- 13 hours ago
The Stolen Princess And The Cursed Dragon HD
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Short filmTranscript
00:04The gold dragon I had raised with my own hands bit through my fingertip the moment it broke out of
00:09its shell.
00:10A heartbeat later, it turned away from me and flew straight to my sister, Izalith, and curled tamely into her
00:16arms.
00:17She held the dragon that should have been mine and sobbed in front of the entire kingdom.
00:24Seraphina, how could you steal my dragon egg?
00:27I did not steal it.
00:30I was the one who brought it to life from the egg.
00:33Murmurs swept through the noble stands like a storm.
00:36King Alaric slammed his seppler against the stone floor, and guards swarmed forward to pin my arms behind my hack.
00:44Izalith glided toward me through the chaos, but when she leaned close to my ear, her voice was cold and
00:50sharp, stripped of all pretend.
00:52Did you really think the dragon chose you?
00:55Newborn hatchlings are blind.
00:57They know their master only by the scent of blood on the egg.
01:01For three whole months, I snuck into your incubation chamber every midnight and dapped the shell with my own blood.
01:08Day and night you sat by it, but it never smelled you.
01:12All it knew was my scent.
01:15She paused, her fingertips brushing the bite wound on my finger, and I flinched as a sting of burning pain
01:20shot through my hand.
01:22I brushed dragon-repellent sap on your fingertips before the ceremony.
01:26That's why it bit you the moment it touched you.
01:30To it, you reek of something loathsome.
01:35Why would you do this to me?
01:40Izalith laughed softly.
01:42Why?
01:44Because you were born first and the crown was handed to you without effort?
01:48A golden dragon is the omen of a rightful ruler.
01:51With it, I will take your throne, your title, everything that should have been mine.
01:58Just like that, I became a thief.
02:01My father stripped me of my claims into the throne and threw me into the dragon pit.
02:06The iron gate crashed shut behind me with a deafening boom.
02:10Starving lesser drakes tore at the hem of my gown.
02:13Hot, rancid breath rolled over my face and sharp claws scraped against my arms.
02:23Before I closed my eyes, my sister was holding the golden dragon and wearing my crown, basking in smug triumph.
02:31When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my father gave us our dragon eggs.
02:36This time, I'd not kneel and beg anyone to believe me.
02:40If Izalith wanted to steal my dragon so badly, I'd give her the most dangerous one of all.
02:47King Alaric's voice rang out above me.
02:50Serafina, what are you waiting for?
02:52My head shot up.
02:53I was standing in the golden hall.
02:55Candlelight flickered over the marble marble floors.
02:58Nobles lined both sides of the chamber.
03:00Every pair of eyes fixed on me.
03:02Before the daisk stood two silver trays, each holding a dragon egg.
03:07One was pale, threaded with delicate gold veins.
03:10The other was dull and dark, without shine at all.
03:14I had seen this scene before.
03:16No.
03:17I had lived it before.
03:19Back then, I was the crown princess of Valderia, the only daughter of the late queen.
03:24The kingdom called me calm, disciplined, worthy of the throne.
03:29I had believed that, if I worked hard enough, if I became perfect enough, my father would finally see me.
03:35Later, I learned the truth.
03:37Some fathers don't need a reason to favor one child over another.
03:41The child he loved was Isolet.
03:43The daughter born to his second queen.
03:45It did not matter how many royal laws I memorized, how many court rituals I mastered, or how many noble
03:51sons I defeated's training.
03:52To him, I'd always be the elder daughter.
03:55He did not want to acknowledge.
03:57Alarac glanced at me.
03:59There was no warmth in his face.
04:02Valderia was once protected by dragons.
04:07After the Great War, almost every adult dragon died.
04:12Only a few eggs remain, sealed in the royal vaults.
04:16By our oldest law, the one who hatches a dragon will earn the right to inherit the throne.
04:24What he did not say was this.
04:27Valderia's nobles would never accept an heir without dragon.
