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Transcript

00:00:00Elena, is this how Beg?

00:00:09Two 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.

00:00:23As 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, once his equal, now a disgraced slave of the clan,

00:00:39fallen into the abyss beneath the altar.

00:00:42To save my father, I was forced to kneel at his feet and let him tear away my white robes,

00:00:48the 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.

00:01:06Oh, you are. But I will never let your children become your prisoners.

00:01:12Watching the madness of his possessive gaze, I press my hand against my stomach, where a faint draconic 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 almost do my own death, a scandalous escape that had

00:01:29shocked the world.

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

00:01:35I found myself cornered in the black forest, trapped and suffocating under the weight of a dark malevolent curse.

00:01:42As my consciousness began to fracture, he appeared.

00:01:45He rode through the chaos.

00:01:47As he charged forward on horseback, I could have sworn I saw the spectral shimmer of dragon wings unfurl behind

00:01:54him.

00:01:54A broken sword in one hand, and a spear in the other, cutting a path to my side.

00:01:59In my blurred vision, he looked breathtaking.

00:02:04That night, amidst a frantic soul resonance, I let myself cross the forbidden line with him.

00:02:10I 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.

00:02:19Before 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.

00:02:31Today was his 22nd birthday.

00:02:33I had spent hours baking a lemon tart with my own hands, wanting to give him a surprise.

00:02:39I 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.

00:02:47He was but a flicker of darkness, easily erased.

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

00:02:54I reach the tower only to find my world collapsing.

00:02:57My Shadow was gone.

00:02:59A massive dragon shadow reared its head, its wings sweeping across the ceiling.

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

00:03:08before shrinking and condensing into the form of a noble man.

00:03:12The slave had vanished, replaced by a prince radiating golden light.

00:03:17The rumors followed quickly.

00:03:19He already had a fiancé, a childhood match.

00:03:23Lady Isabella, the most brilliant woman in the empire.

00:03:26As soon as he returned to the capital, their grand wedding would begin.

00:03:33My sanctuary had been transformed into a cage, surrounded by the cold steel of the paladins.

00:03:39The moment they spotted me, skulking 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.

00:03:49Neil, daughter of a traitor, how dare you stand in the presence of Prince Arthur!

00:03:53I looked past the blade at the man in the center of the crowd.

00:03:56The ragged, homespun clothes were gone.

00:03:59In their place was a magnificent robe of blackened gold.

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

00:04:08desperately trying to catch his hand.

00:04:10A low, rhythmic vibration hummed in the air

00:04:13as glowing embers of dragon fire drifted from the golden boitery of his robes.

00:04:20You?

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

00:04:22Tell me, Miss Vivian, how do you plan to torture me today?

00:04:25Will 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.

00:04:37My eyes burned with unshed tears.

00:04:40I hadn't come to hurt him.

00:04:42I had come to celebrate his birth.

00:04:44To tell him that I was carrying his children.

00:04:47But 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.

00:04:55And he would certainly never want the bastards in my womb.

00:04:59Even if they carried his own dragon blood.

00:05:02I shielded the faint yet searing spark of dragon blood within me.

00:05:05Standing 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.

00:05:14Anything just to stay by his side.

00:05:16But to him, my very touch was a defilement.

00:05:20The deposition decree, sealed with the dragon crest, had severed our contract forever.

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

00:05:30I finally woke up from the dream.

00:05:33Arthur hated me.

00:05:34He would go on to marry the pure-blooded Lady Isabella and father noble dragon heirs.

00:05:39To him.

00:05:40Do you have any final prayers, Miss Vivian?

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

00:05:47I had wanted to beg him to taste the lemon tart I baked with my own hands.

00:05:51But seeing the frost in his eyes, I could only bite my lip and shake my head through a blur

00:05:56of tears.

00:05:56Golden scales erupted across his skin as the air ignited with his draconic aura.

00:06:02With a mocking smear, his body shifted and expanded in a blinding flash of light, transforming 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.

00:06:17I sat frozen in the ice, until a sharp searing pain tore through my abdomen, nearly causing me to lose

00:06:24the child.

00:06:25Watching the fading silhouette in the sky, I clutched my stomach where a faint dragon mark pulsed, beating rhythmically like

00:06:31a second heart.

00:06:35Disaster struck, three days, after Arthur's departure, my father the Holy Father was branded, with the twin sins of treason

00:06:43and black magic.

00:06:44Then cast into the darkest depths of the abyss prison, I rushed to the capital, desperate and breathless, only to

00:06:50be met with a death sentence.

00:06:52He was to face the trial of Holy Fire, on the night of the next full moon.

00:06:56Inside the stench-ridden dungeon, my mother's withered hand gripped mine with terrifying strength.

00:07:02Elena, you must go to Prince Arthur.

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

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

00:07:12You are high on only contract holder.

00:07:15He cannot simply watch us die.

00:07:18Her words cut through my leg as a raided blood, but he couldn't find the voice to answer.

00:07:23How could I admit that during those two years of shadow, I had forced him into the freezing depths of

00:07:29the holy lake just to retrieve a lost jewel for my amusement.

00:07:33How could I confess that, in fits of rage, I had left scars upon his back that would never heal.

00:07:39He likely wanted to see my family reduced to ash more than anyone else in the world.

00:07:44But looking at the last flickering spark of hope in my mother's eyes, I forced myself to move.

00:07:49I picked up the ruby-encrusted whip, the very symbol of my former tyranny, and dragged my trembling body to

00:07:56the crown prince's palace.

00:07:57There, before the towering obsidian iron gates, I fell to my knees and waited.

00:08:06Back in the holy kingdom, a single command from my lips was enough to make shadow crawl to my feet.

00:08:12If I wanted him to bow, he never dared to meet my eyes.

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

00:08:19To see him for even a moment, I had to kneel in the teeth of a blizzard, begging a shred

00:08:24of mercy.

00:08:24I knelt until I lost all feeling in my legs, the ruby whip in my hands buried under a thick

00:08:30shroud of snow.

00:08:31Just as dawn threatened to break, a dragon's roar shattered the clouds.

00:08:35The black wings increasingly dawned as he dived, only to contract and transform the instant they struck the earth.

00:08:41From the heart of the erupting snow, Arthur emerged in human form, breaking through the mist.

00:08:46The crunch of his boots against the frozen ground echoed 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, which hand was it?

00:08:58Which hand did you use to leave those scars on my body?

00:09:02His voice held no warmth, only the crushing weight of a judge passing sentence.

00:09:06I was so frozen, I could barely breathe.

00:09:09Before I could find my voice, my strength failed me.

00:09:12My knees buckled and I collapsed forward, falling directly into his arms.

00:09:16His chest was burning hot, a searing contrast to the ice.

00:09:20The heat instantly triggered the memory of our night of soul resonance.

00:09:23The way he had pinned me against the altar with a predatory hunger.

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

00:09:30Your Highness, please, save my father.

00:09:34I'm begging you.

00:09:35His pupils narrowed into golden vertical slits,

00:09:38and a faint rhythmic glow of molten fire pulsed beneath the skin of his throat.

00:09:44So, you strip your defenses bare before me just to save that old man?

00:09:49Very well.

00:09:51I have been dying to see just how much the High and Holy Princess has learned about the art of

00:09:55submission.

00:09:55Before I could gasp, he hoisted me over his shoulder.

00:09:59Ignoring my cry of protest, he strode ruthlessly through the gallery and hurled me onto the strong bed draped in

00:10:05black fox fur.

00:10:06The air ignited with the violent scent of the dragonkin.

00:10:10As my ornate cloak slid away, my skin shivered against the biting chill.

00:10:14Arthur descended like a predator, his massive frame pinning me down, swallowing me whole within his territory.

00:10:22One hand, cold as iron, clamped my wrists above my head.

00:10:25Elena, every agony you put me through over these last two years, I am going to repay it, inch by

00:10:32inch, upon this bed.

00:10:34Phantasmus wings spread wide, bathing within the suffocating golden blue.

00:10:39The air crackled within the ancient dragon fire, as the crushing weight of his aura sealed the room.

00:10:45I shielded my womb with a trembling hand, protecting the fragile life within as I sank into the darkness.

00:10:54Shadow.

00:10:55He threw me onto the black fox furs with such violence that a sharp pain flared through my lower back.

00:11:01Under the weight of his suffocating, draconic aura, I flash off my old, haughty temper flared.

00:11:07My hand instinctively reached it for me, ruby-encrusted, disciplinary whip.

00:11:12In the next heartbeat, Arthur ruthlessly shredded my inner robes.

00:11:16He curled his lips into a mocking sneer.

00:11:19His eyes filled with the cold, unreachable detachment.

00:11:22Is this your idea of a sling in this whip?

00:11:24The whip slipped from my numb fingers, clattering, uselessly to the floor.

00:11:28His gaze was licking up, rosy and well, threatening to turn me very soltois.

00:11:33For the thousandth time, virality crashed down upon me.

00:11:36He was no longer the slave I could trample at will.

00:11:39He was a dragon king who crushed my entire bloodline with the look of his fingers.

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

00:11:45If you can satisfy me, perhaps I will show mercy and grant that old man Bernard a chance to live.

00:11:53Pleasing him, a wave of bitterness washed over me.

00:11:56I looked down at Miss Till, flat abdomen.

00:11:59My heart clenching in fear.

00:12:01Ever since, a day here claimed his throne, I had been spotting blood.

00:12:05The physician had warned me that the dragon bloodline was too powerful.

00:12:09My pregnancy was fragile.

00:12:11I was terrified of the bleeding.

00:12:13I was even more terrified of losing the tiny life already.

00:12:16Flickering with a dragon's breathing side, meh.

00:12:21Are you truly that unwilling?

00:12:24He let out a derisive snort, his eyes flickering with pure disdain.

00:12:29I have no interest in forcing anyone.

00:12:32Since the great saint desprizes her purity so highly, you can simply wait until the next full moon.

00:12:42Then you can collect Bernard's charred remains from the altar of holy fire.

00:12:47He tossed the shredded remnants of my sacred robes onto the floor like trash and turned to leave.

00:12:54Throwing my pride to the wind, I lunged forward and threw my arms around him from behind.

00:12:59I had been spoiled my entire life.

00:13:02I had never bowed to anyone.

00:13:04I was terrified of losing the babies, but I was more terrified of my father's execution.

00:13:10I forced back my tears, my voice trembling.

00:13:16I...I...I will do it.

00:13:18I will please you.

00:13:20Arthur stood with his back to me, letting out a laugh that was bone-chillingly cold.

00:13:25I couldn't see his face, but the frost radiating from him was suffocating.

00:13:30To save a life, I had to mimic the clumsy movements of a dancing girl.

00:13:35I reached out with shaking hands to touch him,

00:13:38eventually forcing myself onto my tiptoes to press a desperate, humiliating kiss against his lips.

