Chapter 1
I was the Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Elansia, heir to the throne. But after the Empress passed away, I was raised under the care of my aunt–the new Empress, who came from the royal bloodline of the elven clans.
The Emperor favored me, valuing not only me but the ancient alliance behind me from the Dawn Mountains.
From a young age, he often held me on his knee, pointing at the princes and young noble lords, saying, “One day, when our little Anna will choose a husband among them, the Church of the Holy Radiance will host your wedding,”
“Why don’t you stay in Starlight Palace forever, Anna? That way your aunt can see you every day.”
In my previous life, I had loved the Crown Prince Reynold. I gave everything I had to help him suppress the feuding lords and ascend the imperial throne.
But after his coronation, he rewarded me with a silver shroud to force me comment suicide and ordered the slaughter of my beloved Elansia bloodline. Fire pierced the towers. The skies ran red with blood
Just before I hanged myself, he looked at me with hatred and said,
“If not for you, I would never have lost Chara.”
“She died from the miasma plague, and I could not even weep for her. She suffered so much. You should repay that
tenfold.”
“The massacre of Elansia is the punishment you brought upon yourself. You deserved it.”
When I was reborn, it was the day the Emperor let me choose my future husband.
I looked up at him and the Empress and pointed toward her son–the Prince Kael.
“I wish to marry my Prince Kael.”
–
The Empress my aunt–watched me, then motioned for someone to bring forth the moon–silver scepter engraved with divine sigils.
“Anna, give the scepter to the one you love.”
The Emperor laughed heartily.
“Yes, whoever Anna chooses, I shall grant the marriage myself. Let the entire empire rejoice.”
In the Crystal Hall, the Crown Prince stood on the upper steps beside several princes. Noble daughters and high–ranking officials were all in attendance.
As the princess of Elansia, my future consort symbolized both alliance and strength. All eyes were fixed on me.
After all, marrying me meant gaining the most powerful in–laws in the realm. Which prince wouldn’t desire such a
match?
I descended the steps with the scepter in hand.
Everyone smiled warmly, yet behind their eyes were questions and certainty. Everyone believed I had always loved the Crown Prince Reynold. Choosing him was, to them, the only possible outcome.
Chapter 1
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Love found in the crossfire and fought for fiercely
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Reynold frowned and stepped back. Among the noble girls stood Chara, her eyes brimming with tears, ready to fall at any moment.
I walked slowly past the princes, step by step. The Crown Prince looked utterly repulsed. My cousin, the Prince Kael, wore a playful smile, clearly waiting for a spectacle. Just that morning, in the Empress’s quarters, he had scoffed: “You really can’t read people, can you? Clinging to that cold face like him? With your honor bloodline? Seriously? Even the Prince Sig would be better.”
And yet, in my previous life, when news of my execution reached the borderlands, Kael rode through the northern storm–lands, changing horses repeatedly to reach the capital. By the time he arrived, my soul had already left my body.
He knelt before my coffin for three days and nights, refusing food or rest, murmuring, “Anna… it was my fault. I should have fought harder to stop you from marrying the Crown Prince.”
I watched as his eyes turned red.
Beside him, the Prince Sig stood with indifference. His mother was merely a concubine, of low rank. He knew well that the throne was beyond his reach, so he had no desire to compete.
I raised the scepter and moved to pass it toward the line of princes.
Suddenly, the Crown Prince stepped forward and dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
“Father, my heart already belongs to another women. Chara and I are deeply in love. I cannot marry anyone else, and she will marry no one but me.”