04:29No matter how much he loved Isolet, he still needed her to receive a dragon in public.
04:35Only then would everyone keep quiet when she took the throne.
04:38I stared at the golden-veined egg.
04:40In my last life, I had reached for it first, my chest swelling with pride.
04:45I had thought it was a reward for my diligence.
04:48I had never guessed it was a trap laid from the very start.
04:52He lifted his hand, and a servant carried one of the eggs toward me.
04:56You and we'll each receive one.
04:58In one month, every noble and citizen will gather in the palace square to witness the hatchie.
05:05When that day comes, the true heir will show herself.
05:17I reached out and took the egg.
05:20The shell was cold, exactly as I remembered.
05:26A ripple of whispers moved through the hall.
05:30A solda stood beside our father in a white gown, her golden hair falling over her shoulders.
05:36She looked soft, innocent, like a cherished little princess who had never done anything cruel in her life.
05:44But when she looked at me, a familiar flash of triumph crossed her eyes.
05:50It was the exact same look she had worn as she watched me fall into the dragon pit.
05:57A solda came to my side.
05:59Her voice was soft enough that only the two of us could hear.
06:06Sister, you will definitely lose to me.
06:11In my last life, I had flushed with anger at this line, arguing loudly that I would hatch the stronger
06:18dragon.
06:23The nobles had whispered that I was petty and unworthy of the crown.
06:29But this time, I only tightened my grip on the egg.
06:34We'll see about that.
06:36For a second, she froze.
06:38She had not expected me to be so calm.
06:40I held the dragon egg close.
06:43But inside, I went cold all the way through.
06:50In this life, I'd never again give my life just to earn my father's approval.
07:00After I returned to my old tower, I dismissed every maid.
07:06I placed the dragon egg on the table and stared at it.
07:13In my last life, this was the egg that hatched into the gold dragon.
07:18Before it broke open, it had answered my voice from within the shell.
07:28I drew a small knife and pressed the tip to my finger.
07:36If my blood touched the contract, the hatching would begin.
07:42My hand hovered there for a long time.
07:48Images of Isolde's smug face.
07:50The dragon pit's darkness.
07:52The drake's sharp teeth flashed before my eyes.
07:57In the end, I lowered the knife, pushed the egg into an iron box, and locked it.
08:04By the time I reached the palace, the hall outside the throne room was already packed with nobles.
08:10Everyone was whispering excitedly about Isolde.
08:12Who would have thought?
08:14Everyone assumed Princess Serafina had the stronger gift.
08:17But Princess Islade is the one truly chosen by the dragons.
08:20A gold dragon.
08:21That is the symbol of royal power.
08:25The succession is practically settled.
08:27Princess Serafina has been hiding in that old tower, hasn't she?
08:31I heard her egg hasn't stirred at all.
08:33What a shame for the late queen.
08:35I walked through the crowd and entered the hall.
08:38Isolde stood before the throne with a gold dragon egg in her arms.
08:41Golden light wrapped around her like a halo, making her look like a saint anointed by the dragons.
08:47One glance was enough to turn my blood cold.
08:49It wasn't the egg hidden in my tower.
08:51But the gold markings, the cracks forming in the shell, even the heartbeat coming from inside it,
08:56everything matched the egg I had awakened with my own hands.
08:59A chill crept slowly up my spine.
09:02My egg was still in the hidden chamber beneath my tower.
09:05Martha had been guarding it without leaving her post.
09:07The windows were sealed.
09:09My own people watched the door.
09:11Not even a bird could get in.
09:13So maybe the problem was never that someone stole the physical egg.
09:17Perhaps something had been redirecting the results of my hatching to Isolde all along.
09:21Isolde saw me and her eyes lit up.
09:23She adjusted her hold on the egg, holding it higher as if displaying a trophy.
09:30Sister, you came.
09:32She carried the gold egg toward me, smiling sweetly.
09:36Sis, I didn't think you'd show up.
09:39It must hurt, watching your little sister hatch a gold dragon first.
