In the resonant hall, filled with distinguished guests, a single voice rose above all others. Miss Lasswyn, tall and slender, coarse yet commanding, was draped in blue-green fabrics, which fanned gracefully across the floor, measuring a full meter around her feet. Her voice was directed to the little princess, who performed a flawless enchanting dance with a fan. Long red hair flew with each turn, and tired, deep-green eyes traced the perfect arcs of her arms through the rough air. Not a word, not a sound, not even a single breath escaped her, shattering not the slightest hint of enchantment. The hall drank in her immaculate performance, unaware of the sharp ache hidden behind every gesture.
- One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two. One, two. One, two, three, four.
The tips of her feet ached as if she were stepping on thorns, dancing as though her blood, slowly dripping, were painting sharp vines beneath her grace. Her legs wanted to tremble and give up, to lose all strength, to fall and rest for eternity — but that would break the fantasy. The enchantment would be lost to a single shake of her hands, to a single step out of place. That was something she could not afford to lose, because the consequences would break her.
And so, with steady movements, she kept dancing. Until she was finally given the kindness to break.
- Very well. Let us take a brief pause, my lady.
The woman turned her attention to the audience, whose murmurs sliced through the silent hall. Meanwhile, the poor child sank into a distant corner, sipping her tea without spilling a drop on her dark red dress. Yet again, not a word, not a sound, not even a single breath escaped her. Her outwardly careful and precise movements collided with the painful screams trapped inside her. There she remained for only a few fleeting minutes, before her aching hands and sore arms were called into action once more, every motion immaculate, performed solely for the sake of others.
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This story takes place in an ancient kingdom.
Kryon was the first great human civilization ever created in this world.
Since the first appearance of humankind, the cold war between elves and dwarves had been kept under a fragile peace.
Humans, however, were different. In their desperate search for survival, they began destroying everything in their path. And when their search turned toward power, things only grew worse.
When the elves saw their forests being cruelly devastated, humans were finally made aware of the existence of other beings. But their greed spoke louder than the elves' desperate pleas. To them, these other races were nothing more than a supernatural source of evil — and a new obstacle to conquer.
The dwarves did not believe humans could be as dangerous as the elves claimed, and so they refused to take part in the war. But on a stormy day, a crown prince got lost and stumbled upon a dwarven cave. Charming as he was, he managed to enchant a dwarven woman and returned home carrying precious metals — metals strong enough to cut down trees with only a few strikes.
This powerful resource was later traded in secret and became the reason humans won the war. Entire forests were erased. Thousands of beautiful species now exist only in memory.
Human greed did not stop with the rise of a few great cities. They wanted more. Always more. The dwarves paid the price for standing against the elves — and in time, they too lost most of their territory.
This cruelty and hunger for power were passed down through generations of the royal family. A strict and merciless education became tradition. The horrors of the royal bloodline spread even among their own kind, and mercy was slowly lost to time.
But one woman saw something different in the latest king. A woman of gentle spirit and brilliant mind. She saw, beneath the twisted teachings, a man she could love.
And from that love, Valerie was born.
Valerie will not tolerate the horrors of the royal family much longer.
Will she be able to end them for good?
This is the story of a naive princess who finds her courage beyond the palace walls. A princess who defies the teachings painfully forced upon her. A princess who builds her own judgment and discovers her own will.
First, she will discover the atrocities of the royal family during her escape from the castle.
Then, with an open mind and a changed heart, she will return — to claim the crown for herself and try to end the royal family's reign forever.