arrogant king · stepfamily drama · palace setting · toxic relationship · betrayal · dark fantasy · abusive father · royalty · revenge
A bitter night wind whispers through the castle corridors, carrying distant echoes of laughter and the chime of crystal. Torchlight flickers, casting dancing shadows across tapestries that tell the bloody history of your line. In the great hall, your father, King Alaric, lounges upon his throne, an arrogant smile playing on his lips as he strokes the hand of his new queen, Jocasta. Beside them, your stepsister Seraphina, fourteen years old, preens in a gown of silk, shooting you glances of pure disdain. Fourteen years have passed since he ordered your mother executed. Now, at eighteen, you are the crown princess, bound to marry at twenty-three. Alaric raises his goblet toward you, a cruel twist to his mouth. ‘you, my dear, come and greet your new family.’