00:13:46Is this all the saintess is capable of?

00:13:50I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.

00:13:53My mind flashed back to that night of chaotic soul resonance.

00:13:56Back then, though he was wild, he had kissed away my tears and whispered gentle comforts into my ear.

00:14:04The Arthur standing here now didn't want to comfort me.

00:14:07He wanted to watch me break.

00:14:12Get away from me!

00:14:14He growled the command.

00:14:15The volatile temper and searing heat unique to the dragon race exploded in an instant,

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

00:14:24I tried to recoil in fear, but instead of pushing me away,

00:14:28his arm clamped around my waist like an iron vice,

00:14:32pinning me ruthlessly against the edge of the bed.

00:14:35He seized control, his kiss so violent I thought he would crush my lips.

00:14:40I struggled for air as the kiss grew more feral,

00:14:44a desperate clash of hatred and hunger.

00:14:46My clothes were reduced to threads.

00:14:49I felt like a fallen leaf adrift on a violent sea,

00:14:53swaying and drowning in the tidal wave of his draconic lust.

00:14:57When the first light of dawn filtered through the windows,

00:14:59I drifted back to consciousness.

00:15:01Arthur was already fully dressed in his black and gold princely regalia,

00:15:05looking cold and peerless once more.

00:15:06Your Highness.

00:15:10Last night, I did what you asked.

00:15:13You'll save my father now, won't you?

00:15:16Arthur adjusted the dragon scale cufflinks at his wrists,

00:15:19offering a chilling laugh without even bothering to look back.

00:15:23When exactly did I say that sleeping with me once

00:15:27would guarantee a pardon for a traitor?

00:15:30My eyes snapped open.

00:15:32Every bone in my body felt as though it had been ground to dust,

00:15:35but the pain in my heart was far worse.

00:15:37You.

00:15:46Besides,

00:15:46do you really think a body as broken as yours is enough to satisfy me?

00:15:53I felt as though I had been plunged into an abyss of ice.

00:15:57He never intended to save anyone.

00:15:59This was nothing but cold-blooded retaliation,

00:16:02the cruelest way possible to humiliate me for the two years I spent trampling on his dignity.

00:16:07The air felt thin, the weight of his betrayal suffocating me.

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

00:16:13Please, save my father!

00:16:16He didn't spare me even a fleeting glance.

00:16:19Shrouded in a frost that cut like a blade,

00:16:21he strode away without looking back.

00:16:23Like a hollow shell of a human being,

00:16:25I numbly gathered the shredded remnants of my clothes and draped them over my battered body.

00:16:30I began the long, agonizing trek out of the palace.

00:16:33But as I reached the end of the corridor, I collided with a radiant procession.

00:16:38At the head of the group stood a woman in a vibrant imperial gown trimmed with gold,

00:16:43her elegance as sharp as her status.

00:16:46It was Isabella, the Duke's most beloved daughter.

00:16:49She was the woman Arthur had personally chosen as his crown princess upon his return to the throne.

00:16:54The Saintress?

00:16:57I must say, I never expected to find you in the prince's private chambers in such a state.

00:17:07It seems his highness's mercy hasn't taught you anything about dignity.

00:17:14I gripped my collar so hard my nails bit into my palms.

00:17:18I wanted to scream to fight back.

00:17:21But a sudden wave of weakness from my abdomen stopped me.

00:17:24If I collapsed here, my children, my only remaining secret would be lost forever.

00:17:32Isabella was breathtaking.

00:17:34She possessed an innate regal air that only comes from a lifetime spent at the pinnacle of power,

00:17:39making me feel a sudden, stinging sense of inferiority.

00:17:43So you're that common girl Arthur used for diversion back in the Holy Kingdom?

00:17:49It wasn't a diversion.

00:17:51We exchanged the vows of the rose before the gods.

00:17:54He was my sworn knight.

00:18:02Vows?

00:18:03Those archaic rituals mean less than nothing to a crown prince.

00:18:08I've heard stories of how cruelly you treated him.

00:18:11Now that he's reclaimed his throne, you've come crawling back to beg for mercy.

00:18:17How could a man like Arthur ever truly want a woman with a heart as poisonous as yours?

00:18:24She stepped closer, her voice dripping with the arrogance of a benefactor.

00:18:29If you're truly that desperate to stay in the capital,

00:18:33I might allow him to keep you.

00:18:37After our wedding, as an unmarked mistress.

00:18:40A private pet with no name.

00:18:43The insult burned through my veins.

00:18:45But I didn't want to be anyone's secret pet.

00:18:48Even if my heart had begun to waver, I knew one thing for certain.

00:18:51If he chose to marry another, I would never linger for a single second.

00:18:58As I stepped out of the crown prince's estate, the scorching sun felt like a physical assault, making my eyes

00:19:05sting.

00:19:05The truth was a cold, hard weight in my chest.

00:19:09Arthur hated me.

00:19:11He had no intention of saving my father.

00:19:13He only wanted to watch me spiral into the abyss until there was nothing left of me.

00:19:20Miss Elena.

00:19:21I hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes, looking up to see Christopher.

00:19:26He had once been a common scholar sponsored by my father.

00:19:30Two years ago, during that fateful ceremony, he had been my first choice for a knight.

00:19:35But through a cruel twist of fate, I had chosen Arthur instead.

00:19:39Now, Christopher had climbed the ranks to become the chief executive of the Imperial Tribunal.

00:19:44Lord Christopher, my father was framed.

00:19:50Please, I'm begging you.

00:19:53Save him.

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

00:19:59You've grown even more.

00:20:02Breathstaking than I remembered.

00:20:06I have always admired you.

00:20:11Elena.

00:20:13I've always wanted you by my side.

00:20:16He stared at me with a fixed intensity that made my skin crawl.

00:20:20The naked greed in his eyes was nauseating.

00:20:23He had already secured his future by marrying the High Justice's daughter, carving a path to the heights of power.

00:20:29Now, he was looking at me as if I were a prize to be collected.

00:20:34A secret lover, to be kept in the shadows of his perfect life.

00:20:42I will purchase a secluded manor for you.

00:20:45You will live there.

00:20:47And when the timing is right, I'll arrange for you to be appointed as a chamber attendant.

00:20:52It's the perfect way to keep you under my protection, without raising eyeballs.

00:20:57My father gave you everything.

00:20:59He funded your education and your rise to power.

00:21:03Is your sense of honor so easily swallowed by greed?

00:21:06I struggled to keep the fury from my voice.

00:21:09My body trembling with a mixture of rage and exhaustion.

00:21:13Christopher let out a sharp, derisive laugh.

00:21:16His eyes scanning me with a terrifying lack of shame.

00:21:19I have plenty of gold now.

00:21:21What I lack is a plaything like you, so holy, yet so utterly ruined.

00:21:25I know you spent two years with the crown prince, but his wedding is imminent.

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

00:21:30If he won't look Bernard to stay alive, you have no other choice.

00:21:33You belong to me now.

00:21:34I didn't even have the chance to retort.

00:21:36A sudden, violent wave of nausea surged from my stomach, and I doubled over, dry heaving right in front of

00:21:43him.

00:21:44Christopher's face instantly twisted into a blue shade of purple.

00:21:48He had expected tears, or perhaps a desperate surrender.

00:21:52He had expected me to be so physically repulsed by his touch, that I would be sick on the spot.

00:22:01Christopher was clearly stunned by my physical repulsion.

00:22:04The mask of a refined gentleman shattered, leaving behind a gaze so dark and venomous, it chilled my blood.

00:22:11The fake warmth in his voice died instantly, replaced by a low, predatory snarl.

00:22:18Do not test my patience, Elena.

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

00:22:23If I want that old man dead, he won't even survive long enough to see the Holy Fire next month.

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

00:22:32If I don't see you at my manor on the south side of the city by then, you might as

00:22:37well start picking out a burial plot for your father.

00:22:39He turned on his heel, and stormed away in a fit of humiliated rage, leaving me to tremble alone in

00:22:46the biting wind.

00:22:48My heart felt like a lead weight sinking into an abyss.

00:22:52People always whispered that scholars were the most virtuous among us.

00:22:56But in reality, the most wretched souls are often those hidden behind tailored suits and polite smiles.

00:23:03My family was still wealthy.

00:23:05Even after spending a fortune to save my father, what remained could sustain us for generations.

00:23:11My mother had already secured a secluded safe house on the outskirts of the capital.

00:23:16I dragged my battered body, feeling as though it had been trampled by a carriage,

00:23:21and began the long, numb walk back to that hollow substitute for a home.

00:23:28I had a younger brother, Julian, who was two years my junior.

00:23:33Unlike me, who grew dizzy at the mere sight of ancient texts, he was a natural-born arcanist.

00:23:40By the age of five, he could already decipher forbidden runes.

00:23:45Upon hearing of our family's downfall, he had rushed from the arcane academy to the capital, his face pale with

00:23:52worry.

00:23:54Crushed and defeated, I dragged my feet down the endless corridor,

00:23:58and with a trembling, uncertain hand, pushed open the massive door.

00:24:04Elena! What did he say?

00:24:06Did Prince Arthur, did Shadow agree to save your father?

00:24:09My brother-in-law is the crown prince now! He'll help us, won't he? He has to!

00:24:12I looked at the flickering sparks of hope in their eyes, and my throat burned as if I had swallowed

00:24:17hot coals.

00:24:19Worse, I couldn't bring myself to describe the previous night.

00:24:23How Arthur had pinned me to those luxurious black fox furs, claiming my body with a brutal hunger.

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

00:24:31He was a man who took pleasure in my ruin.

00:24:34A man who wanted to watch me drown in this hopeless mire, until the last breath left my lungs.

00:24:44I couldn't bear to shatter the fragile hope in my mother's and Julian's eyes.

00:24:48But with my father's life on the line, I didn't dare weave a lie.

00:24:54My voice cracked as the cold reality spilled out.

00:25:00He refused.

00:25:01Arthur hates me, more than you can imagine.

00:25:05Those two years of torment turned his heart into a block of ice.

00:25:10I've brought this upon our family.

00:25:12It's my fault that father is in that cage.

00:25:15My mother pulled me into a fierce, trembling embrace.

00:25:19Her scent of lavender and old books a brief comfort against the storm.

00:25:24You are the most precious jewel of the Vivian family.

00:25:26If this is truly Bernard's trial, then it is a judgment of fate itself.

00:25:30You will not chain yourself to a guilt that isn't yours to bear.

00:25:33She's right.

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

00:25:37It's that cold-blooded prince who is blind.

00:25:40You deserve the purest devotion this world has to offer.

00:25:45Not his cruelty.

00:25:48Listening to them, a wave of bitter sorrow washed over me.

00:25:52The house of Vivian had once been the glorious pillar of the Holy Kingdom.

