:20Was she looking

00:54:21for the mark

00:54:21of the witch?

00:54:22You are breathtaking.

00:54:25Even more beautiful

00:54:26than the way

00:54:27Arthur described you.

00:54:30I heard that

00:54:31when he was a lost

00:54:32nine-year-old

00:54:32wandering the wilderness,

00:54:34you were the one

00:54:35who gave him the hope

00:54:36to keep living.

00:54:37Is that true?

00:54:41I froze,

00:54:42completely blindsided.

00:54:44I had no memory

00:54:45of saving a prince.

00:54:48When I was nine,

00:54:50I had slipped away

00:54:51from the temple

00:54:52to explore.

00:54:53I found a starving,

00:54:55filthy beggar boy

00:54:56collapsed by the roadside.

00:54:58I had simply tossed him

00:54:59a high-grade healing pill

00:55:01and a heavy pouch

00:55:02of gold coins.

00:55:03I only gave him the gold

00:55:05because the coins

00:55:06were weighing down

00:55:06my dress

00:55:07and I wanted to be

00:55:08rid of them.

00:55:09It was a casual gesture

00:55:10to a stranger.

00:55:11It wasn't until

00:55:12two years ago,

00:55:14in the stench

00:55:14of a blood-soaked

00:55:15gladiator pit,

00:55:16that I recognized

00:55:17those striking,

00:55:19mismatched eyes again.

00:55:20I bought him

00:55:21for a single gold coin

00:55:22just so I wouldn't

00:55:23have to watch him

00:55:24rot in the mud.

00:55:25I don't understand

00:55:26why they're making

00:55:28such a fuss.

00:55:29I only gave him

00:55:31some gold

00:55:31I was planning

00:55:32to throw away.

00:55:38Such a good child.

00:55:42Without another word,

00:55:43she carefully removed

00:55:45a shimmering

00:55:45mithril amulet

00:55:46from her own neck,

00:55:47an artifact pulsing

00:55:49with divine light,

00:55:50and placed it gently

00:55:51in my open.

00:55:57The Empress

00:55:58spent hours

00:55:59speaking with me,

00:56:00her voice a gentle

00:56:01lilt,

00:56:01as she asked about

00:56:02my past with Arthur

00:56:03at the temple.

00:56:04Cold sweat trickled

00:56:05down my face.

00:56:06How could I possibly

00:56:07confess the truth?

00:56:08How could I tell her

00:56:09that I had once

00:56:10punished him

00:56:10by making him kneel

00:56:12shirtless on

00:56:12freezing stone steps?

00:56:14Or that I had

00:56:14branded his chest

00:56:15with the word

00:56:16shadow,

00:56:17a title of

00:56:18absolute desecration?

00:56:19I could only offer

00:56:20pale, hollow lies,

00:56:21claiming we had lived

00:56:22as the closest

00:56:23of companions.

00:56:24When I returned

00:56:25to the Crown Prince's

00:56:25estate,

00:56:26I was greeted

00:56:27by an overwhelming

00:56:28display of favor.

00:56:29Cards filled with

00:56:30rare medicinal tonics,

00:56:32and bolts of the

00:56:33finest silk were being

00:56:34unloaded into my

00:56:35side hall.

00:56:36The Empress

00:56:36had even promised

00:56:37to visit me personally

00:56:38in the coming days.

00:56:39My mind was a

00:56:40whirlwind of confusion.

00:56:42Arthur loathed me.

00:56:43Why then had he told

00:56:44his parents I was

00:56:45his savior?

00:56:45But I ran out of

00:56:47time to wonder.

00:56:48The doors to the

00:56:48chambers were thrown

00:56:49open by Arthur's

00:56:50headguard.

00:56:51In his hands,

00:56:52he carried a porcelain

00:56:53bowl filled with a

00:56:54black steaming liquid

00:56:55that smelled of death.

00:56:57It was the

00:56:57purification draft.

00:56:59His Highness's

00:57:00orders.

00:57:01Miss Vivian is to

00:57:02drink this immediately.

00:57:04We cannot allow

00:57:05anything improper

00:57:06to stain the purity

00:57:07of the royal bloodline.

