Chapter Text
PROLOGUE
The fire. The screams. The smoke in the air… everything was real. It was happening. It really was happening. I couldn’t even have imagined this, not even when the war began. It was cruel —so inhumane— that when Kuna and Jack carried me from the throne room, after I had seen with my own innocent eyes how knights draped in black blankets murdered my beloved father, my precious mother, and my two overprotective, caring older brothers right in front of me, my face remained frozen in shock.
I didn’t cry. I couldn’t cry. I had only one thought: Why? Why would they do this?
I was fourteen years old when my family was killed, my people were captured, and my kingdom fell. Was I lucky to survive? I don’t know. Maybe I was, because Kuna and Jack died saving me… or maybe I wasn’t, because now this trauma is killing every part of me.
How did it end up like this?
Well… it all began a long time ago. Lycoris, this land, had been in almost constant war since its creation, as the five kingdoms that made up the country clashed for power and dominance.
But then, after countless years of bloodshed, a Treaty of Peace was finally forged between the kingdoms. That peace endured for centuries, allowing Lycoris to flourish. For generations, the five kingdoms, Aldorria, Drakmir, Vanedor, Costyla, and Ethereal, coexisted, each fulfilling their role in the delicate balance of the land.
Aldorria was the kingdom of peace and beauty, a land of harmony and light.
Drakmir was the kingdom that trained the most lethal warriors.
Vanedor was renowned for its merchants and seafaring trade, a kingdom that controlled wealth and influence through its ports and commerce.
Costyla was famous for its unmatched knowledge of magic, where scholars and mages preserved the ancient wisdom of Lycoris.
And then there was Ethereal, the most powerful of all five kingdoms. Known for its formidable knights and elite warriors, it was a land where strength and strategy ruled.
It was supposed to remain peaceful for much longer… but two years ago, everything changed. Notorious nobles began appearing dead across the kingdoms, their murders mysterious and brutal. Distrust spread like wildfire, and every kingdom raised its defenses, preparing for the inevitable conflict.
Many knights and innocent people had died over the course of those two years, but what truly ended the war was the Massacre of the White Palace in Aldorria, that fateful September. The royal family was slaughtered by the cavalry of Ethereal, led by the sixteen-year-old crown prince, Itoshi Rin.
It was after this massacre that things finally began to cool down, but tension still lingered among the now four remaining kingdoms.
"You really think some star is going to grant your wish?" Ilea, my older brother, said with a mocking smile.
"Hey! It’s not just any star! It’s a shooting star! They’re rare, so I’m taking this chance to make a wish," I replied, annoyed, crossing my arms.
"And what’s the wish?" Ineas, my other older brother and Ilea’s twin, asked with a soft smile.
"If I tell you, it will never come true," I said, looking up at the sparkling trail in the sky.
"Probably wishing that one day she could marry that stupid crown prince," Ilea mocked me again, nudging Ineas with a grin.
"Shut up!" I said, rolling my eyes and stamping my foot. "That’s none of your business."
"Yeah, right. Then what were you wishing for, huh?" Ilea raised a brow, teasing me as always.
Tears began to fall down my cheeks as the memory resurfaced, that night with my brothers, when the three of us had sneaked out of the palace because it was Shining Moon Day. By pure coincidence, the sky had been filled with shooting stars that night.
"I wish to be with both of you… Father and Mother too… and to be happy forever!"
I had said it out loud back then, and I shouldn’t have.
Why did I have to say it? Why couldn’t I have kept it a secret? Because my wish didn’t come true. Instead, it cursed me. That wish took everything from me, my family, my home, and every piece of happiness I once had.
But was it the stars’ fault? Was it my fault for speaking so loudly?
No.
This all happened because of that heartless prince. Yes, it was his fault.
He murdered my family. He destroyed my people. He killed a piece of me.
And now I would kill him for what he had done.
Itoshi Rin deserved worse than any agonizing death I could imagine; he deserved to feel the same terror and loss my family endured the night Aldorria burned. I would make him pay.
I, Iris Eldora, princess and legitimate heir to the Aldorria throne, would kill Itoshi Rin with my own hands and avenge my kingdom.