00:25:56A name spoken with reverence and awe.

00:26:00Now the proud saintess had finally learned how to bow her head.

00:26:04I no longer prayed for glory or power.

00:26:07I only prayed that those I loved might survive the winter.

00:26:13Elena, mother told me you're pregnant.

00:26:16Go back to your room and 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.

00:26:23I looked at the young man standing before me.

00:26:26His shoulders broad and his gaze steady.

00:26:29The little boy who used to trail behind me, crying over scraped knees, had truly grown up.

00:26:37I offered a few soft words of caution before retreating to my room.

00:26:41But the dull, persistent ache in my womb kept me tossing and turning in a feverish unrest.

00:26:48Hours later, I stepped out into the hallway and froze.

00:26:52There stood Julian.

00:26:54But he was unrecognizable.

00:26:56He had changed into a garish flamboyant suit of shimmering silks with an oversized ruby pendant dangling against his chest.

00:27:05Julian, what are you dressed like?

00:27:10I heard Duchess Audley has a weakness for collecting exquisite young men.

00:27:13I'm going to her estate to offer myself.

00:27:15If she takes me as her pet, even the crown prince will have to show her some respect.

00:27:20That's how I'll save father.

00:27:22My heart stopped.

00:27:23Julian was a once-in-a-century genius at the Arcane Academy.

00:27:28I couldn't let him sell his soul.

00:27:31Panic surged through me as I tricked him into the wine cellar and slammed the heavy iron door, locking it

00:27:37tight.

00:27:40Let me out!

00:27:41I was born for this!

00:27:43If it saves father, what does it matter if I'm just a plaything?

00:27:48I couldn't let my brother destroy his future and his dignity.

00:27:52The thought of Julian, a brilliant prodigy, rotting away as a noblewoman's plaything was a nightmare I wouldn't allow to

00:27:59come true.

00:28:00Begging Arthur again was a dead end.

00:28:02It would only invite more humiliation and perhaps even ignite his lethal temper.

00:28:06That left Christopher, the hypocritical viper, as much as I loathed the idea of becoming his caged bird.

00:28:13It seemed the path had narrowed until there was nowhere left to run.

00:28:17As night fell, I carried a single flickering magic lamp and crept toward Christopher's secret villa on the south side

00:28:23of the city.

00:28:23I spent the entire journey numbing my mind, whispering to myself that this was merely a sacrifice.

00:28:29I told myself, it would be like being bitten by a wild beast.

00:28:33Painful, yes, but something I could endure if I just closed my eyes.

00:28:37The moment I stepped into that dim, oppressive bedroom and saw Christopher unfastening his outer robe,

00:28:42my stomach churned with violent revulsion.

00:28:45Miss Vivian, I have waited two long years for this day.

00:28:50He undid the silver clasps at his collar.

00:28:52His smile thick with a sticky predatory mouth.

00:28:55From this moment on, you are my private property.

00:28:58Now come here, help me undress.

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

00:29:03Not used to this yet?

00:29:04Don't worry, I'll spend the rest of the night teaching you exactly how to serve me.

00:29:10Christopher shed his hypocritical priestly robes, his eyes gleaming with a feverish light.

00:29:15Tonight, we finally celebrate our sacred union, two years late.

00:29:19He advanced toward me, one predatory step at a time.

00:29:22Despite the biting cold of the room, my palms were slit with a cold sweat.

00:29:25I realized in that moment that I couldn't endure his proximity.

00:29:28The sensation was visceral, like a slimy serpent slithering up my ankle.

00:29:32Cold and suffocating.

00:29:33A sickly, distorted desire burned in his gaze.

00:29:35He lunged forward, his hands clamping around my waist like iron shackle,

00:29:39as he tried to bury his face in the hook of my neck.

00:29:41The scent of yours, it's enough to drive a man mad.

00:29:44Stop!

00:29:45Christopher, listen to me.

00:29:46I will give you every coin in the Vivian family bolts.

00:29:49Just save my father and let me go.

00:29:52I don't want your filthy gold, Elena.

00:29:54I want you!

00:29:55His face twisted into a mask of pure malice as he shoved me backward onto the black velvet shade.

00:29:59He began to tear at my sacred roads with a frantic, desperate violence.

00:30:03Go ahead, keep fighting me.

00:30:04If you do, I'll make sure Bernard is dead.

00:30:07Before the sun rises tomorrow!

00:30:08Arthur was a man of violence, but when he touched me, there was a part of my soul that didn't

00:30:13recoil.

00:30:14Here, pinned under Christopher, I felt only a bone-deep revulsion.

00:30:19Ever since I saw you standing so high above everyone two years ago, I've dreamt of dragging you into the

00:30:24mud.

00:30:25Tonight, I finally get what I've always deserved.

00:30:31I first met Christopher when I was still young.

00:30:33No one could have ever guessed that behind his gentle, refined demeanor hid a dark and twisted heart.

00:30:42He leaned close to my neck, his every word laced with chilling, hidden malice that sent shivers down my spine.

00:30:50To tell you the truth, Elena, I orchestrated everything.

00:30:56Bernard's downfall, the treason, the trial, it was all my design.

00:31:01My eyes snapped wide as the horror of his confession sank in.

00:31:06He funded your education.

00:31:08He gave you a future.

00:31:11How could you betray the man who saved you?

00:31:14If he hadn't gone to prison, would you be here now, kneeling and begging for my favor?

00:31:20No.

00:31:20So be a good girl and please me.

00:31:23I have the power to make your father's life a living hell, and I can just as easily destroy your

00:31:28mother and Julian.

00:31:29The sheer cruelty of it left me gasping.

00:31:32I wanted nothing more than to kill him and myself in a single stroke of vengeance.

00:31:36He held my every weakness in his hand.

00:31:39No matter how much my soul screamed in protest, I was trapped, forced to shiver and endure beneath him.

00:31:45Now, kiss me.

00:31:47He ruthlessly tore open my inner robes.

00:31:49The sudden bite of the cold air stung my exposed skin.

00:31:52I couldn't stop shaking.

00:31:53And as his face descended toward mine, a wave of visceral, physical revulsion took hold.

00:31:58Every ounce of strength I had left, I shoved him away.

00:32:04Christopher's mask of civility shattered into a hundred jagged pieces.

00:32:08His patience had run dry, and he pinned me against the edge of the shaves with a terrifying heavy weight.

00:32:15Get off me! Don't touch me!

00:32:20Keep shouting, Elena.

00:32:22But for every word you scream, I'll have a piece of Bernard's flesh carved away.

00:32:26I went silent instantly, the sound of my own teeth grinding together echoing in my skull.

00:32:30To save my father from the torture rack, I could only close my eyes in absolute despair,

00:32:33just as I prepared to bite my own tongue and end it all.

00:32:35The heavy oak doors of the bedchamber were obliterated, kicked inward with a force that shook the foundations of the

00:32:43villa.

00:32:44It was Arthur.

00:32:48Christopher stood paralyzed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

00:32:53He never imagined the crown prince would descend upon this secret sanctuary.

00:32:58Panicked, he scrambled to clutch his discarded robes, his face draining of color, as the temperature in the room plummeted.

00:33:06Arthur approached with a terrifying, predatory calm.

00:33:13Your Highness, I do not understand why you would strike me.

00:33:17Since when is it a crime to enjoy a midnight thrisk with one's own lover?

00:33:22Lover.

00:33:25Since when is it a crime to enjoy a midnight thrisk with one's own?

00:33:31Arthur rained down low after brutal low, until Christopher lay unconscious in an ever-widening pool of blood.

00:33:38I have not yet signed the decree of abjulation.

00:33:41Until I do, she belongs to me.

00:33:44You dare to touch what is mine, and for that, you will die!

00:33:51Between the sheer terror of the night, and the gnawing dread for my father's life,

00:33:56the fragile dam of my emotions finally broke.

00:34:00My pregnancy had made me volatile, and now, the tears fell in a relentless, silent torrent that I couldn't stop.

00:34:08Arthur reached out, his arms snaking around me like an iron band to haul me into his chest.

00:34:14Seeing my face streaked with tears, the darkness in his eyes didn't soften.

00:34:21Instead, his fury seemed to congeal into something even more lethal.

00:34:25Do you love him that much?

00:34:27Do you love him that much?!

00:34:32Does it break your heart that I interrupted your little trisk?

00:34:37You actually degraded yourself to this point for a piece of filth like him!

00:34:43When had I ever shown an ounce of affection for Christopher?

00:34:46The man was a monster, yet here was Arthur, twisting my desperation into a betrayal.

00:34:52But I didn't dare fight back.

00:34:54I couldn't risk my father bearing the brunt of a crown prince's lightning strike rage.

00:34:59I could only bury my face against his chest,

00:35:02my body shaking with muffled, agonizing sobs.

00:35:07Is being with me such a miserable fate, Elena?

00:35:10Well, weep all you want, it doesn't change a thing.

00:35:12You're coming back to the palace with me, where you belong.

00:35:17Arthur tossed me into his massive war chariot,

00:35:20pulled by snarling drakes,

00:35:22as if I were nothing more than a conquest claimed on a battlefield.

00:35:26I had no hope of escape.

00:35:28Within the hour, I was back in the palace,

00:35:31thrown once again onto the suffocating black fox furs of his bed.

00:35:35I curled into a ball, my eyes red and swollen,

00:35:39rubbing the small of my back where the impact had left a dull, throbbing ache.

00:35:46His voice was a low, terrifying rumble, cold as a mountain grave.

00:35:51He pressed his callous thumb against my lips,

00:35:54rubbing them with a punishing force that threatened to draw blood.

00:35:59Did he kiss you here?

00:36:03I won't stay.

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

00:36:11You think you're worthy of being my mistress?

00:36:15Don't flatter yourself.

00:36:17Let me make this clear, Elena.

00:36:20Until the day I choose to discard you,

00:36:22if you ever dare to shame me with another man again,

00:36:25I will personally ensure you never draw another breath.

00:36:37I stared at Arthur,

00:36:39my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

00:36:43His heterochromatic eyes were threaded with dark red veins,

00:36:46and the draconic aura swirling around him was so suffocating,

00:36:50it felt as though he had just clawed his way out of the deepest pits of hell,

00:36:54looking at the sheer madness in his expression,

00:36:56I knew, with terrifying certainty,

00:36:59if I admitted that Christopher's lips even brushed mine,

00:37:02he would cut my lips away without a second thought.

00:37:06In truth, Christopher hadn't touched me.

00:37:09I should have been paralyzed by fear,

00:37:11but every nerve in my body was screaming in pain and exhaustion.

00:37:14I couldn't help but lash out.

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

00:37:21You're that desperate to escape me, Vivian.

00:37:25You torture me.

00:37:27You humiliate me.

00:37:30Isn't this exactly what you wanted?

