Hated by her lineage, Iliya Dalaminai dwells in self isolation, awaiting the day her cousin marries so she might escape the Throne.
Feared by the Gods, Sorein Chakrine's crown is mainly a relic put on display at royal ceremonies to ward off evil.
Wh...
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11 years ago...
The Prince of Azuris was lost in a stack of etharis files dating back to the Gods, while laughter and music hummed along the walls of the Estate, fluttering down the swirling hallways into the Grand Archives where he sat.
He flicked through each leaflet with waning enthusiasm. Any distraction from the ball upstairs, even one so urgent, was welcome. But beneath his vision, the words seemed to melt off the page, the dark ink blending together and morphing into strange shapes.
Sorein sighed roughly, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand as he tossed the file away with the others.
Perhaps he was wrong.
Not everything was more entertaining than boastful royals and bland bread.
He'd never considered the whole world might be dull.
He once wondered if he simply wasn't trying hard enough, imagining what he might find engaging.
But Sorein came up short every time.
Of his many disinterests, he found people intruding on his personal space the most annoying, something he prayed to Aida would not disrupt him tonight.
Just then, the Lord of Medeis burst in with the gravest look on his face. The sun-tanned man looked flushed as worry tugged at his brows and tightened his jaw.
Sorein almost felt sorry for the Lord, leveling him with the least irritated stare he could manage.
"Have you seen the Princess?"
Sorein lifted a brow. "Which one?"
Most of the globe's royalty was in the Estate celebrating the Spring Equinox. There was likely more than one princess at the ball.
"Princess Dalaminai," he said, the tone implying the Prince should've known.
Sorein couldn't even recall what the Princess looked like, let alone whether he'd seen her. For urgency's sake, he shook his head and shrugged.
"I haven't seen anyone in hours."
The Therian Lord took off without another word, leaving the room silent once again.
Sadly, the silence was short-lived as a small figure dashed in through the very same doorway.
Sorein barely caught sight of her before the door slammed shut and she was deep within the aisles of books and files. A tail-length braid fluttered after her, long and wild, the color of hot coals tossed in the water.
The amber hair ebbed behind her just long enough for him to rise and follow.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be here!" he called after her.
Sorein heard the girl whimper before he caught sight of her, cornered against two bookshelves. Big, bright lime-colored eyes stared up at him, flooded with tears.
