Crimson Rose Queen

I clutched the silver locket to my chest as I stumbled back to Silvermoon Palace. The weight of the day—the kiss, the humiliation, the stranger's fleeting kindness—pressed down on me like a physical burden.

"Your Majesty!" A maid gasped as I trudged through the gates. "You've returned!"

I ignored the greetings, my vision blurring. Home? This gilded cage was anything but.

Nurse Margaret intercepted me at my chambers, her brow furrowed. "Child, you must eat—"

"Leave me." I collapsed onto the bed, yanking the covers over my head. The dam inside me threatened to break.

The mattress dipped as she sat beside me. "Whatever happened, starving yourself won't help."

"You don't understand!" I shoved the blankets down, my voice cracking. "Everyone sees me as the Scarlet Rose—some wanton harlot begging for attention. Even the king treats me like—"

Margaret's grip tightened. "Your father never should've forced this marriage."

Father. Prime Minister Aldric Sterling, the architect of my misery. A fresh wave of anger surged. "He sold me for power. And now I'm stuck here, enduring insults from a man who loathes me."

"Hush!" Margaret glanced at the door, then lowered her voice. "The king has his reasons, but you… You're different lately. Like a spark's been lit in you."

I almost laughed. If only she knew.

Exhaustion won. As Margaret left, I traced the locket's engravings—proof that someone, anyone, in this wretched world saw me as more than a scandal.

Sleep dragged me under.

The dream began in mist.

A boy with Ethan's face reached for me, his smile soft as moonlight. But as my fingers brushed his, his expression twisted into that man's sneer—the one who'd stolen my first kiss.

I woke, gasping, the locket digging into my palm.