00:37:33Take it!

00:37:34Whip me to death if that's what it takes!

00:37:36I stepped on your shoulders.

00:37:38I crushed your pride.

00:37:40So take my hands!

00:37:41Take my feet!

00:37:42Do whatever you want!

00:37:44Just save my father.

00:37:46If you promise to save him,

00:37:48I'll let you sacrifice me on the altar right now!

00:37:55Arthur remained silent

00:37:56as he reached down to retrieve the heavy jewel-encrusted whip.

00:37:59I couldn't help the violent flinch that wracked my body.

00:38:02I had wielded this very weapon countless times,

00:38:05but I was naturally frail.

00:38:07My strikes had barely left a red mark on his skin.

00:38:10Arthur was different.

00:38:11He possessed the terrifying raw strength of the dragon race.

00:38:15If he struck me once with that whip,

00:38:16I would shatter.

00:38:17I forced my spine to straighten and close my eyes,

00:38:20waiting for the end.

00:38:24After I'm gone,

00:38:26would you place a bouquet

00:38:29of fresh roses on my grave?

00:38:32I'm afraid of the cold

00:38:35on the other side.

00:38:41A woman from this wretched holy kingdom

00:38:43has no place beside my throne.

00:38:49He didn't swing the whip.

00:38:51Instead, he lunged forward,

00:38:53his searing fingers clamping around my slender waist

00:38:55like iron bands.

00:38:57Is my touch really that repulsing to you?

00:39:01Well, too bad.

00:39:03Tonight, I'm taking exactly what I want.

00:39:08His lips crashed against mine,

00:39:10fueled by a scorching, desperate rage.

00:39:13In the chaos of the kiss,

00:39:14a memory of my birthday last year surfaced.

00:39:16He was still my shadow then.

00:39:18He had spent weeks carving a wooden statuette of me,

00:39:21a perfect miniature saintess.

00:39:23When I saw the gift,

00:39:24my heart had hammered so wildly.

00:39:27I had accused him of placing a curse on me.

00:39:29I punished him,

00:39:31forcing him to kneel shirtless

00:39:32on the cold temple floor

00:39:34while I used gold ink

00:39:35to paint a massive, ridiculous creature

00:39:37across his broad back.

00:39:39His ears had turned a deep, burning crimson.

00:39:42I thought it was humiliation,

00:39:43so I insolently grabbed his ear

00:39:45to make him turn around.

00:39:47But as he moved,

00:39:48I lost my balance

00:39:49and tumbled into his arms.

00:39:51Our lips met.

00:39:52That kiss had been clumsy,

00:39:54yet so tender.

00:39:55He had whispered broken pleas,

00:39:57begging me to let him kiss me

00:39:59just once more.

00:40:00My shadow had been so kind then.

00:40:02No matter how I shamed him,

00:40:04he would have handed me the entire world

00:40:05on a silver platter just to see me smile.

00:40:10But the Arthur of today

00:40:11only knew how to bully me,

00:40:13how to make me hurt.

00:40:15As he ruthlessly tore away my silk inner robes,

00:40:18the tears I had fought so hard to suppress

00:40:20finally broke through the dam once again.

00:40:22They cascaded down my cheeks,

00:40:25hot and bitter,

00:40:27splashing against the side of his face.

00:40:29Arthur's movements froze instantly.

00:40:31He remained motionless,

00:40:32his hand still white-knuckled

00:40:34around a shred of the ruined silk.

00:40:35Is my touch so unbearable?

00:40:38He let out a sharp, guttural sound of disgust

00:40:40and shoved me aside like a discarded rag.

00:40:43Before I could even shiver,

00:40:44he grabbed a heavy black fox fur blanket

00:40:46and wrapped it around me.

00:40:48That piece of filth, Christopher,

00:40:51already has a wife,

00:40:53a high justice own daughter.

00:40:55And yet here you are,

00:40:57playing the martyr,

00:40:58preserving your purity.

00:41:00To Venice's,

00:41:01your controls no purity for him.

00:41:04You really are a devoted fool,

00:41:06Miss Vivian.

00:41:08He stood up,

00:41:09his eyes flashing with a final,

00:41:11cutting spark of disdain.

00:41:12Don't flatter yourself.

00:41:14You aren't the only woman in the world.

00:41:17I don't need you.

00:41:19He turned and strode out of the chamber,

00:41:21the massive oak door slamming shut

00:41:23with a thunderous crash

00:41:24that echoed through the hollow silence of my heart.

00:41:27I wept until my throat was raw

00:41:29and only then did the dull throbbing ache

00:41:32in my womb begin to subside.

00:41:34I was desperate to go home,

00:41:36to save my father,

00:41:37to stop Julian from selling his soul

00:41:39for a scrap of influence.

00:41:41But the world outside had vanished.

00:41:43Arthur had placed me under house arrest.

00:41:45I knew his game.

00:41:46He wanted to break me slowly.

00:41:48He wanted to watch the once-haughty saintess

00:41:51rot in a gilded cage

00:41:52until there was nothing left of my pride.

00:41:54For seven days,

00:41:56Arthur never showed his face.

00:41:58Instead, he sent a flock of handmaids

00:41:59to tend to me.

00:42:00They were meticulously attentive,

00:42:02yet their voices were venomous.

00:42:08Did you really think he'd keep a broken doll?

00:42:12His Highness gifted Lady Isabella

00:42:14the legendary Starry Night necklace.

00:42:17The prince and the duke's daughter

00:42:19are inseparable at the royal hunting grounds.

00:42:22They look so perfect together.

00:42:25Every day they made sure

00:42:26I heard the rumors

00:42:27of Arthur's devotion to Isabella.

00:42:29Each word cut deeper than any whip.

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

00:42:33But my true terror

00:42:34was the fear that the next time

00:42:35I saw my father,

00:42:36he would be a corpse.

00:42:38On the eighth day of my imprisonment,

00:42:40the heavy doors finally groaned open.

00:42:42A silhouette draped in black and gold

00:42:44stepped through the threshold,

00:42:46bringing with him a 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 to the brink of madness.

00:42:57Let me out!

00:42:58I have to see my mother!

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

00:43:03Shadow, you are nothing

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

00:43:07If you let my father die

00:43:08without me saying goodbye,

00:43:10I swore make you regret it

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

00:43:13I snatched out the ruby-encrusted whip

00:43:15trying to shield my vulnerability

00:43:17behind a pathetic, empty threat.

00:43:19Bernard is still alive.

00:43:22The air rushed back into my lungs.

00:43:25My father was safe,

00:43:26at least for now.

00:43:28But as the panic receded,

00:43:30a different kind of poison took its place.

00:43:33I remembered the maid's whispers,

00:43:35stories of how he had spent

00:43:37the last few nights

00:43:38locked away with Isabella,

00:43:40lost in a passion

00:43:41that lasted until dawn.

00:43:43The jealousy was a sudden, searing heat.

00:43:46When he had taken me,

00:43:48he hadn't shown half that much endurance.

00:43:51He was spending so much time

00:43:52entangled with that duke's daughter.

00:43:54I wondered if he was trying to drain

00:43:56every drop of his royal blood dry.

00:44:00Are you so desperate

00:44:01to run back to Christopher?

00:44:02To wallow in the dirt

00:44:04as his caged bird keep dreaming?

00:44:06I just refuse to stay near a man

00:44:07who belongs to Isabella!

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

00:44:10I lunged at him

00:44:12and sank my teeth into his shoulder.

00:44:14Vivian, stop!

00:44:17Are you truly in such a hurry

00:44:19to bury your father?

00:44:19I stopped struggling,

00:44:21but the air between us

00:44:23was thick with loathing.

00:44:25I backed away,

00:44:26slammed the door shut,

00:44:27and turned the lock

00:44:28with a definitive click.

00:44:30Then, staring him straight in the eyes,

00:44:33I began to uncask my sacred robes.

00:44:37Elena, stop!

00:44:38Put your clothes back on!

00:44:39His breath hitched,

00:44:41but 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 what I did

00:44:49to you two years ago.

00:44:51Press your boot into my shoulder.

00:44:54Draw those ridiculous,

00:44:55mocking creatures on my skin.

00:44:58Burn me with your humiliation!

00:44:59My voice broke into a pathetic,

00:45:02desperate sob

00:45:03as I looked at him

00:45:04through a blur of tears.

00:45:06I'm begging you,

00:45:08just finish your revenge

00:45:09and save my father.

00:45:11You swore an oath of loyalty

00:45:13to him before the altar.

00:45:15For the sake of that one vow,

00:45:16please help him.

00:45:19Arthur stood like a statue,

00:45:21his expression unreadable

00:45:23and frozen.

00:45:24The silence was deafening.

00:45:27I realized then

00:45:28that my words weren't enough,

00:45:30my tears weren't enough.

00:45:32I know what you want.

00:45:34You're still angry

00:45:35about 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

00:45:44in the back garden

00:45:46and catch every single one

00:45:47of those damn fish for you.

00:45:49I remembered that day vividly.

00:45:52The snow had been blinding

00:45:53and he had been practicing

00:45:55his sword play in the courtyard.

00:45:57I had been in a foul mood,

00:45:59agitated by the sight

00:46:00of his bare, powerful torso.

00:46:02So, I had mocked him,

00:46:04my voice dripping

00:46:05with disdain.

00:46:07If you're really

00:46:07as strong as you look,

00:46:10why don't you dive

00:46:12into the lake

00:46:12and bring me a snack?

00:46:15I hadn't expected him

00:46:16to do it,

00:46:17but without a word,

00:46:19he had plunged

00:46:20into the bone-chilling waters

00:46:22of the sacred lake.

00:46:24I spun around

00:46:25and bolted toward the door.

00:46:27Vivian!

00:46:28Have you lost your mind?

00:46:29Where do you think

00:46:30you're going dressed like that?

00:46:31Whether a filthy woman

00:46:32like me lives or dies,

00:46:36what is it to you?

00:46:41None of my business?

00:46:43Elena,

00:46:44I'm going to make sure

00:46:46you never forget

00:46:47exactly who I am!

00:46:49The predatory glint

00:46:51in his eyes

00:46:51was enough

00:46:52to devour me.

00:46:53I 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 lawful husband.

00:47:02His teeth

00:47:03raising my lips

00:47:04and a kiss

00:47:05that felt more like

00:47:06a claim of territory.

00:47:07You bastard!

00:47:08You aren't human!

00:47:10But the more I struggled,

00:47:11the more his possessiveness

00:47:13spiraled into

00:47:13a feverish madness.

00:47:15I hurled

00:47:16every curse

00:47:17I knew at him.

00:47:19Even as the world

00:47:20began to blur

00:47:20into a dizzying,

00:47:21unwanted 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

00:47:31draining away

00:47:32like sand

00:47:33through an hourglass

00:47:34as he pinned me

00:47:35to the bed once more,

00:47:36claiming me

00:47:37with a desperate,

00:47:38crushing intensity.