00:57:09The world turned

00:57:09to ice.

00:57:10He was finally coming

00:57:11for the life inside me.

00:57:13He wanted to

00:57:14personally destroy

00:57:14these twin dragon pulses

00:57:16to burn away the

00:57:17last lingering evidence

00:57:18of our humiliating past.

00:57:20I looked at the

00:57:20black liquid,

00:57:21my hand instinctively

00:57:22dropping to cover

00:57:23my stomach.

00:57:23I could feel them.

00:57:24Tiny, flickering

00:57:25sparks of light.

00:57:26I have to run.

00:57:27I have to escape.

00:57:29The Emperor of the

00:57:30Empire was indeed

00:57:31a just and

00:57:32formidable ruler.

00:57:33When I knelt

00:57:34before him and

00:57:35begged for a

00:57:35thorough investigation

00:57:36into my father's

00:57:37wrongful imprisonment,

00:57:38he gave me his

00:57:39word that the case

00:57:40had been transferred

00:57:40to the High Tribunal.

00:57:42I finally felt a

00:57:43weight lift from

00:57:43my chest.

00:57:44I clung to the

00:57:45belief that once

00:57:46the truth was laid

00:57:46bare, the honor

00:57:47of the Vivian family

00:57:48would be restored

00:57:49to its former glory.

00:57:51Now, my only

00:57:52remaining weakness

00:57:52was the twin dragon

00:57:53pulses growing

00:57:54within me.

00:57:55The moment I

00:57:56returned from the

00:57:56palace, a maid

00:57:57entered my chambers

00:57:58carrying a bowl

00:57:59of liquid that

00:57:59shimmered with an

00:58:00eerie violet light.

00:58:01She called it a

00:58:02sacred essence

00:58:03supplement, claiming

00:58:04it was meant to

00:58:05bolster my strength.

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

00:58:07I knew Arthur was

00:58:07incapable of such

00:58:08sudden mercy.

00:58:09I pretended to

00:58:10drink it with a

00:58:10grateful smile.

00:58:11But the second the

00:58:12doors were closed

00:58:12and the windows

00:58:13latched.

00:58:14I tipped the bowl

00:58:14into a pot of

00:58:15moonlight ivy.

00:58:16The magic plant,

00:58:17known for its

00:58:17incredible resilience,

00:58:19reacted instantly.

00:58:20The moment the

00:58:21liquid touched the

00:58:22soil, the lush

00:58:23leaves shriveled,

00:58:24turning into brittle

00:58:25blackened husks as if

00:58:26scorched by dragon

00:58:27fire.

00:58:28My blood ran cold.

00:58:29It wasn't a supplement

00:58:30at all.

00:58:31It was a blood

00:58:32cleansing draft, a

00:58:33lethal poison designed

00:58:34to starve my

00:58:35hatchlings of their

00:58:36magic and kill them

00:58:37in the womb.

00:58:38gold can buy even the

00:58:40most depraved of

00:58:41souls.

00:58:41Using a priceless

00:58:42mithril hairpin as

00:58:43a bribe, I managed

00:58:45to smuggle a

00:58:45desperate message to

00:58:46Julian through a

00:58:47kitchen maid.

00:58:48I begged him for a

00:58:49vial of draft of the

00:58:50living death, a

00:58:52forbidden alchemical

00:58:53concoction that could

00:58:54halt a heartbeat and

00:58:55mimic the cold

00:58:56stillness of the

00:58:56grave, all without

00:58:58harming the fragile

00:58:59dragon sprouts in my

00:59:00womb.

00:59:00When a person dies,

00:59:02their debts are

00:59:03supposedly settled.

00:59:04If I were dead,

00:59:06Arthur would have

00:59:06no reason to force

00:59:08those cruel, poisonous

00:59:09drafts down my

00:59:09throat.

00:59:10At worst, he would

00:59:11have my body tossed

00:59:12into a mass grave

00:59:13in the desolate

00:59:14barrens.

00:59:15Once the effects

00:59:16wore off, I could

00:59:17crawl out of the

00:59:17dirt and vanish

00:59:18into the night with

00:59:19my children to find

00:59:20my mother.

