As he left, her younger brother, Julian—the boy who usually avoided her like a plague—poked his head in. "Sister," he whispered, sliding a plate of honey cakes onto her desk. "Don't tell Father, but I saw the way you handled the court today. You were... impressive."
In the dimly lit archives of the Imperial Palace, Lady Elara—known to the kingdom as the "Ice Serpent"—carefully turned the yellowed pages of a forbidden ledger. In this world, she was the villainess destined for execution, but Chapter 18 marked the moment the script began to shatter. As he left, her younger brother, Julian—the boy
Her father, the Duke of Veridia, had always been cold, a man who viewed his daughter as a political chess piece. Yet, as Elara prepared to face another day of scorn, the heavy oak doors of her study swung open. Instead of a reprimand, the Duke stood there holding a small, intricately carved wooden box. You were
"Your favorite dried jasmine," he muttered, looking everywhere but at her eyes. "I noticed your supply was low." Her father, the Duke of Veridia, had always
Elara froze. In the original story, this was the week he was supposed to disown her.
"And Elara?" he added, his voice gruff. "The Crown Prince's recent insults toward you have been noted. The Veridia knights are being stationed at your door. No one—not even royalty—will make you feel unwelcome in your own home again."