09:44No matter how hard you try, the dragon always ends up mine.
09:51I did not smash the egg.
09:53I did not hurt the young life sleeping inside.
09:57The egg was not the one at fault.
10:00The people using it to trap me were.
10:02At the northern edge of the palace grounds stood an old dragon roost that had been sealed for years.
10:08My mother had told me of it when I was small.
10:10Her voice soft as she spoke of the gold egg she had hidden there.
10:13A gift left for me when I came of age.
10:17Under the cover of night, I slipped past the sleeping guards and pushed open the rusted iron gate.
10:25Ash swirled up around my boots, thick with the scent of burnt scales and old magic.
10:30At the very back of the roost, half buried in cold ash, I saw it.
10:35It was small, but the moment I drew close, it trembled.
10:40From that night on, I began hatching a dragon again.
10:44I snuck to the roost every midnight, sitting for hours with the egg pressed to my chest,
10:50whispering old dragon lullabies my mother had taught me.
10:54Day by day, the shell grew brighter, the gold veins glowing like molten sunlight.
10:58On the 20th night, I pressed my ear against it and heard a faint heartbeat from within.
11:04It was alive. It was mine.
11:08Then, at dawn on the 21st day, the palace bells began to ring.
11:16Martha hurried into my chamber, her face pale.
11:25Your Highness, news has come from the palace.
11:29Princess Islote's dragon egg has turned gold.
11:33The king has announced that she may hatch a gold dragon.
11:40The cup slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.
11:44Impossible.
11:46The gold dragon egg was right here with me.
11:51How could Isolde's egg turn gold at the exact same moment my dragon awakened?
11:58Was this fate?
11:59Had I struggled so hard to change everything, only to walk right back into the same ending?
12:06I stared at the egg in her arms, my fingers going cold.
12:09My father sat on the throne, his satisfaction plain on his face.
12:18Seraphina, bring out your egg too.
12:21I looked up at him.
12:22He had spoken to me the same way in my last life.
12:25He had never given me a chance to explain.
12:27If Isolde shed a single tear, he could condemn me without hesitation.
12:32My egg has not hatched yet.
12:35Whispers burst through the hall.
12:37Isolde covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise, her eyes wide with false pity.
12:43How could that be?
12:45Sister, haven't you always worked the hardest?
12:48Are you saying you can't hatch a dragon at all?
12:51She shook her head softly, as if grieving for me.
12:54Father, don't be angry with sister.
12:56I'm sure she tried her best.
12:58It's just...
12:59Maybe the dragons don't favor her.
13:01My father's face darkened.
13:04Useless.
13:05He seized the goblet beside him and hurled it at my feet.
13:08It shattered against the floor, shards scraping my hem, wine splashing over the tips of my shoes.
13:15Valdoria needs someone who can wake a dragon, not a failure who only knows how to look proud.
13:21I said nothing.
13:22Not because I was afraid.
13:24Because I had finally realized this was deeper than I had thought.
13:28The egg had not been stolen.
13:30Isolde had not been lucky.
13:31Something had been delivering my results to her from the very beginning.
13:35From this day forward, Serafina will remain in the old tower.
13:40She will not leave unless summoned.
13:42She will stay there until she hatches a dragon of her own.
13:47The nobles' eyes changed when they looked at me.
13:50In my first life they called me a thief.
13:53In this life they called me a failure.
13:56There was not much difference.
13:58When I left the hall, Isolde followed me.
14:02She waved a hand to dismiss her maids,
14:04and the soft, innocent mask fell from her face the moment they were out of sight.
14:10Sister, the look on your face just now was beautiful.
14:14I stopped walking.
14:16You can't understand it, can you?
14:20You hid your eggs so carefully.
14:24So...
14:25Why do I have a gold egg too?
14:28The truth is...
14:29I don't even need to know what you did.
14:32The result will always be the same.
14:35She lifted a hand and patted my shoulder as if comforting a loser.
14:39You guard it.
14:41You feed it.
14:43You love it.