00:59:20My only terror was

00:59:21Arthur's depravity.

00:59:23I feared that

00:59:24even in death, he

00:59:25might plunge a blade

00:59:26into my chest, just

00:59:27to be certain.

00:59:28The potion took

00:59:29hold with terrifying

00:59:30speed.

00:59:31A bone-deep

00:59:32chill spread through

00:59:33my limbs.

00:59:34turning my blood

00:59:35to slush.

00:59:36My mind remained

00:59:37agonizingly sharp.

00:59:38Yet I was a

00:59:39prisoner in my

00:59:40own skin, unable

00:59:41to move a muscle,

00:59:43unable to flicker

00:59:43an eyelid, until

00:59:45the heavy doors

00:59:45were so big.

00:59:47Help!

00:59:48Someone help!

00:59:53Miss Vivian,

00:59:55she stopped

00:59:56breathing!

00:59:58The frantic

00:59:59scream echoed

01:00:00through the stone

01:00:00chamber, sounding

01:00:01more like a

01:00:02celebration of my

01:00:02freedom than a

01:00:03morning of my

01:00:04life.

01:00:05I lay there, a

01:00:06hollow shell, waiting

01:00:07to see if my

01:00:08gambit would lead

01:00:09to the wilderness

01:00:09or the pyre.

01:00:13Before I heard

01:00:14the heavy rhythmic

01:00:15thud of leather

01:00:16boots against the

01:00:17stone floor, Arthur

01:00:19had arrived.

01:00:20He seemed unable

01:00:21to fathom that the

01:00:22witch, who had

01:00:23once tormented him

01:00:24so ruthlessly, could

01:00:25fall so easily.

01:00:28who says she is

01:00:30dead?

01:00:30If you are mocking

01:00:32me again, I swear

01:00:36I will bury the

01:00:38entire Vivian

01:00:39family, along with

01:00:41you!

01:00:42But I was merely a

01:00:44corpse now, a

01:00:46silent witness to his

01:00:47descent into

01:00:48hysteria.

01:00:49I stayed frozen,

01:00:51locked in the icy

01:00:52grip of the draft.

01:00:53his voice grew

01:00:54softer, losing its

01:00:56edge, until it was

01:00:58filled with a frantic,

01:00:59staggering sense of

01:01:00panic I had never

01:01:01heard before.

01:01:02Why was he so shaken?

01:01:05Wake up!

01:01:05Was he afraid my

01:01:06vengeful spirit would

01:01:07haunt him for the rest

01:01:08of his days?

01:01:09Wake up!

01:01:10Or was he simply

01:01:11realizing that his

01:01:12favorite toy had

01:01:13finally broken beyond

01:01:14repair?

01:01:15Either way, I remain

01:01:16still, praying for the

01:01:18darkness of the burial

01:01:20grounds to come

01:01:20quickly.

01:01:23By now, he must

01:01:25have found the letter

01:01:26I left behind.

01:01:27In it, I wrote that

01:01:29I had finally reached

01:01:30my breaking point,

01:01:32that I had swallowed a

01:01:33lethal poison to end

01:01:35the humiliation, and

01:01:37that no one else was

01:01:38to blame.

01:01:39My only dying wish was

01:01:40for him to honor our

01:01:42old contract and

01:01:43return my remains to

01:01:44my family's ancestral

01:01:45lands.

01:01:46But his reaction after

01:01:47reading those words

01:01:48sent a fresh wave of

01:01:50horror through my

01:01:51frozen soul.

01:01:52Do you love Christopher

01:01:53that much?

01:01:54Do you love him so

01:01:55deeply that you would

01:01:57rather commit suicide?

01:02:01You want your bones

01:02:02returned home?

01:02:03Never.

01:02:04You will stay by my

01:02:06side.

01:02:08Even if you rot.

01:02:10You will do so in

01:02:12my arms!

01:02:13The living death

01:02:14only lasted 12 hours.

01:02:16If he didn't hurry up

01:02:18and bury me, I was

01:02:19going to resurrect

01:02:20right in front of him.