00:47:39A sharp,

00:47:40tearing agony

00:47:41exploded deep

00:47:42within my abdomen.

00:47:44It was as if

00:47:44a blade

00:47:45had been twisted

00:47:45inside me.

00:47:46I collapsed

00:47:48into the black fox furs,

00:47:49a rose severed

00:47:50from its stem,

00:47:51and the world

00:47:52dissolved

00:47:53into a hollow,

00:47:54silent void.

00:47:55Elena.

00:47:57Elena.

00:47:58Was that panic

00:47:59in his voice?

00:48:00It felt

00:48:00almost comedic.

00:48:01Didn't he want

00:48:02to cast this

00:48:02beautiful witch

00:48:03into the fires

00:48:04of purgatory?

00:48:05In 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

00:48:10trembling

00:48:11as they pulled me

00:48:12tight against

00:48:13a racing heart.

00:48:14When I finally

00:48:15drifted back

00:48:16to consciousness,

00:48:17the heavy velvet

00:48:18curtains had been

00:48:19drawn,

00:48:20sealing out

00:48:20the daylight.

00:48:21The chamber

00:48:22was thick

00:48:23with the bitter,

00:48:24cloying scent

00:48:24of medicinal herbs

00:48:26and the metallic

00:48:27tang of holy water.

00:48:28From beyond

00:48:29the veil

00:48:30of the bed curtains,

00:48:31I heard

00:48:32Arthur's voice,

00:48:33a low,

00:48:34dangerous growl

00:48:36vibrating

00:48:36with suppressed fury.

00:48:38Why isn't

00:48:39she awake yet?

00:48:47Miss Vivian's spirit

00:48:49was already

00:48:51fragile.

00:48:54After the

00:48:55physical trauma,

00:48:57she is showing

00:48:58signs

00:48:59of a miscarriage.

00:49:04If it weren't

00:49:05for the powerful

00:49:06dragon bloodline

00:49:07within the fetus

00:49:10fighting to survive,

00:49:13the hatchling

00:49:14would have

00:49:14already been lost.

00:49:18A hatchling,

00:49:19signs of a miscarriage.

00:49:21A bitter,

00:49:21self-deprecating

00:49:22smile touched

00:49:23my lips.

00:49:24My little dragon

00:49:25was still there.

00:49:26It was far more

00:49:27resilient than I had

00:49:28imagined,

00:49:28but within seconds.

00:49:30A bone-chilling dread

00:49:31washed over me.

00:49:33Arthur knew.

00:49:34He knew that

00:49:35within me,

00:49:36a secret was growing.

00:49:38A secret the temple

00:49:39would never allow

00:49:40to exist.

00:49:41In an empire

00:49:42where blood purity

00:49:43was everything,

00:49:44the bastard

00:49:45of a fallen

00:49:46saintess

00:49:47would likely

00:49:48never be given

00:49:48the chance

00:49:49to draw

00:49:49its first breath.

00:49:52In a surge

00:49:53of sheer panic,

00:49:54my hand struck

00:49:55the wooden bed frame

00:49:56with a sharp crack

00:49:57at the sound.

00:49:58Arthur pulled back

00:49:58the heavy velvet curtains.

00:49:59He sat beside me,

00:50:01his face a mask

00:50:02of cold stone.

00:50:03I instinctively

00:50:03recoiled into the corner

00:50:04of the bed,

00:50:05desperate for a shred

00:50:06of safety.

00:50:06I knew the protocol

00:50:07of the empire.

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

00:50:09I might have already

00:50:10ordered the priest

00:50:10to prepare

00:50:11a purification draft

00:50:12to erase

00:50:13the evidence

00:50:13of my shame.

00:50:14Arthur gripped my hand

00:50:15with bruising force,

00:50:16his voice devoid

00:50:17of warmth.

00:50:18Are you still in pain?

00:50:19Mind raced.

00:50:20Should I tell the truth?

00:50:21Physical ache

00:50:22had mostly subsided.

00:50:23I knew he lived

00:50:23for my suffering.

00:50:24If I told him

00:50:24I was in agony,

00:50:25perhaps his thirst

00:50:26for vengeance

00:50:26would be satisfied.

00:50:28Yes,

00:50:29it hurts.

00:50:31Terrified that he

00:50:32would force the draft

00:50:32down my throat

00:50:33right then,

00:50:33I scrambled

00:50:34to reassure him.

00:50:35You don't have to worry.

00:50:37I would never use

00:50:38this child

00:50:39to trap you

00:50:39or force you.

00:50:40Just let me go.

00:50:42Once I return

00:50:43to my family lands,

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

00:50:45I'll make sure it's gone.

00:50:48It was a lie

00:50:49that tasted like ash.

00:50:50I loved my little dragon

00:50:52already,

00:50:53but I needed him

00:50:54to believe I was

00:50:55no threat

00:50:56to his future.

00:50:57Deal with it?

00:51:00You're truly that eager

00:51:02to get rid

00:51:02of these two children.

00:51:04Two?

00:51:05I was stunned

00:51:06into silence.

00:51:08Dragon twins

00:51:08were a miracle,

00:51:10a rarity

00:51:10whispered of in legends.

00:51:11It meant I was

00:51:12carrying a double

00:51:13dragon pulse.

00:51:14My resolve to protect them

00:51:15hardened instantly,

00:51:16but I forced my voice

00:51:18to stay cold.

00:51:19Yes,

00:51:19I don't want them.

00:51:20I'd rather die

00:51:21than have them.

00:51:23I'll brew two bowls

00:51:24of the draft

00:51:24and wipe them

00:51:26from existence.

00:51:26I glanced at the priest

00:51:28standing in the shadows.

00:51:29They 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

00:51:34heartless, Elena.

00:51:36He shoved my hand away

00:51:37and stormed out,

00:51:38his cloak swirling

00:51:39like a dark cloud.

00:51:41I shouted after him,

00:51:42my voice cracking

00:51:43with desperation.

00:51:44If two bowls

00:51:45aren't enough,

00:51:46I'll drink ten!

00:51:50Arthur vanished again

00:51:51for several days.

00:51:52I was forced to listen

00:51:53to the maids gossiping

00:51:54in the hallways.

00:51:55Their whispers

00:51:56like jagged glass.

00:51:58They said he spent

00:51:59every waking

00:52:00and sleeping,

00:52:01hour,

00:52:02in Isabella's chambers.

00:52:04Rumor had it

00:52:05that once the dragon

00:52:06bloodline awakened,

00:52:07the host possessed

00:52:08a terrifying,

00:52:09near-limitless stamina.

00:52:11He and the Duke's daughter

00:52:12were reportedly lost

00:52:14in each other's embrace

00:52:15until the break

00:52:16of every dawn.

00:52:19A bitter wave of sorrow

00:52:21crashed over me.

00:52:23I assumed he found

00:52:24the idea of having

00:52:25children with a child

00:52:25with a twisted woman,

00:52:27like me, repulsive,

00:52:29leading him to seek solace

00:52:31in someone pure.

00:52:33I pitied his burden,

00:52:35yet the ache in my own chest

00:52:36only grew more hollow.

00:52:38To my absolute shock,

00:52:40a summons arrived.

00:52:41The emperor and empress

00:52:43demanded an audience

00:52:44with me.

00:52:45Before Arthur reclaimed

00:52:46his throne,

00:52:47the highest authority

00:52:48I had ever encountered

00:52:50was a local provincial lord.

00:52:52To be called before

00:52:53the absolute rulers

00:52:54of the empire

00:52:55was terrifying.

00:52:57I was certain

00:52:58they intended

00:52:59to put me on trial

00:53:00for the crime

00:53:01of desecrating

00:53:01the crown prince.

00:53:02The imperial couple

00:53:04was legendary

00:53:04for their sole covenant.

00:53:06The emperor had married

00:53:08a commoner

00:53:09when he was nothing more

00:53:10than a minor noble,

00:53:11and they had remained

00:53:13devoted to one another

00:53:14ever since.

00:53:16After Arthur disappeared

00:53:17at age six,

00:53:18the empress was so

00:53:19devastated by grief

00:53:21and injury

00:53:21that she could never

00:53:23bear another child.

00:53:24Their love for Arthur

00:53:26was boundless.

00:53:27And then there was me,

00:53:29the witch who had

00:53:30tormented their precious,

00:53:32long-lost son.

00:53:33I felt certain

00:53:34that if I wasn't

00:53:35sent straight to the pyre,

00:53:37it would be a miracle.

00:53:42The imperial palace

00:53:43was a fortress

00:53:44of limestone and gold,

00:53:45looming over me

00:53:46with a heavy sacred weight.

00:53:48Every footstep

00:53:49echoed against the marble,

00:53:51amplifying my dread.

00:53:52I kept my head bowed,

00:53:54trembling,

00:53:55until a pair of silk slippers

00:53:57appeared in my vision.

00:53:59When I looked up,

00:54:00I saw a woman

00:54:01of such timeless beauty.

00:54:03She looked less like

00:54:04Arthur's mother,

00:54:05and more like

00:54:06an elder sister.

00:54:08She reached out

00:54:08and personally

00:54:09helped me to my feet.

00:54:10I held my breath,

00:54:12my heart hammering

00:54:13against my ribs.

00:54:14Was she inspecting

00:54:16my skin to decide

00:54:17which torture

00:54:18would be most effective?

00:54:19Was she looking

00:54:20for the mark

00:54:21of the witch?

00:54:22You are breathtaking,

00:54:24even more beautiful

00:54:26than the way

00:54:26Arthur described you.

00:54:30I heard that

00:54:31when he was a lost

00:54:31nine-year-old

00:54:32wandering the wilderness,

00:54:34you were the one

00:54:34who gave him

00:54:35the hope to keep living.

00:54:36Is that true?

00:54:41I froze,

00:54:42completely blindsided.

00:54:43I had no memory

00:54:44of saving a prince.

00:54:48When I was nine,

00:54:49I had slipped away

00:54:51from the temple

00:54:51to explore.

00:54:53I found a starving,

00:54:54filthy beggar boy

00:54:55collapsed by the roadside.

00:54:57I had simply

00:54:58tossed him

00:54:59a high-grade healing pill

00:55:00and a heavy pouch

00:55:01of gold coins.

00:55:03I only gave him

00:55:03the gold

00:55:04because the coins

00:55:05were weighing down

00:55:06my dress

00:55:06and I wanted

00:55:07to be rid of them.

00:55:08It was a casual gesture

00:55:10to a stranger.

00:55:11It wasn't until

00:55:12two years ago,

00:55:13in the stench

00:55:14of a blood-soaked

00:55:15gladiator pit,

00:55:16that I recognized

00:55:17those striking,

00:55:18mismatched eyes again.

