Chapter One — The Night of Betrayal
The rain hadn't stopped all night.
It fell against the palace windows like the sound of secrets trying to escape. From her balcony, Princess Lyra of Elaris could see the capital glittering below — a symphony of neon lights, luxury towers, and lies.
She had grown up believing the royal city was built on legacy. Tonight, she understood it was built on blood.
Inside her suite, everything shimmered — from the marble floor to the silk drapes that danced with every gust of wind. It was a room meant for a queen in waiting. But Lyra no longer felt like royalty. She felt like prey.
A knock echoed. Soft. Careful. Too careful.
"Come in," she said, voice even despite the storm inside her chest.
Her mother entered first — Queen Seraphine, the woman who had taught her to smile through humiliation and to rule with a polished heart. Her beauty was untouchable, her power absolute. Yet tonight, her eyes didn't carry warmth. They carried distance.
Behind her, walked Princess Callista, Lyra's stepsister — all diamond edges and dangerous charm. The same girl who had always trailed behind Lyra's spotlight now stood beside their mother, wrapped in an aura of triumph she didn't bother to hide.
Lyra rose slowly. "You both look like you've come for a coronation," she said softly. "Should I congratulate someone?"
Callista smiled. "Perhaps you should. The throne doesn't wait for those who hesitate."
The words hung in the air like poison perfume.
Lyra frowned, glancing at her mother. "Mother?"
Queen Seraphine's gaze never wavered. "Lyra, the council has come to a decision. You're to be relieved of your royal duties effective immediately."
The words struck like ice. "Relieved? On what grounds?"
"On the grounds," Callista said sweetly, stepping forward, "that you sold Elaris state secrets to our rivals in exchange for personal gain. There's evidence. Transactions. Signed documents."
Lyra's eyes widened. "That's impossible. I've never—"
Her mother cut her off. "Enough."
The queen's voice carried the weight of finality. "You will step down quietly and accept the court's judgment. The people already know."
Already know.
The realization burned through her like acid. This wasn't a private accusation — it was a public execution.
Lyra took a trembling breath, trying to piece together the chaos. "You believe I betrayed our empire? You — my own mother?"
For the first time, Queen Seraphine's eyes flickered with something human — regret, maybe. But it was gone in a heartbeat. "This is for the stability of Elaris. You've always been too emotional, Lyra. Too trusting. The crown can't afford that weakness."
Lyra's laugh came out sharp and bitter. "Weakness? Or threat? You mean I was becoming too powerful for you to control."
Callista tilted her head, eyes glimmering with victory. "Oh, sister. Don't take it personally. Power is never shared — it's claimed. And you, darling, never learned how to take it."
The guards entered then — two of them, armored in black, their faces blank.
Lyra's pulse quickened. "You're not serious. You're having me arrested?"
Queen Seraphine turned away. "Your title is revoked. Your privileges, stripped. You will remain in confinement until further notice."
"Mother!" The word tore from Lyra's throat, raw and desperate. "You raised me to protect this empire—"
"I raised you," the queen interrupted coldly, "to understand that survival demands sacrifice. You… are that sacrifice."
Thunder cracked outside. The chandelier above flickered.
And something inside Lyra shattered.
She looked at them — her mother's composure, her stepsister's satisfied smirk — and knew this wasn't a sudden act. It was planned. Calculated. Perfected.
They had set her up to fall.
Her jaw trembled, but her voice didn't. "You'll regret this."
Callista chuckled softly. "You said that when I stole your fiancé. Didn't work out then, either."
The guards moved closer. One grabbed Lyra's arm. She didn't fight — not yet. She watched as her mother and stepsister turned their backs and left her standing there, drenched in betrayal and disbelief.
When the door shut behind them, silence filled the room. Heavy. Suffocating.
Lyra's knees gave way. She sank to the floor, palms pressed against the cold marble.
Her heart didn't just ache — it fractured.
Outside, the rain roared louder, drowning the city's heartbeat.
In the reflection of the darkened mirror, she saw herself — mascara streaked, tiara crooked, gown torn slightly where the guards had gripped her. The perfect princess reduced to scandal overnight.
And in that reflection, she saw something else too.
Not weakness. Not sorrow.
Fire.
"I trusted you," she whispered to the empty room. "And you sold me for a throne."
She rose, slowly, with the dignity of a dethroned goddess. She walked toward the window, staring out at the skyline she'd once promised to protect.
If this is the end, she thought, then I will choose how I fall.
Her phone buzzed — a notification flashing across the screen. News headlines.
"Princess Lyra Charged With Treason — Queen Announces Emergency Council."
Her story was already rewritten.
Her fate, sealed.
But fate has a habit of changing sides.
That night, as the guards led her away in handcuffs, flashes of cameras blinded her.
She kept her chin high. Every image captured her downfall — and unknowingly, the beginning of her legend.
Because three years later, she would rise again.
The world would remember her name not as the traitor of Elaris…
but as the reborn ruler who burned her enemies to ash.
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"They broke her crown. She forged a kingdom."
Xoxo Eloura 😘 😘