14:46But when it breaks out of its shell...
14:48It will still choose me.
14:51I grabbed her wrist.
14:53Pain flashed across her face, but she did not pull away.
14:57Instead, her smile widened.
14:59Angry?
15:01Then I must be right.
15:04She leaned in, her lips almost brushing my ear.
15:07Just like in your little incubation chamber.
15:10You thought you were raising a dragon for...
15:14Yourself?
15:16You were raising it for me all along.
15:19I released her.
15:21Isolid.
15:23You had better pray you can keep winning.
15:27She smoothed her sleeve, her eyes full of contempt.
15:31I will.
15:33Father loves me.
15:34The kingdom expects me.
15:36Even the dragons choose me.
15:38What do you have?
15:40Sister?
15:41I watched her walk away and my mind became clearer than it had been all day.
15:46She was wrong.
15:48There was one thing I had that she did not.
15:51And I knew there was a second dragon growing in the old roost.
15:55One she would never see coming.
15:58On the third day of my confinement I began searching through my mother's belongings.
16:03At the top of the old tower was a small study.
16:05It had been locked for years.
16:07My father never came there.
16:09Isolde thought it too cold and dreary to set foot in.
16:12After my mother died her books, letters,
16:15and some old royal records had been piled inside like dust the whole palace wanted to forget.
16:19I sat on the floor and went through them one by one.
16:22Most of the books about dragon eggs had yellowed with age.
16:25They did not record mysterious legends.
16:28They recorded rules.
16:29Dragon eggs need warmth.
16:31Dragon eggs need quiet.
16:33Dragon eggs remember the contract.
16:36My hand froze.
16:38The contract?
16:38I read on quickly.
16:41Before a royal dragon egg could be hatched,
16:43the hatcher had to sign a magical contract.
16:46The contract bore the hatcher's name.
16:48When the dragon broke from its shell,
16:50it would recognize the name on the contract as its master.
16:53Worse, the contract did more than decide ownership.
16:56The blood, warmth, voice, and awakening power given by the hatcher
17:00would all be credited to the name that truly took effect.
17:02Then I saw a tiny note my mother had written in the margin.
17:06Queen's note.
17:08Beware the double ink.
17:09My heart clenched.
17:11Double ink was something royal mages used to hide secret orders.
17:14A line of writing appeared on the surface but beneath it.
17:18Another line the one that actually took effect could be concealed.
17:21Ordinary eyes could not see it.
17:23Only a revealing solution could expose it.
17:26At last I understood where the problem might be.
17:29That night I changed into a maid's dress,
17:32slipped past the guards, and broke into the royal archive.
17:34In my last life, when I was desperate to prove my innocence,
17:38I had knelt there and begged them to let me see the contracts.
17:41They did not open the door.
17:42They only shoved me down the steps and called me a lying thief.
17:46This time I did not beg.
17:48I used the sleeping powder Martha had given me to put the guards to sleep,
17:52then took the keys from his belt.
17:55Who's there?
17:55The guard's voice faded before he could finish.
17:58He slid down against the wall asleep.
18:00The archive was cold.
18:02Rows of wooden cabinets stretched into the darkness.
18:05I found the contracts from the day of the egg ceremony by date,
18:08my fingers shaking so badly I could barely hold the papers.
18:11The first contract was Isolda's.
18:13On the surface it said Isolda.
18:16The second contract was mine.
18:18On the surface it said Serafina.
18:20I took out the revealing solution my mother had left behind and let a drop fall onto the page.
18:25At first nothing happened.
18:27Then the ink began to blur.
18:29The name Serafina faded.
18:31Beneath it, another name rose to the surface.
18:34Isolda.
18:35I stared at that name, ice flooding my veins.
18:38So that was it.
18:40My dragon had not betrayed me.
18:42Isolda had not truly beaten me with her own power.
18:45From the moment I signed my name on that paper, my father had already replaced it with hers.
18:50Every drop of blood, every hour of warmth, every whisper I had breathed into that egg none of it had
18:55ever been mine.