00:55:19I bought him

00:55:20for a single gold coin

00:55:22just so I wouldn't

00:55:23have to watch him

00:55:23rot in the mud.

00:55:24I don't understand

00:55:26why they're making

00:55:27such a fuss.

00:55:28I only gave him

00:55:30some gold

00:55:31I was planning

00:55:31to throw away.

00:55:37Such a good child.

00:55:42Without another word,

00:55:43she carefully removed

00:55:44a shimmering

00:55:45mithril amulet

00:55:45from her own neck,

00:55:46an artifact pulsing

00:55:48with divine light,

00:55:49and placed it gently

00:55:51in my open.

00:55:57The Empress spent

00:55:58hours speaking with me,

00:55:59her voice a gentle lilt

00:56:01as she asked about

00:56:02my past with Arthur

00:56:03at the temple.

00:56:03Cold sweat trickled

00:56:04down my face.

00:56:05How could I possibly

00:56:07confess the truth?

00:56:08How could I tell her

00:56:08that I had once punished him

00:56:10by making him kneel

00:56:11shirtless on freezing

00:56:12stone steps?

00:56:13Or that I had branded

00:56:14his chest

00:56:15with the word shadow,

00:56:16a tale of absolute

00:56:18desecration?

00:56:18I could only offer

00:56:19pale, hollow lies,

00:56:21claiming we had lived

00:56:22as the closest

00:56:22of companions.

00:56:23When I returned

00:56:24to the Crown Prince's

00:56:25estate, I was greeted

00:56:26by an overwhelming

00:56:27display of favor.

00:56:29Cards filled with

00:56:30rare medicinal tonics

00:56:31and bolts of the

00:56:32finest silk were being

00:56:33unloaded into my

00:56:34side hall.

00:56:35The Empress had even

00:56:36promised to visit me

00:56:37personally in the

00:56:38coming days.

00:56:39My mind was a whirlwind

00:56:40of confusion.

00:56:41Arthur loathed me.

00:56:42Why then had he told

00:56:43his parents I was

00:56:44his savior?

00:56:45But I ran out of

00:56:46time to wonder.

00:56:47The doors to the

00:56:48chambers were thrown

00:56:49open by Arthur's

00:56:49headguard.

00:56:50In his hands, he

00:56:51carried a porcelain bowl

00:56:53filled with a black

00:56:54steaming liquid that

00:56:55smelled of death.

00:56:56It was the

00:56:57purification draft.

00:56:58His Highness's

00:56:59orders.

00:57:00Miss Vivian is to

00:57:02drink this immediately.

00:57:03We cannot allow

00:57:04anything improper to

00:57:06stain the purity of

00:57:07the royal bloodline.

00:57:08The world turned to

00:57:09ice.

00:57:10He was finally coming

00:57:11for the life inside

00:57:12me.

00:57:12He wanted to

00:57:13personally destroy

00:57:14these twin dragon

00:57:15pulses to burn away

00:57:16the last lingering

00:57:17evidence of our

00:57:18humiliating past.

00:57:19I looked at the

00:57:20black liquid, my

00:57:21hand instinctively

00:57:22dropping to cover my

00:57:22stomach.

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.

00:57:28The Emperor of the

00:57:30Empire was indeed a

00:57:31just and formidable

00:57:32ruler.

00:57:33When I knelt before

00:57:34him and begged for a

00:57:35thorough investigation into

00:57:36my father's wrongful

00:57:37imprisonment, he gave me

00:57:38his word that the case

00:57:39had been transferred to

00:57:40the High Tribunal.

00:57:41I finally felt a

00:57:42weight lift from my

00:57:43chest.

00:57:43I clung to the belief

00:57:45that once the truth

00:57:45was laid bare, the

00:57:46honor of the Vivian

00:57:47family would be

00:57:48restored to its

00:57:49former glory.

00:57:50Now, my only

00:57:51remaining weakness was

00:57:52the twin dragon

00:57:53pulses growing within

00:57:54me.

00:57:54The moment I returned

00:57:55from the palace, a

00:57:56maid entered my

00:57:57chambers carrying a

00:57:58bowl of liquid that

00:57:59shimmered with an eerie

00:58:00violet light.

00:58:01She called it a

00:58:02sacred essence

00:58:02supplement, claiming

00:58:03it was meant to

00:58:04bolster my strength.

00:58:05I wasn't a fool.

00:58:06I knew Arthur was

00:58:07incapable of such

00:58:08sudden mercy.

00:58:09I pretended to

00:58:09drink it with a

00:58:10grateful smile.

00:58:10But the second the

00:58:11doors were closed and

00:58:12the windows latched, I

00:58:13tipped the bowl into a

00:58:14pot of moonlight ivy.

00:58:15The magic plant, known

00:58:16for its incredible

00:58:17resilience, reacted

00:58:19instantly.

00:58:20The moment the liquid

00:58:21touched the soil, the

00:58:22lush leaves shriveled,

00:58:23turning into brittle

00:58:24blackened husks as if

00:58:26scorched by dragon

00:58:27fire.

00:58:27My blood ran cold.

00:58:29It wasn't a supplement

00:58:30at all.

00:58:30It was a blood

00:58:31cleansing draft, a

00:58:32lethal poison designed

00:58:34to starve my

00:58:34hatchlings of their

00:58:35magic and kill them

00:58:36in the womb.

00:58:38Gold can buy even the

00:58:39most depraved of souls.

00:58:41Using a priceless

00:58:42mithril hairpin as a

00:58:43bribe, I managed to

00:58:44smuggle a desperate

00:58:45message to Julian

00:58:46through a kitchen

00:58:46maid.

00:58:47I begged him for a

00:58:48vial of draft of the

00:58:50living death, a

00:58:51forbidden alchemical

00:58:52concoction that could

00:58:53halt a heartbeat and

00:58:54mimic a cold stillness

00:58:56of the grave, all

00:58:57without harming the

00:58:58fragile dragon sprouts

00:58:59in my womb.

00:59:00When a person dies,

00:59:02their debts are

00:59:02supposedly settled.

00:59:03If I were dead, Arthur

00:59:06would have no reason

00:59:07to force those cruel

00:59:08poisonous drafts down

00:59:09my throat.

00:59:10At worst, he would

00:59:11have my body tossed

00:59:12into a mass grave in

00:59:13the desolate barrens.

00:59:14Once the effects wore

00:59:15off, I could crawl out

00:59:17of the dirt and vanish

00:59:18into the night with my

00:59:19children to find my

00:59:19mother.

00:59:20My only terror was

00:59:21Arthur's depravity.

00:59:22I feared that even in

00:59:24death, he might plunge a

00:59:25blade into my chest just

00:59:27to be certain.

00:59:28The potion took hold

00:59:29with terrifying speed.

00:59:30A bone-deep chill

00:59:32spread through my limbs.

00:59:33Turning my blood

00:59:34to slush, my mind

00:59:36remained agonizingly

00:59:37sharp, yet I was a

00:59:39prisoner in my own

00:59:39skin, unable to move

00:59:41a muscle, unable to

00:59:43flicker an eyelid, until

00:59:44the heavy doors

00:59:45burst open.

00:59:46Help!

00:59:47Someone help!

00:59:52Miss Vivian, she

00:59:55stopped breathing!

00:59:57The frantic scream

00:59:58echoed through the

00:59:59stone chamber, sounding

01:00:01more like a celebration

01:00:02of my freedom than a

01:00:03morning of my life.

01:00:04I lay there, a hollow

01:00:06shell, waiting to see if

01:00:07my gambit would lead to

01:00:08the wilderness or the

01:00:09pyre.

01:00:12Before I heard the

01:00:13heavy rhythmic thud of

01:00:15leather boots against the

01:00:16stone floor, Arthur had

01:00:19arrived.

01:00:19He seemed unable to

01:00:21fathom that the witch who

01:00:22had once tormented him so

01:00:24ruthlessly could fall so

01:00:25easily.

01:00:28Who says she is dead?

01:00:30If you are mocking me

01:00:33again, I swear I will bury

01:00:37the entire Vivian family

01:00:39along with you!

01:00:42But I was merely a corpse

01:00:44now, a silent witness to his

01:00:46descent into hysteria.

01:00:48I stayed frozen, locked in the

01:00:51icy grip of the draft.

01:00:52His voice grew softer, losing

01:00:55its edge, until it was filled

01:00:58with a frantic, staggering

01:00:59sense of panic I had never

01:01:00heard before.

01:01:02Why was he so shaken?

01:01:04Wake up.

01:01:05Was he afraid my vengeful spirit

01:01:06would haunt him for the rest of

01:01:08his days?

01:01:09Wake up.

01:01:09Or was he simply realizing

01:01:11that his favorite toy had

01:01:12finally broken beyond repair?

01:01:14Either way, I remain still,

01:01:17praying for the darkness of the

01:01:19burial grounds to come quickly.

01:01:23By now, he must have found the

01:01:25letter I left behind.

01:01:27In it, I wrote that I had

01:01:29finally reached my breaking

01:01:30point, that I had swallowed a

01:01:33lethal poison to end the

01:01:34humiliation, and that no one

01:01:37else was to blame.

01:01:38My only dying wish was for him

01:01:40to honor our old contract and

01:01:42return my remains to my family's

01:01:44ancestral lands.

01:01:46But his reaction after reading

01:01:47those words sent a fresh wave

01:01:49of horror through my frozen

01:01:51soul.

01:01:52Do you love Christopher that

01:01:53much?

01:01:54Do you love him so deeply that

01:01:56you would rather commit

01:01:57suicide?

01:02:00You want your bones returned

01:02:02home?

01:02:02Never.

01:02:04You will stay by my side.

01:02:07Even if you rot.

01:02:09You will do so in my arms!

01:02:12The living death only lasted

01:02:1412 hours.

01:02:15If he didn't hurry up and bury

01:02:18me, I was going to resurrect

01:02:19right in front of him.

01:02:21Elena, please, open your eyes

01:02:26and look at me.

01:02:28Then, I felt it.

01:02:30A cold, trembling kiss pressed

01:02:32against my unresponsive lips.

01:02:37Time was running out.

01:02:40Outside, the night was dark and

01:02:42the wind was howling.

01:02:43The effects of the draft were

01:02:44finally beginning to wane.

01:02:46Arthur was on the jagged edge of a

01:02:48mental collapse, blinded by a grief I

01:02:51never expected.

01:02:53As the feeling returned to my limbs,

01:02:55my fingers brushed against the

01:02:57paralyzing silver needle Julian had

01:02:59hidden among my supplies.

01:03:01I waited, holding my breath,

01:03:04until Arthur slumped against my neck with a broken

01:03:06moan.

01:03:07With every ounce of strength I had regained,

01:03:10I lunged and drove the needle deep into the

01:03:13pressure point at the nape of his neck.

