Prologue
‘I am twenty years old now.’
Elona thought as she stood in the center of her dark bedroom.
Everything in the room was exactly as she remembered it.
The empty bed was enormous for a single person, the sheets were richly embroidered, and the table was set with a basket of expensive exotic fruits and silver trays. The king had lavished her with beautiful and precious things.
Twenty-year-old Elona de Parcion was the beloved daughter of a king, the princess of the Kingdom of Parcion.
Elona walked in front of a black window-like mirror and looked at herself.
She was a beautiful princess with light platinum curls and sky-blue eyes. Even her plain nightgown, which reached down to her ankles, could not hide her beauty. Her long, white neck, slender, rounded shoulders, and breasts that rose beneath the silk were evidence that she had grown into an attractive woman. The ladies of the court would whisper behind her back that a man’s touch would make her blossom even more, but…
She was no stranger to men.
“Elona.”
Just then, the bedroom door opened and a man’s shadow poured in with the moonlight. Elona covered her mouth, afraid she would burst into tears at the sound of his voice. But when she turned her head to look at him, her blue eyes filled with uncontrollable tears.
“Kazan!”
How long has it been since I last called your name? Elona ran across the bedroom and threw herself into his arms. Kazan, as he was called, wrapped one arm around her and hugged her tightly, hurrying to close the door. For a while, only the sound of their lips meeting could be heard in the darkened room.
“Kazan, Kazan…”
“Shh, let’s go inside.”
Kazan took Elona’s hand and led her to the bed. As soon as they sat down facing each other, he immediately drew the curtain on one side so that they could not be seen from the door. Kazan always did this whenever they met secretly in her bedroom. Elona stared at him, his movements exactly as she remembered them.
Kazan was an Ashtarian, the same age as her at twenty years old, with copper-colored skin. He had a tall and sturdy build, raven black hair and red eyes, sharp features, and a pleasant bass voice. He possessed a perfect appearance, as if he had been sculpted by a god. It was no wonder that countless Parsian women fancy him.
But the only woman who ever gave him true love was Elona.
“Elona, please answer me honestly.”
Kazan cupped her tear-streaked cheeks and whispered earnestly.
“Are you really marrying the king of Vahalen, and you…”
Marriage! Elona felt her heart freeze as soon as she heard those words. Kazan’s beautiful red eyes fluttered unsteadily. Only then did she know what day it was.
“I didn’t ask for the engagement. Father just announced it on his own.”
“I know you didn’t want it. But if we leave things as they are… you’ll end up marrying that king, won’t you? Is that okay with you?”
Elona began to choke. She had had this conversation with Kazan on this day in the past. Elona’s lips trembled silently, unable to answer right away. She had to answer. That she only loved him, and that she would never marry another man.
She should have replied that way.
“It can’t be helped. I am a princess, and my marriage is decided by the King…”
The words came out against Elona’s will. She wanted to shut her mouth and strangle herself, but her body wouldn’t listen, and she was reliving the past once again.
“Kazan, you knew this day would come someday, so please don’t torment me like this.”
Elona raised her head stiffly and looked at Kazan. Sadness layered over his shocked face, followed by despair. His voice that followed was trembling painfully.
“How could you say that so easily? How can you…”
“And you, how could you make such a request?”
Elona pushed away Kazan’s hand that was touching her. She stepped back to the opposite side of him and asked.
“Don’t get married? Then I will never be able to escape from here! My brother Antonio will be king, and he will torture me until I die. Do you want me to live like that?”
Elona’s half-brother, Prince Antonio, had been abusing her since she was a child. Although he had a cruel nature by birth, his hostility towards his sister was unreasonable. It was clear that her future would be terrible once he became king.
Kazan, who knew that better than anyone, didn’t back down.
“We can run away! I’ll take you out, and when we find a place to settle down…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. My brother will find us somehow and kill us.”
“We can get away safely! Don’t you trust me?”
“How can I trust you, you’re just a slave!”
She shouldn’t have said that. Regret washed over her belatedly, but Elona still glared at Kazan, gritting her teeth. She knew what would happen next.
Sadness and anger filled Kazan’s eyes as he spoke. Like a beast abandoned by its master, he was harboring the pain of betrayal into his heart with no way to relieve it. Elona realized that her words had inflicted a wound on his soul that would never heal.
“Elona, you’re… really cruel.”
I know, I was wrong, she wanted to say, but for some reason, Elona couldn’t find the words. Kazan’s lips were suddenly upon hers, pressing roughly against hers. The unexpected kiss caught her off guard, and then he wrapped his arms around her waist, knocking her to the ground. She, who was under him in a daze, hurriedly pushed his chest away.
“Kazan, what are you doing…”
“Is this all you want from me?”
Kazan snarled and pressed her down. He bit her ear painfully, as if he wanted to eat her.
“All you want from me is my body. Don’t even think about denying it.”
“Ah, no, I… ugh…!”
Her nightgown slid up from underneath her. Kazan’s pants rubbed roughly against her bare legs, leaving red marks. Elona shook her head, feeling the hardness against her thighs.
“Don’t, not here… this is the royal palace!”
Slap. The sound of her hand hitting his face echoed through the room. He didn’t move. Elona’s heart skipped a beat. She had never laid a hand on him before, not in all the time he had been her slave. She stared at him, her hand still on his cheek, unsure of what to do next.
“Kazan, did it hurt?”
“Hm.”
Kazan answered without hesitation, then grimaced in pain and buried his face in Elona’s arms. His tears fell soundlessly, soaking her clothes.
“It hurts so much.”
Eloise lay there, holding him close. She could feel his ragged breaths on her chest through the thin fabric of her nightgown.
“I… I would do anything for you.”
She knew he wasn’t lying. Kazan had saved her life and nearly died in her place. He’d given up his one chance at freedom to be by her side. He had loved her with his whole life. But what had been the outcome?
For the first time, Elona’s consciousness overcame her body and she spoke her truth.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Kazan.”
She hugged his body tightly and whispered.
“I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry… for leaving you to die…”
Elona sobbed as she cradled his head in her arms. Somehow, she could no longer feel Kazan’s breath. She didn’t feel his weight. Because he was never in her arms in the first place. That regretful night had passed seven years ago. It was all just a dream, a past that would never come again.
Because the day after that night, Kazan was murdered by Prince Antonio. He was gone from the world.
Elona woke up with hot tears welling up in her eyes.
She was twenty-seven years old, at the end of the war.
Elona wiped her tears and got up. She felt dizzy from the terrible nightmare, so she sat on the bed for a moment and caught her breath. The cramped bed, barely big enough for one person to lie down on, creaked miserably.
‘Water, I need water…’
She reached for the pitcher on the nightstand next to the bed. The inside of the pitcher, which had started to rust slightly, was empty. Elona sighed bitterly and turned her head towards the window. It was supposed to be morning, but it was dark outside the window.
It had been five days since water and food had been brought to her prison. The last maid who had come had a pale face and reported that the situation was very bad.
“The Ashtaran army is attacking the royal palace, Princess. They say our knights are nearly all dead at the hands of that ruthless king…”
“What do you think His Majesty will do?”
The current ‘His Majesty’ was her half-brother Antonio, who inherited the throne. He had murdered Kazan seven years ago and imprisoned Elona in a room at the top of the western tower. The maid replied in a dull voice.
“He said he would defend the capital. All the gates are blocked to prevent anyone from escaping through the walls…”