01:02:22Elena, please.

01:02:25Open your eyes and

01:02:26look at me.

01:02:28Then, I felt it.

01:02:30A cold, trembling

01:02:32kiss pressed against

01:02:33my unresponsive lips.

01:02:38Time was running out.

01:02:40Outside, the night was

01:02:42dark and the wind was

01:02:43howling.

01:02:43effects of the draft

01:02:44were finally beginning

01:02:46to wane.

01:02:47Arthur was on the

01:02:48jagged edge of a

01:02:49mental collapse,

01:02:50blinded by a grief I

01:02:52never expected.

01:02:53As the feeling

01:02:54returned to my limbs,

01:02:56my fingers brushed

01:02:57against the paralyzing

01:02:58silver needle Julian

01:02:59had hidden among my

01:03:00supplies.

01:03:01I waited,

01:03:03holding my breath,

01:03:04until Arthur slumped

01:03:06against my neck with a

01:03:07broken moan.

01:03:08With every ounce of

01:03:09strength I had regained,

01:03:10I lunged and drove the

01:03:13needle deep into the

01:03:14pressure point at the

01:03:15nape of his neck.

01:03:16Even a crown prince of

01:03:17the dragon line couldn't

01:03:18withstand a strike so

01:03:19precise and unexpected.

01:03:21I moved like a ghost.

01:03:22I snatched the dragon

01:03:24seal, the symbol of

01:03:26supreme authority, from

01:03:27his belt and threw on a

01:03:29nondescript maid's

01:03:30cloak.

01:03:31Keeping my head low, I

01:03:33slipped out of the

01:03:34chamber.

01:03:36I abandoned the

01:03:38memory-haunted north,

01:03:39seeking refuge in

01:03:40Emerald Harbor.

01:03:42The southern air was

01:03:43sweet and blooming with

01:03:45flowers, a place where

01:03:47I could finally fade

01:03:48away.

01:03:49The night I fled, Julian

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

01:03:53sobbing like a child.

01:03:55He pressed a mountain of

01:03:56mana crystal cards into

01:03:58my hands, begging to

01:03:59follow.

01:04:00It took hours to convince

01:04:02him to stay until my

01:04:03father was freed.

01:04:05Julian had liquidated

01:04:06half of the Vivian family

01:04:07fortune for me.

01:04:09Even if I lived a life

01:04:10of absolute decadence,

01:04:12this wealth would last

01:04:13for lifetimes.

01:04:16I opened a boutique

01:04:17named Amber Eyes.

01:04:19While I loathed the dry

01:04:21imperial codes, I had a

01:04:23genius for alchemy,

01:04:25distilling oils and

01:04:27crafting the eternal youth

01:04:28elixirs that once drove

01:04:30the capital's elite into a

01:04:31frenzy.

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

01:04:42of his nights with

01:04:42Isabella, and the steam

01:04:44rising from the poison he

01:04:46sent for my children.

01:04:47Whenever the pain flared,

01:04:49I drowned it in work.

01:04:51My little dragons were

01:04:52growing, and for them,

01:04:54I had to be strong.

01:04:57I found a few displaced,

01:04:59starving girls wandering

01:05:00the streets, and took

01:05:02them in.

01:05:03Under my care, their

01:05:05hollow cheeks filled out,

01:05:07and their fearful eyes

01:05:08began to spark with life.

01:05:10They became my loyal

01:05:11apprentices, learning the

01:05:13delicate secrets of my shop.

01:05:15But I wanted more for them.

01:05:17I used my fortune to

01:05:19establish a women's academy

01:05:20at the harbor.

01:05:21This world has always been

01:05:23cruel to women, demanding

01:05:25they be nothing more than

01:05:26ornaments or property.

01:05:28I don't harbor grand

01:05:29illusions of saving the

01:05:31world.

01:05:32But I want these girls to

01:05:33master weaving, commerce,

01:05:35or even basic arcana.

01:05:37I want them to have a trade

01:05:38and a voice.

01:05:40My business flourished

01:05:41beyond my wildest dreams.

