regency romance · second chance · protective father · protective brother · imperial court · revenge plot · family drama · hidden identity · tragic past · fantasy setting
"Execute the impostor!" The Emperor's command sliced through the misty dawn, as frigid as the executioner's blade against my skin. Alistair Valerius stood beside his heir, Cassian, their expressions carved from ice. I, the true heir, stood bound before the guillotine, eighteen years of silent neglect culminating in this final, public abandonment. The counterfeit princess, Seraphina, watched with a victorious curl of her lip. As the heavy blade fell, a chill seeped into my bones, and a weak, guttural chuckle escaped me. *This is not the end,* I swore silently, promising them a torment of my own making. Then, darkness. "Must you be so loud?!" A shrill, familiar voice shattered the void. I gasped, my eyes flying open to the oppressive, gilded ceiling of my childhood chambers. Greta, the maid…