Chapter 1: The Choosing Day
The twin moons of Akarê hung low in the lavender sky, casting silver light over the marble towers of the Kingdom of Ilyrá. Dawn was near, and with it came the Choosing—an age-old ceremony where the king, by right of the Crown Spirit, would take another wife.
In the Temple of Whispers, twelve women stood draped in celestial silks, their faces veiled, their hearts heavy with hope and strategy. They had been summoned from noble bloodlines and distant provinces, each bringing gifts, alliances, or secrets. But this Choosing was unlike any before.
For King Kaelen was no ordinary monarch.
Crowned by prophecy and beloved by the gods, Kaelen bore the Mark of Serath, a glowing sigil etched into his skin at birth. His reign had brought peace to fractured lands, but behind that peace simmered unrest. The kingdom was a tapestry of power games, old magics, and uneasy alliances. And the Choosing? It was more than marriage—it was a political gambit, a magical binding, and a test of loyalty all at once.
Among the chosen stood Liora of Velmara, daughter of a disgraced sorceress and last heir to a forgotten throne. Her eyes held the calm of a moonlit storm, and her aura shimmered faintly—an echo of the old magic her mother once wielded before her exile. No one knew why the spirits had whispered her name to the High Oracle, but the court was buzzing.
Some called her a threat. Others, a pawn. Liora knew the truth: she had come not to love the king, but to change the kingdom.
But fate—like magic—rarely bends to a single will.
As the palace bells rang, the temple doors opened. The women began their walk to the royal court, each step a dance between destiny and danger. High on his throne, King Kaelen watched with a gaze like frost touched by fire. And when Liora entered, something in him shifted.
He saw her. Not just her beauty—but her power.
And she saw him too.
Not just the king—but the man.