18:56It had all belonged to her.
18:58The next morning, I walked straight into the throne room.
19:02King Alaric with Islica, examining her gold dragon egg.
19:07The shell was already crisscrossed with cracks, and faint, thin cries of a young dragon drifted from within.
19:18Isolet looked up at the sound of my footsteps.
19:21A sweet, triumphant smile spreading across her face.
19:25Sister, have you finally come to your senses?
19:28Are you here to apologize to father, and beg to keep your place at my side?
19:34I did not look at her.
19:36I bowed to the man on the throne.
19:41Father, I can't hatch a dragon.
19:44The hall went silent.
19:48What did you say?
19:50I said I am willing to withdraw from the succession trial.
19:55I am no match for Isolet.
19:58Since she has already hatched a gold dragon, the throne should naturally belong for her.
20:06The smile frozen on Isolet's face.
20:09Her fingers tightened around the egg so hard her knuckles whited,
20:14and a small piece of shell flaked off onto her skirt.
20:19My father did not look pleased either.
20:23Nonsense!
20:26I looked at him calmly.
20:28Of course he could not let me quit.
20:32Isolet had not truly hatched anything.
20:34The gold dragon egg in her arms, depending on my contract upon my blood.
20:39If I stopped hatching dragons, she would have nothing left to steal.
20:45Alaric softened his voice, trying on the mask of a gentle father.
20:49Serafina, you have always been a proud child.
20:53One failure means nothing.
20:56The kingdom needs you to keep trying.
20:58I almost laughed.
21:01In my first life, when he stood over me in the dragon pit and condemned me to die,
21:08he had never once said the kingdom needed me.
21:11The kinder he pretended to be, the clearer the truth became.
21:18Isolet's golden dragon was nothing but a shadow of mine.
21:22And without me, it would die before it ever saw the sun.
21:27The kingdom needs you to keep trying.
21:28The answer was already in my hands.
21:31As long as that hidden name remained,
21:33every drop of blood I gave would become Isolet's claim.
21:37A small zound came from behind me.
21:40A soft rustle came from the archway behind me.
21:44I whirled, dagger drawn and pressed to the intruder's throat before I saw her face.
21:50Martha stood in the doorway, pale as a ghost.
21:53Your Highness, it's me.
21:56I saw you leave the tower and followed.
21:59I was afraid you'd be caught.
22:01Slowly, I lowered the blade.
22:04She stepped inside, and when her eyes fell on the glowing contract in my hand,
22:09her lips trembled and tears spilled over at once.
22:13The Queen suspected something like this would happen, the year the eggs were moved to the vault.
22:21She said the contracts felt wrong, but she was already too ill.
22:27She died before she could prove it.
22:30I closed my eyes.
22:32The weight of my mother's unfinished protection settled over me, warm and sharp all at once.
22:38My mother had not failed to protect me.
22:41She had simply run out of time.
22:45Your Highness, what do we do now?
22:48We have proof.
22:50We can call the nobles at dawn.
22:53Show them the truth.
22:55We can clear your name and take everything back.
22:58I looked at the name on the page and suddenly laughed.
23:05No.
23:06Martha stared at me.
23:08They won't believe it.
23:10In my last life, I laid everything bare, and they still chose Isolette's tears.
23:15The nobles did not care about the truth, neither did the people.
23:19They believed the winner.
23:22Truth doesn't win here.
23:24Winners write the truth.
23:26So this time, I'd make the winner confess she was a fraud.
23:30I rolled the contract back up and put it where I had found it.
23:36If father loves changing names so much, then let that name stay there.
23:44Isolette likes stealing my dragons?
23:46Then I'll let her steal one.
23:48She stole my golden dragon, my crown, my life.
23:53This time, I will let her steal something else.
23:55Something that will tear her lies apart from the inside out.
24:00The Royal Forbidden's Vault lay beneath the dragon pit.
24:05There were no gilded pillars there.
24:07No golden flames to symbolize royal power.