01:05:43Within six months,

01:05:45Amber Eyes became the

01:05:46ultimate obsession for the

01:05:48noblewomen of the South.

01:05:50People often ask me if I

01:05:51fear bankruptcy, considering

01:05:53the academy charges no

01:05:55tuition.

01:05:56I simply offer a faint smile

01:05:58and say nothing.

01:05:59They have no idea I am the

01:06:01daughter of the wealthiest

01:06:03man in the Holy Kingdom.

01:06:04Besides, Julian still sends

01:06:06crates of mana crystals via

01:06:08secret caravans every month.

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

01:06:11still his reckless spendthrift

01:06:13sister who might run out of

01:06:14pocket money at any moment.

01:06:17Letters from the capital

01:06:19arrived occasionally through

01:06:20secret channels, carrying

01:06:22whispers of a world I had

01:06:23left behind.

01:06:25Five months ago, my father,

01:06:27Bernard, was finally

01:06:28exonerated and released.

01:06:30The High Tribunal had

01:06:32uncovered everything.

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

01:06:35spun by Christopher.

01:06:36The shadow that had

01:06:37loomed over my family's

01:06:38honor was finally dispelled.

01:06:41According to Julian,

01:06:42Christopher's obsession had

01:06:44spiraled into madness.

01:06:46Desperate to replace me,

01:06:47he had kidnapped a girl

01:06:49who shared a passing

01:06:50resemblance to me and kept

01:06:52her imprisoned in the

01:06:53secret villa, calling her

01:06:54by a pet maid.

01:06:55But his high-born wife,

01:06:58the daughter of the Lord

01:06:59Chief Justice, discovered

01:07:01his thwarted spirit.

01:07:02In a fit of betrayed rage,

01:07:05she stormed the villa with

01:07:06her retainers.

01:07:07The innocent girl caught in

01:07:09the crossfire met a horrific

01:07:11end at the hands of a woman

01:07:13scorned.

01:07:14Christopher, the man who

01:07:15pretended to love me so deeply,

01:07:18didn't spare a single tear

01:07:19for his victim.

01:07:21He immediately turned on

01:07:22the dead girl, slandering her

01:07:24memory to save his own skin

01:07:26and his political career.

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

01:07:31His wife stripped away his mask,

01:07:34exposing his embezzlement in

01:07:35treason.

01:07:36Now, he rots in a lightless dungeon,

01:07:40his limbs broken and his mind

01:07:42shattered.

01:07:42He is a pathetic creature,

01:07:45a far cry from the elegant

01:07:47scholar he once pretended to be.

01:07:49I felt no pity as I burned the

01:07:51letter.

01:07:51He earned every second of his

01:07:53agony.

01:07:55The Vivian family was unable to

01:07:57return to the Holy Kingdom.

01:07:58Julian's letters became

01:07:59increasingly frantic, claiming

01:08:01that Arthur had descended into a

01:08:03state of pure madness.

01:08:05The wedding between Arthur and

01:08:06Isabella never happened.

01:08:07Instead, in a shocking twist that

01:08:10paralyzed the capital, he

01:08:11personally escorted Isabella to the

01:08:13ghost tower.

01:08:14Arthur!

01:08:15Please!

01:08:16You can't do this!

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

01:08:19could guess.

01:08:20A man like Arthur would never

01:08:22tolerate anyone who dared to touch

01:08:24his secrets or threaten his

01:08:25absolute control.

01:08:27Now Arthur spends his days scouring

01:08:29the capital for a ghost.

01:08:31He searches for any trace of my

01:08:32existence, and at night, he stands

01:08:35before my empty grave, screaming to

01:08:37the heavens that I am his only true

01:08:40crown princess.

01:08:41I felt nothing but cold disdain when

01:08:43I read those words.

01:08:44He had spent his nights lost in the

01:08:46arms of another woman, and now he

01:08:49wants to play the role of the

01:08:50grieving, devoted husband.

01:08:52It was a pathetic performance.

01:08:54My only focus now is the safety of my

01:08:56two little dragons.

01:08:58The most experienced midwife in the

01:08:59south warned me that carrying twins,

01:09:02especially those of the dragon line,

01:09:04is a treacherous path.

