In Calonia Kingdom

In Colania kingdom, Prince Finnian the second and illegitimate child of king Aldous sat down on a bench in the garden dressed in a flowing yellow gown with a delicate golden tiara adorning his head. surrounded by vibrant flowers and warm sunshine, He closed his eyes and take a deep breath letting his mind wander back to the past.

He remembered the stories his late mother used to tell him, about his father, King Aldous, and how he had married the queen in an alliance marriage to secure peace with a neighboring kingdom. But the king's heart had never been in the marriage, and he had never loved his wife.

Not long after his marriage the king met Finnian's mother, a very beautiful and kind-hearted woman who had captured his heart. They both fell deeply in love, and Finnian's mother become pregnant with him.

The king, eager to be with the woman he loved, made Finnian's mother his concubine, a decision that had sparked out rage, anger and jealousy from the queen. She herself had been heavily pregnant at the time, and she saw the king's actions as a betrayal.

The queen's anger and jealousy simmered for months, but after giving birth to her son it boiled over into a deadly conspiracy. she feared the concubine will also give birth to a boy, thus making him a competitor against her child for the crown. She ordered her loyal servant to kill the concubine, on two separate occasions.

The first attempt had failed, but the second attempt came perilously close to succeeding. Finnian's Mother was poisoned, and she had narrowly escaped death. However, the poison had taken its toll, damaging all her organs and making her gone into early labor.

Finnian's mother gave birth to him in a state of desperation, her body weakened by the poison. As she held her newborn son in her arms, she felt a mix of different emotions: joy, love, and more importantly fear.

She feared that the queen would not spare her child, that she would see him as a competitor for her own son's claim to the throne. The queen's hatred and jealousy knew no bounds, and Finnian's mother knew that she would stop at nothing to eliminate any threats to her own power.

As the midwife collected Finnian from his mother's arms, Finnian's mother grasped her hand, her eyes pleading. "Please," she begged, "you must tell the king and everyone who asks that I gave birth to a girl. My child's life depends on it, if the queen knows that my child is a boy she will kill."

The midwife sympathizing with Finnian's mother agreed to keep the baby's gender a secret , she nodded her head resolutely. "I will do as you ask, M'lady." she promised.

Later that day, the midwife presented herself before the king, "Your Majesty," she said, "I bring news of the birth of your child. The concubine has given birth to a beautiful baby girl."

The king's face lit up with joy, and he smiled, clearly relieved. "A girl," he repeated, "wonderful."

Unbeknownst to the king, Finnian's mother had secretly named her child Finnian, and as she lay in bed, recovering from childbirth, she wrote a letter, sealing it with her own blood.

"My dearest Aldous," she wrote, "I know that I have deceived you, but it was the only way to protect our child. Our son, Finnian, I fear that once the queen knows that he's a boy she will stop at nothing to eliminate him. That is why I have kept his true gender a secret i hope you're forgive me."

She folded the letter, her hands shaking as she handed it to the midwife. "Please," she begged with tears in her eyes, "keep this letter safe, I fear that my days are numbered. When my son is old enough to defend himself, give this letter to the king, and reveal the truth about his gender, until then you have to to promise me that you won't tell a soul about my child's secret."

The midwife nodded, her eyes shining with tears. "I will keep the letter safe and also take your secret with me to my grave," she promised, tucking the letter away.

The queen, convinced that Finnian was a girl, paid little attention to him, dismissing him as a potential threat to her own son's claim to the throne. She left Finnian and his mother alone, focusing instead on securing her own power and influence within the kingdom.

But fate had other plans. A few years after Finnian's birth, his mother's health began to decline, the poison she had been given during her pregnancy had damaged a lot of her internal organs. Despite the best efforts of the kingdom's healers, she passed away, leaving Finnian alone and in the mercy of the queen.

Before her death, Finnian's mother had made arrangements for her son's care. She entrusted him to the care of her loyal handmaiden Diana, and made her sworn to keep the secret about Finnian's true identity.

Diana had been fiercely devoted to Finnian's mother, and she transferred that loyalty to Finnian after her mistress's death. She raised Finnian as her own, teaching him everything he needed to know and how to behave as a proper lady, making it easily for Finnian to survived in the palace without his mother.

Finnian's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Princess Emily and her entourage. They swept into the garden, laughing and chattering, and Finnian's eyes narrowed as he watched them, he knew they had come to tortured him.

Emily was the last child of king Aldous, and his half-baby sister, But Emily is a wolf in sheep clothing, along with her two friends, Victoria and Catherine, they had made it their job to torment and terrorize him at every chance they got. looking at Emily's smiling face he knew better than to think she was happy to see him. He knew that Emily was notorious stubborn, cruel and manipulative. and he had always been the victim of her wickedness, he didn't trust her one bit.

 Emily approached him feigning innocence as if she hasn't come to the Garden to find him, a sly smile spreading across her face and Finnian felt a shiver running down his spine. He knew that he had to be careful around her, because one misstep could mean disaster.

"Finny," Emily cooed, her voice dripping with insincerity. " fancy meeting you here, do you mind if we join you."

Finnian locked eyes on Emily's face, his expression neutral. "you're free to sit Emily, as you can see am about to leave." he replied, his voice smooth as silk.

Emily sat down next to Finnian, a sugary sweet smile spreading across her face. "Why are you leaving in such a rush, dear sister?" she asked, her voice dripping with false concern. "It's as if you're running from me. You don't have to run, Finny. After all, we're sisters... though you are the bastard one."

As soon as the words "bastard" left Emily's lips, she turned to her friends and they burst out laughing. The two girls giggled and snickered, clearly amused by Emily's cruel joke.

Finnian's face remained calm, but inside, he felt a sting from Emily's words. He hated it when Emily referred to him as a bastard, reminding him of his illegitimate birth. He knew that she was trying to hurt him, to make him feel inferior. But he knew that reacting to her words would only give her the satisfaction she craved and he refused to give her the satisfaction.

He knew that she was waiting for him to react, to show some sign of weakness. Instead, he forced a smile onto his face, his dimples flashing with false sweetness. "Oh, Emily, I'm not running from you," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm just eager to get back to my needlework. I have a lovely embroidery project that I'm working on."

Emily's eyes sparkled with amusement, and she leaned in close to him. "Needlework, how quaint," she whispered. "I'm sure it's a perfect hobby for a bastard princess like yourself."

"I'm glad you find it amusing, Emily," Finnian said, his voice dripping with sweetness. "But perhaps you should focus on your own behavior, rather than trying to belittle me."

Emily's laughter faltered, and she looked at Finnian with a hint of annoyance. But Finnian just smiled, his eyes flashing with innocence. He knew that he had won this small battle. He had always endure their insults but now he won't endure it anymore, He always thought that if he didn't react, if he waited for their rude comments to pass they would eventually leave him alone and go on their way. But he was wrong, Emily always find a way to torment him, and he had vow since Emily had cut his hair that he won't stay silent again. 

Finnian knew that deep down Emily's cruelty stemmed from jealousy. Despite being a boy, He was blessed with a feminine figure and beauty, traits that Emily desperately coveted. she would accused him of trying to steal the attention of the kingdom's nobles and her potential suitors. But Finnian knew that her words were laced with envy, that she resented him for possessing the very qualities she lacked.