24:12Only a cold, damp staircase leading down into darkness, the walls scarred with black burn marks.
24:19After the war, the royal family had sealed the most dangerous dragon eggs here.
24:26Not because they were noble.
24:28Because no one dared to hatch them.
24:37My mother's notes mentioned one egg in particular.
24:43A black dragon egg.
24:49Black dragons were powerful, savage, and almost impossible to tame.
24:59They were not like gold dragons, which symbolized the throne.
25:04They were not like red dragons, which burned for war.
25:09Black dragons devoured falsehood in a contract.
25:12They attacked those who deceived them.
25:16Three kings had tried to bind black dragons to their will, over 300 years.
25:21All had paid a terrible price.
25:23The first lost an entire hand to dragon fire.
25:27The second went mad on the day the dragon hatched.
25:31The third managed to make the dragon poop in its eyes.
25:34But when he declared himself its master, it bit through his throat.
25:44After that, the black dragon egg was locked in the deepest part of the Forbidden's Vault.
25:53In my first life, I died without ever knowing it existed.
25:58In this life, I opened the door.
26:02There was no light behind the iron door.
26:06I walked in with a torch and saw a jet black dragon egg resting silently on a stone platform.
26:12It was much larger than an ordinary egg.
26:15There were no markings on the shell.
26:16As I approached, the torch flame shrank and dimmed, as if the darkness itself was eating the light.
26:22The thing inside was a weight.
26:25I know you're dangerous.
26:27The black egg did not respond.
26:29I also know you won't kneel tamely at anyone's feet.
26:34This time, the shell trembled lightly.
26:40Father, I'm tired.
26:42I accept that I am not as capable as Isoth.
26:46Please allow me to leave the tower and move to the estate outside the city.
26:51I will never touch another dragon egg.
26:54No!
26:56This time, it was Isolate who spoke.
27:00She flinched as soon as she said it, realizing she took Toshintu had broken her gentle ale mask in front
27:06of the nobles.
27:07Sister, I didn't mean it that way.
27:10I only think you shouldn't give up so easily.
27:14You are my sister.
27:16Sister, I want you to prove yourself, too.
27:30I turned to her fully, taking one slow step forward.
27:35She stumbled back half a step before she caught herself.
27:40What good would that do you?
27:44Isolate's face went pale.
27:46Don't you already have a gold dragon?
27:49Aren't you about to become the heir?
27:51Sister, why are you afraid I'll stop hatching dragons?
27:54Several nobles in the hall exchanged puzzled looks.
27:58Isolate bit down hard on her lip, tears rolling down her cheeks.
28:02Sister, how can you think that of me?
28:05I'm only worried about you.
28:09In my last life, I'd have rushed to defend myself and ended up looking cruel beside her tears.
28:17This time, I only smiled.
28:21Then thank you for your concern.
28:23I bowed to my father again.
28:34Father, since Isolate has won, there is no reason for me to remain here.
28:39Alaric stared at me.
28:41For the first time, I saw panic in his eyes.
28:46You must continue hatching dragon eggs.
28:50Why?
28:51He stopped.
28:53The words died on his tongue.
28:55He could not say the quiet part out loud.
28:58I lowered my voice, just loud enough for the front rows of nobles to hear.
29:03Surely it isn't because Isolate needs me to hatch them for her.
29:07The sentence cut through the false calm of the hall.
29:12Isolate's face changed completely.
29:14Alec slammed his palm down on the arm of the throne so hard the goblets rattled.
29:19How dare you!
29:21I knelt slowly, my back straight.
29:24Forgive me, father.
29:25It was only a joke.
29:27But the joke had already sunk its teeth in.
29:31No one in that hall would forget the question.
29:33Or the panic on Isolate's face.
29:35After I left the hall, Isolate followed me.
29:41She grabbed my wrist, her nails digging hard into my sleeve through the fabric.
29:48Seraphina, what are you planning?
29:51I'm planning to give up.
29:52You're lying.
