7th Realm… Royal Palace…
The faint light of the seventh moon filtered through the grand windows of the royal chambers. The lavish silken curtains that hung lifelessly around the bed of Queen Soya.
The grandness of the Emperor's castle seemed to fade in this room, as though the weight of its occupant's suffering had drained all colors from its stone walls.
Soya lay motionless, her slender frame barely shifting beneath the heavy golden blanket draped over her. Her once radiant eyes, known to pierce through even the most stoic of warriors, now stared blankly at the embroidered patterns of her pillow. Her lips, once curved in a gentle yet commanding smile, were pale and still.
From the moment she had learned the truth—that Kent was the son of Madam Clark—a dark cloud of regret had wrapped around her heart, suffocating her with its relentless grip.