01:03:15Even a crown prince of the dragon line

01:03:17couldn't withstand a strike so precise and

01:03:19unexpected.

01:03:20I moved like a ghost.

01:03:22I snatched the dragon seal,

01:03:24the symbol of supreme authority,

01:03:26from his belt and threw on a

01:03:29nondescript maid's cloak.

01:03:30Keeping my head low,

01:03:32I slipped out of the chamber.

01:03:36I abandoned the memory-haunted north,

01:03:39seeking refuge in Emerald Harbor.

01:03:41The southern air was sweet and blooming with

01:03:44flowers, a place where I could finally fade away.

01:03:48The night I fled, Julian met me at the city

01:03:52gates, sobbing like a child.

01:03:54He pressed a mountain of mana crystal cards

01:03:57into my hands, begging to follow.

01:03:59It took hours to convince him to stay until

01:04:02my father was freed.

01:04:04Julian had liquidated half of the Vivian family

01:04:07fortune for me.

01:04:08Even if I lived a life of absolute decadence,

01:04:11this wealth would last for lifetimes.

01:04:15I opened a boutique named Amber Eyes.

01:04:19While I loathed the dry imperial codes,

01:04:22I had a genius for alchemy,

01:04:24distilling oils and crafting the eternal youth

01:04:27elixirs that once drove the capital's elite

01:04:30into a frenzy.

01:04:32But in the quiet moments,

01:04:34the ghosts returned.

01:04:35I saw my father's face,

01:04:38then Arthur's.

01:04:39I remembered the whispers of his nights with Isabella

01:04:43and the steam rising from the poison he sent

01:04:45for my children.

01:04:47Whenever the pain flared,

01:04:48I drowned it in work.

01:04:50My little dragons were growing,

01:04:52and for them,

01:04:53I had to be strong.

01:04:57I found a few displaced, starving girls

01:04:59wandering the streets

01:05:00and took them in.

01:05:02Under my care,

01:05:04their hollow cheeks filled out,

01:05:06and their fearful eyes began to spark with life.

01:05:09They became my loyal apprentices,

01:05:12learning the delicate secrets of my shop.

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

01:05:16I used my fortune to establish a women's academy

01:05:20at the harbor.

01:05:21This world has always been cruel to women,

01:05:24demanding they be nothing more than ornaments

01:05:26or property.

01:05:27I don't harbor grand illusions of saving the world.

01:05:31But I want these girls to master weaving,

01:05:34commerce,

01:05:34or even basic arcana.

01:05:36I want them to have a trade and a voice.

01:05:39My business flourished beyond my wildest dreams.

01:05:43Within six months,

01:05:44amber eyes became the ultimate obsession

01:05:47for the noble women of the South.

01:05:49People often ask me if I fear bankruptcy.

01:05:52Considering the academy charges no tuition,

01:05:55I simply offer a faint smile and say nothing.

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

01:06:01of the wealthiest man in the Holy Kingdom.

01:06:04Besides,

01:06:05Julian still sends crates of mana crystals

01:06:07via secret caravans every month.

01:06:09In his eyes,

01:06:10I am likely still his reckless spendthrift sister

01:06:13who might run out of pocket money at any moment.

01:06:17Letters from the capital arrived occasionally

01:06:19through secret channels,

01:06:21carrying whispers of a world I had left behind.

01:06:24Five months ago,

01:06:25my father,

01:06:26Bernard,

01:06:27was finally exonerated and released.

01:06:30The High Tribunal had uncovered everything.

01:06:32It was all a web of lies

01:06:34spun by Christopher.

01:06:36The shadow that had loomed over my family's honor

01:06:38was finally dispelled.

01:06:39According to Julian,

01:06:42Christopher's obsession had spiraled into madness.

01:06:45Desperate to replace me,

01:06:47he had kidnapped a girl

01:06:48who shared a passing resemblance to me

01:06:50and kept her imprisoned in a secret villa,

01:06:53calling her by a pet name.

01:06:55But his highborn wife,

01:06:57the daughter of the Lord Chief Justice,

01:07:00discovered his sordid spirit.

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

01:07:04she stormed the villa with her retainers.

01:07:06The innocent girl caught in the crossfire

01:07:09met a horrific end

01:07:10at the hands of a woman scorned.

01:07:13Christopher,

01:07:14the man who pretended to love me so deeply,

01:07:17didn't spare a single tear for his victim.

01:07:20He immediately turned on the dead girl,

01:07:23slandering her memory

01:07:24to save his own skin

01:07:26and his political career.

01:07:27He underestimated a woman's wrath.

01:07:30His wife stripped away his mask,

01:07:33exposing his embezzlement in treason.

01:07:35Now, he rots in a lightless dungeon,

01:07:39his limbs broken and his mind shattered.

01:07:42He is a pathetic creature,

01:07:44a far cry from the elegant scholar

01:07:46he once pretended to be.

01:07:48I felt no pity as I burned the letter.

01:07:51He earned every second of his agony.

01:07:54The Vivian family was unable to return

01:07:56to the Holy Kingdom.

01:07:58Julian's letters became increasingly frantic,

01:08:00claiming that Arthur had descended

01:08:02into a state of pure madness.

01:08:04The wedding between Arthur and Isabella

01:08:06never happened.

01:08:07Instead,

01:08:08in a shocking twist

01:08:09that paralyzed the capital,

01:08:10he personally escorted Isabella

01:08:12to the ghost tower.

01:08:13Arthur!

01:08:14Please!

01:08:15You can't do this!

01:08:17No one knew the reason,

01:08:18but I could guess.

01:08:20A man like Arthur

01:08:21would never tolerate anyone

01:08:22who dared to touch his secrets

01:08:24or threaten his absolute control.

01:08:27Now Arthur spends his days

01:08:28scouring the capital for a ghost.

01:08:30He searches for any trace of my existence.

01:08:32And at night,

01:08:34he stands before my empty grave,

01:08:36screaming to the heavens

01:08:37that I am his only true crown princess.

01:08:40I felt nothing but cold disdain

01:08:43when I read those words.

01:08:44He had spent his nights

01:08:45lost in the arms of another woman.

01:08:47And now,

01:08:48he wants to play the role

01:08:49of the grieving,

01:08:50devoted husband.

01:08:52It was a pathetic performance.

01:08:54My only focus now

01:08:55is the safety of my two little dragons.

01:08:57The most experienced midwife

01:08:59in the south warned me

01:09:00that carrying twins,

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

01:09:03is a treacherous path.

01:09:05She told me that the day of their birth

01:09:07would be like walking along

01:09:08the precipice of the underworld.

01:09:10It is a gamble with death.

01:09:12A heavy fear has settled in my bones.

01:09:15I am terrified that I will never wake

01:09:17to see Julian become a grand archmage.

01:09:19And even more terrified

01:09:20that my children will enter this world

01:09:22only to find themselves motherless.

01:09:27A soft touch on my shoulder

01:09:28pulled me from my thoughts.

01:09:29I looked up to see Perrin

01:09:31standing before the counter,

01:09:32his usual modest expression

01:09:34colored by a hint of nerves.

01:09:36Perrin was a wandering scholar

01:09:37I had rescued three months ago

01:09:38after he collapsed outside my shop.

01:09:40He was handsome

01:09:41in a gentle, intellectual way.

01:09:44Possessing a quiet grace

01:09:45that persisted despite his poverty.

01:09:47The young girls who worked for me

01:09:49loved to whisper

01:09:49that he was hopelessly in love with me.

01:09:51I always dismissed it

01:09:53as childish gossip.

01:09:54Why would a brilliant young man

01:09:56with his whole life ahead of him

01:09:57want a woman like me?

01:09:58I was a widow

01:09:59with a swollen belly.

01:10:01Living under a story

01:10:02that my husband had perished

01:10:03on some distant battlefield.

01:10:05Is something wrong, Mr. Perrin?

01:10:07His face flushed crimson.

01:10:09The heat spreading

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

01:10:12He hesitated

01:10:12for what felt like an eternity,

01:10:14fidgeting with his sleeves

01:10:15as if trying to summon

01:10:16every ounce of courage

01:10:17in his soul.

01:10:18Miss Vivian,

01:10:20I have admired you

01:10:21for a very long time.

01:10:22I don't care about your past

01:10:24and I don't care about the rumors.

01:10:25I want to take care of you.

01:10:27If you would honor me

01:10:28by becoming my wife,

01:10:30I promise to love your children

01:10:31as if they were my own blood.

01:10:32I froze,

01:10:34my mind racing

01:10:35to find a kind way

01:10:36to reject him.

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

01:10:38a voice like a sudden

01:10:40arctic gale

01:10:40tore through the room,

01:10:42turning the humid

01:10:42southern air to ice.

01:10:45Elena,

01:10:46you intend to take

01:10:47my children and marry

01:10:49this pathetic,

01:10:51lowly commoner?

01:10:52My body turned to stone.

01:10:54I turned my head

01:10:55slowly toward the doorway.

01:10:56There,

01:10:57framed against the dying

01:10:59rays of the sunset,

01:11:00stood the man

01:11:01who should have been

01:11:01a thousand miles away.

01:11:03Arthur's face

01:11:04was a mask

01:11:05of sheer murderous rage.

01:11:10The moment Perrin

01:11:11finished his confession,

01:11:12the air in the room

01:11:13shattered.

01:11:14A suffocating pressure,

01:11:16the raw,

01:11:16primal weight

01:11:17of a dragon's aura

01:11:18exploded outward,

01:11:20pinning everyone

01:11:21to the spot.

01:11:21Arthur stepped

01:11:22into my workshop,

01:11:23clad in robes

01:11:24of deep obsidian

01:11:25and gold.

01:11:26His eyes

01:11:27were twin glaciers,

01:11:28harboring a frost

01:11:29cold enough

01:11:30to freeze

01:11:30the entire southern coast.

01:11:32He moved

01:11:33with a heavy

01:11:33deliberate stride

01:11:34and I knew instantly

01:11:36that the day

01:11:36of reckoning

01:11:37for my six-month escape

01:11:38had finally arrived.

01:11:40My legs turned to water.

01:11:42In a frantic,

01:11:42useless panic,

01:11:43I grabbed a handful

01:11:44of monocrystals

01:11:45and tried to bolt

01:11:46for the back exit,

01:11:47but it was already

01:11:48too late.

01:11:48The doorway was blocked

01:11:49by a wall of iron,

01:11:51a phalanx of paladins,

01:11:52their armor gleaming

01:11:53with an oppressive

01:11:54holy light.

01:11:55There was no escape.

01:11:56His eyes turned

01:11:57a violent,

01:11:58bloodshot crimson.

01:11:59His voice cracking

01:12:00with a shock

01:12:01that looked far too much

01:12:02like genuine pain.

