Ketrisia Elphonhein, the continent’s sole aura user, the trailblazer of the Golden Route, the people’s savior—her name alone radiated greatness.

It was certain that she would ascend to the throne as the next Emperor of the empire. Or so it seemed, until the day of her coronation as the Crown Princess, when she crumpled, blood staining her lips.

In the blink of an eye, she had lost her aura, her grace, and with it, the empire’s hopes. Two years had passed since her fall from power, and during those years, Achilles Nemertor, the Duke known as the Master of Gold, remained an enigma—a figure lingering at the edges of her shattered world. Then, he appeared before her: broken, imprisoned, and utterly changed.

“Marry me, Princess. By now, you must realize you no longer have the luxury of refusal,” he declared.

For two long years, he had watched her suffer, doing nothing to ease her pain, and now he proposed, cold and malicious in his timing. But Ketrisia had no choice but to accept.

“I’ll advance the plan in six months.”

It was her only chance to survive, to reclaim the imperial palace, and to take back what was rightfully hers—to become Emperor. And Achilles, in all his cunning, would be the one to give her the wings she needed to rise again.

What she didn’t know then, was the truth behind the hand he offered.

“How could I possibly hate you consistently for a thousand years? Truly… I loathe you, Princess.”

But had she known, it would have changed nothing.

“Quite romantic, isn’t it? To think you’ve loved me for a thousand years.”

In the end, it was clear that the one holding the leash had always been decided from the very beginning.

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