01:09:06She told me that the day of their

01:09:07birth would be like walking along

01:09:09the 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

01:09:17wait to see Julian become a grand

01:09:19archmage, and even more terrified

01:09:21that my children will enter this world

01:09:22only to find themselves motherless.

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

01:09:29from my thoughts.

01:09:30I looked up to see Perrin standing

01:09:32before the counter, his usual modest

01:09:34expression colored by a hint of

01:09:35nerves.

01:09:36Perrin was a wandering scholar I had

01:09:38rescued three months ago after he

01:09:39collapsed outside my shop.

01:09:41He was handsome in a gentle,

01:09:43intellectual way, possessing a quiet

01:09:45grace that persisted despite his

01:09:47poverty.

01:09:48The young girls who worked for me

01:09:49loved to whisper that he was

01:09:50hopelessly in love with me.

01:09:52I always dismissed it as childish

01:09:54gossip.

01:09:55Why would a brilliant young man with

01:09:56his whole life ahead of him want a

01:09:58woman like me?

01:09:59I was a widow with a swollen belly,

01:10:02living under a story that my husband

01:10:03had perished on some distant

01:10:05battlefield.

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

01:10:07His face flushed crimson, the heat

01:10:10spreading all the way to his ears.

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

01:10:14eternity, fidgeting with his sleeves

01:10:16as if trying to summon every ounce of

01:10:17courage in his soul.

01:10:19Miss Vivian, I have admired you for a

01:10:22very long time.

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

01:10:25don't care about the rumors.

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

01:10:28If you would honor me by becoming my

01:10:30wife, I promise to love your

01:10:31children as if they were my own

01:10:33blood.

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

01:10:36kind way to reject him.

01:10:37Before I could speak, however, a voice

01:10:40like a sudden arctic gale tore through

01:10:41the room, turning the humid southern

01:10:43air to ice.

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

01:10:49commoner?

01:10:49My body turned to stone.

01:10:51I turned my head slowly toward the

01:10:53doorway.

01:10:54There, framed against the dying rays of

01:10:57the sunset, stood the man who should

01:10:58have been a thousand miles away.

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

01:11:03murderous rage.

01:11:07The moment Perrin finished his

01:11:09confession, the air in the room

01:11:11shattered.

01:11:12A suffocating pressure, the raw, primal

01:11:14weight of a dragon's aura, exploded

01:11:16outward, pinning everyone to the spot.

01:11:19Arthur stepped into my workshop, clad in

01:11:21robes of deep obsidian and gold.

01:11:23His eyes were twin glaciers, harboring a

01:11:26frost cold enough to freeze the entire

01:11:28southern coast.

01:11:29He moved with a heavy, deliberate stride,

01:11:32and I knew instantly that the day of

01:11:34reckoning for my six-month escape had

01:11:36finally arrived.

01:11:37My legs turned to water.

01:11:39In a frantic, useless panic, I grabbed a

01:11:42handful of monocrystals and tried to

01:11:43bolt for the back exit, but it was

01:11:45already too late.

01:11:46The doorway was blocked by a wall of

01:11:48iron.

01:11:48A philips of paladins, their armor

01:11:50gleaming with an oppressive holy

01:11:52light.

01:11:53There was no escape.

01:11:54His eyes turned a violent bloodshot

01:11:56crimson, his voice cracking with a

01:11:58shock that looked far too much like

01:11:59genuine pain.

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

01:12:03Elena, your audacity truly knows no

01:12:05bounds.

01:12:05You were the one who sent that bowl

01:12:08of poison.

01:12:09If I hadn't fled, my children would be

01:12:12nothing but a memory by now.

01:12:14Poison.

01:12:15I never gave such an order.

01:12:21Perrin stood paralyzed, the sheer weight

01:12:23of the crown prince's presence crushing

01:12:25the air from his lungs.

01:12:26Miss Vivian.

01:12:27He looked at me.

01:12:28You told me your husband had, that he

01:12:30had been martyred on the northern

01:12:31front.

01:12:32Martyred?