29:54You must have hidden another dragon egg somewhere.
29:56You think you can raise one in secret and take everything back?
30:00I pulled my wrist free, brushing off my sleeve as if I'd touched something dirty.
30:05Then take your time looking.
30:08Search every tower, every cellar, every corner of the palace.
30:12I won't stop you.
30:14Her chest and fell with anger.
30:16She leaned in, her voice low and vicious.
30:20Don't think you can threaten me.
30:22Father will stand with me.
30:24The nobles will stand with me.
30:25As long as I say you stole something from me.
30:28They will throw you into the dragon pit.
30:31All over again.
30:32I know.
30:34My calm only stoked her panic.
30:36She had expected tears.
30:38Rage.
30:39Please.
30:41Anything but this quiet certainty.
30:43That's why this time,
30:45I'll give you something you won't be able to resist stealing.
30:49Something you will beg to take from me.
30:52She did not follow again.
30:55The bait was already set.
30:57And I knew she would bite.
31:01I unfolded the crumpled copy of the altered contract I'd taken from the archive.
31:05On the surface, it said Serafina.
31:07The name that truly took effect was Isolda.
31:09My father thought he had built a throne for Isolda.
31:11He did not realize the same forged contract he'd used to steal my dragon
31:14would also tie a ravenous noose tight around her neck.
31:17I cut my finger and let my blood fall onto the contract.
31:19The name on the page flared.
31:21Isolette.
31:22On the stone platform, the black egg shook violently.
31:25So hard it rattled against the rock.
31:26A low, rumbling growl rolled out from within the shell.
31:29Deep and guttural, nothing like the soft.
31:31High chirp of a newborn gold dragon.
31:33Grow well.
31:36Soon enough, she will come to steal you.
31:38For the next ten days and ten nights,
31:40I did not step foot back in the old tower.
31:42I stayed in the damp, dark Forbidden's vault.
31:45Curled up beside the black egg through every hour.
31:46I gave it warmth.
31:48I gave it blood.
31:49I gave it silence.
31:50It was nothing like the gold dragon I'd raised in my last life.
31:53The gold dragon had answered my whispers with tiny, soft taps from inside the shell.
31:57Gentle as an unborn child reaching for its mother.
32:00The black dragon never sought comfort.
32:02It never tapped back, never leaned into my palm.
32:04It only grew hotter and heavier with each passing day,
32:07the shell burning like forged iron.
32:08More than once, I felt as if it was watching me.
32:11On the eleventh day, the first crack appeared in the shell.
32:13Martha stood at the door, her face paler than the dust.
32:16Your Highness, black dragons are untameable.
32:19Once it breaks free, people may truly die.
32:22Isoled may die.
32:23And you still want to go through with this?
32:26There's no turning back once the shell breaks.
32:29I stared at the glowing crack on the black shell,
32:31and the memories of my last life flashed before my eyes.
32:34The iron gate of the dragon pit falling shut.
32:36Isoled is smug, tear-streaked smile high above.
32:39My father's cold, unforgiving eyes.
32:41The roar of the crowd screaming thief as I fell.
32:44They never gave me a way back.
32:45Yes, I continue.
32:47If it truly recognizes Iselec as its master, will she die?
32:51I did not answer right away.
32:52Death would be too easy for her.
32:55First, the black dragon will tear away every last one of her lies.
32:59It will make every person in this kingdom see exactly what she stole.
33:03The dragon, the crown, and my life.
33:06On the night before the succession ceremony,
33:09Isolde came to the entrance of the Forbidden's Vault herself.
33:11She could not enter.
33:12She could only look at me through the iron gate.
33:16Sister, I knew it.
33:18You've been hiding something this whole time.
33:20I picked up the black egg and carried it to the iron gate,
33:22holding it up so the firelight fell full across its glossy black shell.
33:26Her eyes lit up at once, bright with naked greed,
33:28all pretense of gentleness vanishing in the dark.
33:30A black dragon egg.
33:32The most powerful dragon in all of Valdoria.
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