Elara burned my sick little cat to ashes and placed them in my coffin.
My father came to take me.
He had resigned from his post as the Duke of the Realm. He no longer wished to serve as the protector of the northern borders for the kingdom.
“I have no noble ideals. In the past, I fought on the battlefield, lost an eye and a hand–does it hurt? Yes. Was I afraid? Yes. But I thought, if I suffered a title more, my daughter would earn the respect of the king. She was a stubbom girl, always digging herself into a hole. I was afraid she wouldn’t get the love she deserved, and it would break her heart. I wanted her to live happily and peacefully, growing old in safety, but she’s gone now She’s gone, and I’m left with nothing but an old, useless man! They talk about protecting the country, but my daughter is dead. What use is there for me to protect anyone else’s land or crown?
Alaric clung tightly to the edge of the coffin, stumbling after my father, his nails bloodied
“Whoever dares take my Sera away, I will kill them!”
“No, no, I was wrong. Don’t take her. Don’t take her, old general, have mercy on me.
Several lords stepped forward to stop him, whispering, “Your Majesty, let the Lady rest in peace.”
I got my wish, I followed my father back to the frontier.
There, in a place far from the reach of civilization, he kept large herds of cattle and sheep
Every day, they bleated in front of my grave, and my little sick cat ran wild with them across the plains. Watching it, I felt an immense sense of peace.
Within two years, my brother faked his death on the battlefield and secretly came to join us.
Among all the brave warriors of the kingdom, only my father and my brother remained. Beyond that, there was not a single capable soldier left. Five years later, the northern borders fell
Two years after that, the royal capital was sacked.
When invaders found Alaric, he curled around a bloodstained pouch in my abandoned chambers
They pried the rings from his rigor–mortised grip–flattened them for scrap gold.
Just as he deserved.
Chapter 1
Within just three years of entering the royal court, Elvira Frost had been forced to have sex with the so–called ascetic King a total of nine hundred and ninety–nine times.
Once again, after fulfilling her duties, she carefully molded the sleeping form of the man beside marks of affection. She softly whistled under her breath.
In no time, a shadow silently appeared at the window.
“Have you made up your mind?” Vesper’s voice was colder then the night air.
- her, slipping from the velvet hed with a body covered in
Elvira tightened the thin fabric of her nightgown, her voice barely a whisper. “Yes. My wish is to leave the palace.”
Vesper’s voice remained impassive. “Your name is recorded in the royal ledger. Leaving is not a simple matter unless you fake your death and change
your appearance.”
“Very well” Elvira nodded. Whether faking her death or assuming a new identity, she didn’t care, as long as she could leave the royal palace
“I will come for you in half a month.” The shadow spoke, and in the blink of an eye, vanished into the night, as if it had never been there.
Elvira gazed at the crescent moon in the sky, letting out a long sigh.
Finally…it was almost over.
She had never truly belonged in this royal court, her arrival here had been nothing more than a twist of fate.
Three years ago, she had been the most neglected bastard daughter of the Frost family.
Her elder sister, Isabeau, was the jewel of Frost Castle, adored by all. She was in love with the then–Prince Alistair Adler.
However, her father, Lord Frost, believed that Duke Lucian, the fourth prince, had more potentiel to ascend to the throne. He forcefully separated the lovers and arranged for Isabeau to marry Duke Lucian.
Who would have thought that in the end, it was Alistair who ascended the throne.
The king’s wrath was swift. The Frost family was stripped of their titles, their influence shattered
To appease the new monarch Elvira’s father sent her–his unwanted daughter–to the royal court as a lady–in–waiting, a sacrificial lamb for the king’s