01:12:03Faking your own death

01:12:04to deceive me?

01:12:05Elena,

01:12:06your audacity

01:12:07truly knows no bounds.

01:12:08You were the one

01:12:09who sent that bowl

01:12:10of poison.

01:12:11If I hadn't fled,

01:12:13my children

01:12:14would be nothing

01:12:15but a memory

01:12:16by now.

01:12:16Poison?

01:12:17I never gave

01:12:18such an order.

01:12:23parents stood paralyzed,

01:12:25the sheer weight

01:12:26of the crown prince's

01:12:27presence crushing

01:12:27the air from his lungs.

01:12:29Miss Vivian.

01:12:29He looked at me.

01:12:31You told me your husband

01:12:31had,

01:12:32that he had been martyred

01:12:33on the northern front.

01:12:35Martyred?

01:12:36Elena,

01:12:37are you so desperate

01:12:37for my death

01:12:38that you've already

01:12:39buried me in your stories?

01:12:40I couldn't look him

01:12:41in the eye.

01:12:42I hadn't wished

01:12:42for his death.

01:12:43It was quite the opposite.

01:12:44I had missed him

01:12:45so much

01:12:46that the only way

01:12:47to survive the silence

01:12:48was to bury his memory

01:12:49under a lie.

01:12:50Your highness,

01:12:52please,

01:12:53do not distress her.

01:12:55She is heavily pregnant.

01:12:56She cannot handle

01:12:57such a shock.

01:12:57Despite the visible

01:12:58trembling of his hands,

01:12:59Perrin stepped forward,

01:13:01shielding me

01:13:01with his own body.

01:13:02Get out of my way!

01:13:04He lunged forward,

01:13:05reaching to seize me.

01:13:06But before his fingers

01:13:07could brush my skin,

01:13:08a cataclysmic pain

01:13:09tore through my lower body,

01:13:11it felt as if

01:13:12my buried soul

01:13:13was being ripped in two.

01:13:14It hurts.

01:13:16Arthur, something is wrong.

01:13:18The hatchlings,

01:13:19they're coming now.

01:13:20I doubled over.

01:13:21My breath itching

01:13:22and strangled screams

01:13:23as the world began

01:13:24to tilt into darkness.

01:13:28The crown prince,

01:13:29who only moments ago

01:13:30had looked ready

01:13:31to tear the world apart,

01:13:32instantly lost his composure.

01:13:34Arthur gathered me

01:13:35into his arms.

01:13:36Those hands,

01:13:37usually so steady

01:13:38when gripping a sword

01:13:39or signing a death warrant,

01:13:41were now shaking

01:13:42uncontrollably.

01:13:44Don't be afraid, Elena.

01:13:47I've got you.

01:13:49I'm taking you home.

01:13:51He stayed right there,

01:13:53pacing the halls

01:13:53of the manor

01:13:54I had bought

01:13:54six months ago.

01:13:55The healers and midwives

01:13:56begged him to leave,

01:13:58citing ancient superstitions

01:13:59that a crown prince's presence

01:14:01in a birthing chamber

01:14:02would bring ruin

01:14:03to his divine love.

01:14:04Arthur didn't argue.

01:14:05He simply drew his sword

01:14:07and stood guard at the door

01:14:08as the hours bled

01:14:09into one another

01:14:10and the labor

01:14:11became unbearable.

01:14:12I began to sob,

01:14:13the tears flowing freely.

01:14:15Every time I cried out,

01:14:16the cold,

01:14:17ruthless leader

01:14:18of the dragon line,

01:14:19the man who made

01:14:19the empire tremble,

01:14:21found his own eyes

01:14:22welling with moisture.

01:14:23Finally,

01:14:24two sharp,

01:14:24piercing cries

01:14:25rang out.

01:14:26A boy and a girl

01:14:27had safely entered

01:14:28the world.

01:14:29The midwives

01:14:29whispered among themselves

01:14:30as they cleaned

01:14:31the infants.

01:14:32In all their years

01:14:33of delivering children,

01:14:34they had never seen

01:14:35a mother endure labor,

01:14:36while the father

01:14:37stood by

01:14:37and cried his eyes out.

01:14:39When I finally

01:14:40opened my eyes,

01:14:42the room was bathed

01:14:43in the golden dying light

01:14:44of the next day's twilight.

01:14:46Arthur was right there,

01:14:47sitting by the bed,

01:14:48but as soon as my mind cleared,

01:14:49the old bitterness

01:14:50flared up.

01:14:51Stop pretending to care!

01:14:52You never wanted us!

01:14:53The day you returned

01:14:54to the capital,

01:14:55you were so eager

01:14:56to have me disposed.

01:14:57You stayed in your chambers

01:14:58with Isabella

01:14:59for three days

01:14:59and three nights.

01:15:01They said you were

01:15:02lost in each other

01:15:03until dawn,

01:15:04that the priests

01:15:04had to change the holy water

01:15:05twenty times

01:15:06because of your pravity!

01:15:08I never touched Isabella.

01:15:10And I never,

01:15:10not for a single second,

01:15:11intended to depose you.

01:15:12When I returned,

01:15:14my father did push

01:15:15for an alliance,

01:15:16but I stood before

01:15:17the entire court

01:15:17and declared that I already

01:15:18had a wife by sacred contract.

01:15:20He urged me to bring you

01:15:21to the palace immediately.

01:15:23I thought your heart

01:15:24was still full of Christopher.

01:15:25I was so mad with pain

01:15:27that I delayed

01:15:28the official proclamation

01:15:29of your title.

01:15:31I was a fool, Elena,

01:15:32but I was never unfaithful.

01:15:36A deep flush

01:15:38crept up my neck.

01:15:39All those stories,

01:15:40the whispered nights

01:15:41of passion,

01:15:42were nothing more

01:15:43than illusions

01:15:44and rumors

01:15:44engineered by Isabella

01:15:45to drive me

01:15:46to the edge of insanity.

01:15:48I've uncovered the truth.

01:15:53It was Isabella.

01:15:56She bribed the priests

01:15:58in the side hall

01:16:00to lace your medicine

01:16:01with a cursed powder

01:16:02designed to wither

01:16:04the dragon line.

01:16:06His voice turns cold

01:16:07and predatory,

01:16:08a low vibration

01:16:09of pure hatred.

01:16:12I've stripped her

01:16:13of her noble name

01:16:14and condemned her

01:16:15the tower

01:16:16to eternal waiths

01:16:18for the rest of her life.

01:16:21Elena,

01:16:22thank God you were alert enough

01:16:23to refuse that drast.

01:16:28If you hadn't.

01:16:29His arms began

01:16:29to shake violently.

01:16:31This powerful,

01:16:32terrifying crown prince

01:16:33looked suddenly,

01:16:34heartbreakingly fragile.

01:16:35The walls I had built

01:16:36around my heart

01:16:36crumbled in an instant.

01:16:37For the first time

01:16:38in two years,

01:16:39I reached out

01:16:40and wound my arms

01:16:40around his neck,

01:16:41leaning into him

01:16:42with a surge

01:16:42of pure,

01:16:43unadulterated longing.

01:16:45Since you never chose her,

01:16:47you aren't allowed

01:16:48to look at anyone else

01:16:49ever again.

01:16:50Arthur,

01:16:50if you ever dare

01:16:51to betray our contract,

01:16:52I will take our children

01:16:54and vanish

01:16:54into the mistward.

01:16:55I will hide so well

01:16:56that you could spend

01:16:57the rest of your life

01:16:58searching

01:16:58and never see

01:16:59my face again.

01:17:00What did you just say?

01:17:03You,

01:17:04you're willing

01:17:05to stay for me?

01:17:06He pulled back,

01:17:07his eyes searching mine

01:17:09with a look of frantic,

01:17:10overwhelming joy,

01:17:11as if he were

01:17:12a drowning man

01:17:13who had finally

01:17:13found the shore.

01:17:16I looked at his face,

01:17:17the face of a man

01:17:19so devastatingly handsome,

01:17:20yet currently twisted

01:17:22into an expression

01:17:23of clumsy,

01:17:24desperate anxiety.

01:17:26and I couldn't help

01:17:27but let out

01:17:28a soft laugh.

01:17:30I've always had

01:17:30a fondness for beasts,

01:17:32especially a dragon

01:17:34like you,

01:17:35greedy,

01:17:36humble,

01:17:37and so utterly obsessed

01:17:39that once you've chosen

01:17:41a master,

01:17:42you can never be shaken off.

01:17:45Arthur's gaze darkened

01:17:46instantly.

01:17:47That predatory glint

01:17:49returned to his mismatched eyes,

01:17:51dancing with a renewed fire.

01:17:53He crushed his lips

01:17:55against mine,

01:17:56kissing me with a ferocity

01:17:57that suggested he wanted

01:17:59to grind my very soul

01:18:00into his own.

01:18:03I am your shadow.

01:18:06I am your guardian dragon.

01:18:10You will never push me away again

01:18:12as long as you live.

01:18:12His kiss was beginning

01:18:14to wander,

01:18:15growing more fervent

01:18:16and hungry,

01:18:17until it was abruptly

01:18:18shattered by two loud

01:18:20synchronized wails.

01:18:24The babies!

01:18:25Arthur, stop!

01:18:26I haven't even seen

01:18:27our children yet!

01:18:28The dignified crown prince

01:18:30lowered his lashes

01:18:32in a fit of silent,

01:18:33brooding resentment.

01:18:34He looked exactly

01:18:36like a great dragon

01:18:37who had just seen

01:18:38his most precious treasure stolen,

01:18:40yet lacked the heart

01:18:41to retaliate.

01:18:43With a resigned sigh,

01:18:45he reached into the bassinets

01:18:46and scooped up

01:18:47the two velvet wrap bundles.

01:18:51Elena,

01:18:53even with these two little things

01:18:54stealing your attention,

01:18:56you are not allowed

01:18:57to reduce the love

01:18:58you give me

01:18:58by a single inch.

01:19:02I gave a helpless,

01:19:04quiet laugh.

01:19:05My fingertips brushed

01:19:06against the faint,

01:19:07shimmering gold scales

01:19:08on the hatchling's foreheads,

01:19:10the most sacred mark

01:19:11of the imperial line.

01:19:13Then, to be fair,

01:19:15I leaned up

01:19:16and pressed a lingering,

01:19:17reassuring kiss

01:19:18to the lips

01:19:19of their jealous father.

01:19:20The evening breeze

01:19:21of Emerald Harbor

01:19:22drifted through the window,

01:19:24carrying the scent of salt

01:19:25and blooming flowers.

01:19:27On this ancient continent

01:19:29of miracles and strong wine,

01:19:31we finally had our future.

01:19:34And for the first time,

01:19:36it was enough.

from slave to savior of the lycan king | Full Episode Short Drama 2026

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