01:12:34Elena, are you so desperate for my

01:12:35death that you've already buried me in

01:12:37your stories?

01:12:38I couldn't look him in the eye.

01:12:39I hadn't wished for his death.

01:12:40It was quite the opposite.

01:12:42I had missed him so much that the

01:12:44only way to survive the silence was to

01:12:46bury his memory under a lie.

01:12:48Your highness, please do not distress

01:12:51her.

01:12:52She is heavily pregnant.

01:12:53She cannot handle such a shock.

01:12:55Despite the visible trembling of his

01:12:56hands, Perrin stepped forward, shielding me

01:12:59with his own body.

01:13:00Get out of my way!

01:13:01He lunged forward, reaching to seize

01:13:03me.

01:13:03But before his fingers could brush my

01:13:05skin, a cataclysmic pain tore through my

01:13:07lower body.

01:13:08It felt as if my very soul was being

01:13:11ripped in two.

01:13:12It hurts.

01:13:13Arthur, something is wrong.

01:13:15The hatchlings, they're coming now!

01:13:18I doubled over, my breath pitching and

01:13:20strangled screams, the world began to tilt

01:13:22into darkness.

01:13:25The crown prince, who only moments ago had

01:13:28looked ready to tear the world apart,

01:13:30instantly lost his composure.

01:13:32Arthur gathered me into his arms.

01:13:34Those hands, usually so steady when gripping

01:13:36a sword or signing a death warrant, were

01:13:39now shaking uncontrollably.

01:13:42Don't be afraid, Elena.

01:13:45I've got you.

01:13:46I'm taking you home.

01:13:48He stayed right there, pacing the halls of

01:13:51the manor I had bought six months ago.

01:13:53The healers and midwives begged him to

01:13:55leave, citing ancient superstitions that a

01:13:57crown prince's presence in a birthing

01:13:59chamber would bring ruin to his divine love.

01:14:02Arthur didn't argue.

01:14:03He simply drew his sword and stood guard at

01:14:05the door as the hours bled into one

01:14:07another and the labor became unbearable.

01:14:09I began to sob, the tears flowing freely.

01:14:12Every time I cried out, the cold, ruthless

01:14:15leader of the dragon line, the man who made

01:14:17the empire tremble, found his own eyes

01:14:19welling with moisture.

01:14:20Finally, two sharp, innocent cries

01:14:23rang out.

01:14:23A boy and a girl had safely entered the world.

01:14:26The midwives whispered among themselves as

01:14:28they cleaned the infants.

01:14:30In all their years of delivering children,

01:14:32they had never seen a mother endure labor,

01:14:34while the father stood by and cried his

01:14:36eyes out.

01:14:37When I finally opened my eyes, the room

01:14:40was bathed in the golden dying light of the

01:14:42next day's twilight.

01:14:43Arthur was right there, sitting by the bed.

01:14:45But as soon as my mind cleared, the old

01:14:47bitterness flared up.

01:14:48Stop pretending to care!

01:14:49You never wanted us, the day you returned

01:14:51to the capital.

01:14:52You were so eager to have me disposed.

01:14:55You stayed in your chambers with Isabella

01:14:56for three days and three nights.

01:14:59They said you were lost in each other

01:15:00until dawn.

01:15:01That the priest had to change the holy water

01:15:03twenty times because of your pravity!

01:15:06I never touched Isabella.

01:15:07And I never, not for a single second,

01:15:09intended to depose you.

01:15:10When I returned, my father did push

01:15:13for an alliance.

01:15:13But I stood before the entire court and

01:15:15declared that I already had a wife by

01:15:17sacred contract.

01:15:17He urged me to bring you to the palace

01:15:19immediately.

01:15:20I thought your heart was still full of

01:15:22Christopher.

01:15:22I was so mad with pain

01:15:25that I delayed the official proclamation

01:15:27of your title.

01:15:28I was a fool, Elena, but I was never

01:15:30unfaithful.

01:15:34A deep flush crept up my neck.

01:15:36All those stories, the whispered nights

01:15:38of passion, were nothing more than

01:15:41illusions and rumors engineered by Isabella

01:15:43to drive me to the edge of insanity.

01:15:46I've uncovered the truth.

01:15:51It was Isabella.

01:15:53She bribed the priests in the side hall

01:15:57to lace your medicine with a cursed powder

01:16:00designed to wither the dragon line.

01:16:03His voice comes cold and predatory.

01:16:06A low vibration of pure hatred.

01:16:09I've stripped her of her noble name

01:16:11and condemned her the tower to the eternal

01:16:14waves for the rest of her life.

01:16:19Elena, I'm glad you were alert enough

01:16:21to refuse that drast.

01:16:25If you hadn't.

01:16:26His arms began to shake violently.

01:16:28This powerful, terrifying crown prince

01:16:30looked suddenly, heartbreakingly fragile.

01:16:32The walls I had built around my heart crumbled

01:16:34in an instant.

01:16:35For the first time in two years,

01:16:36I reached out and wowed my arms around his neck,

01:16:39leaning into him with a surge of pure,

01:16:41unadulterated longing.

01:16:43Since you never chose her,

01:16:44you aren't allowed to look at anyone else ever again.

01:16:47Arthur, if you ever dare to betray our contract,

01:16:50I will take our children and vanish into the miscourt.

01:16:53I will hide so well that you could spend

01:16:54the rest of your life searching

01:16:56and never see my face again.

01:16:58What did you just say?

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

01:17:04He pulled back,

01:17:05his eyes searching mine

01:17:06with a look of frantic, overwhelming joy,

01:17:08as if he were a drowning man

01:17:10who had finally found the shore.

01:17:13I looked at his face,

01:17:15the face of a man so devastatingly handsome,

01:17:18yet currently twisted into an expression

01:17:20of clumsy, desperate anxiety.

01:17:23and I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

01:17:27I've always had a fondness for beasts,

01:17:30especially a dragon like you,

01:17:32greedy, humble,

01:17:34and so utterly obsessed

01:17:36that once you've chosen a master,

01:17:40you can never be shaken off.

01:17:42Arthur's gaze darkened instantly.

01:17:45That predatory glint returned to his mismatched eyes,

01:17:48dancing with a renewed fire.

01:17:50He crushed his lips against mine,

01:17:53kissing me with a ferocity

01:17:55that suggested he wanted to grind

01:17:57my very soul into his own.

01:18:01I am your shadow.

01:18:04I am your guardian dragon.

01:18:07You will never push me away again

01:18:09as long as you live.

01:18:10His kiss was beginning to wander,

01:18:13growing more fervent and hungry,

01:18:15until it was abruptly shattered

01:18:16by two loud synchronized wails.

01:18:22The babies!

01:18:23Arthur, stop!

01:18:24I haven't even seen our children yet!

01:18:26The dignified crown prince lowered his lashes

01:18:29in a fit of silent, brooding resentment.

01:18:32He looked exactly like a great dragon

01:18:34who had just seen his most precious treasure stolen,

01:18:38yet lacked the heart to retaliate.

01:18:40With a resigned sigh,

01:18:42he reached into the bassinets

01:18:44and scooped up the two velvet-wrapped bundles.

01:18:49Elena,

01:18:50even with these two little things

01:18:52stealing your attention,

01:18:53you are not allowed to reduce

01:18:55the love you give me by a single inch.

01:18:59I gave a helpless, quiet laugh.

01:19:02My fingertips brushed against

01:19:04the faint, shimmering gold scales

01:19:06on the hatchling's foreheads,

01:19:08the most sacred mark of the imperial line.

01:19:10Then, to be fair,

01:19:12I leaned up and pressed a lingering,

01:19:15reassuring kiss

01:19:15to the lips of their jealous father.

01:19:18The evening breeze of Emerald Harbor

01:19:20drifted through the window,

01:19:21carrying the scent of salt

01:19:23and blooming flowers.

01:19:25On this ancient continent

01:19:26of miracles and strong wine,

01:19:29we finally had our future.

01:19:32And for the first time,

01:19:34it was enough.

From Slave to Savior of the Lycan King Goldreel Tv - All Episodes 2026

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