Isoda

> They erased her name. Burned her bloodline. Left her for dead.

But Milena survived. Reborn into the heart of the empire that destroyed her, she moves through the royal courts like a shadow—silent, sharp, watching.

She has no interest in love. No patience for power games. Only one goal: make the crown remember what it tried to forget.

Then she meets him—the Crown Prince.
The man who unknowingly signed her family’s death.
The man who starts to notice her.
The man who, slowly… she can’t stop thinking about.

This is not the story of a girl who wanted to be queen.

This is the story of a forgotten heir who falls in love with her enemy… and still plans to bring down the kingdom

The forgotten blood

The tunnel twisted like a serpent beneath the castle, its ancient stones damp with age. Gareth led the way, torch in hand now, urgency flashing in his eyes. Behind them, voices rang through the passage, growing louder. Closer.

"They must have tracked us from the moment we opened the chamber," Gareth hissed.

Milena's thoughts raced. Who had followed them? The Queen's spies? The Royal Guard? Or someone else—someone worse?

Up ahead, the tunnel split in two. Gareth paused. "Left leads toward the stables. Right… I don't know. Maybe the ruins."

Milena didn't hesitate. "We go right."

"No," she said, "but I feel something calling me that way."

They turned into the forgotten path, one that seemed untouched by footsteps for decades. As they ran, the stone walls began to change — carvings appeared. Foxes. Roses. Flames.

"It's them," Milena whispered. "It's my house. This isn't just a tunnel. It's a sanctuary."

The corridor opened into a cavern lit by faint blue crystals embedded in the ceiling. At the center stood a broken statue of a fox with wings, its eyes hollow, its mouth open as if in warning.

Beneath it, a pedestal. Resting on it: a box sealed with molten wax bearing the crest of House Eldryn.

Milena stepped forward, her hand hovering. "This… was left for me."

Gareth looked uneasy. "What if it's cursed?"

The wax melted away under her fingers like it had been waiting for her. Inside the box lay a delicate, silver ring shaped like a fox curling around a flame.

The moment she touched it, heat surged through her veins. Her eyes flashed gold.

Memories poured in — not just of her past life, but of her family's ancient gift: The Flame of Eldryn, a power long thought lost.

She staggered back, gasping. "I remember now. Why they erased us. What we were capable of."

Gareth looked at her, stunned. "You're not just a noble. You're… something else."

Milena stood taller, the ring now glowing faintly on her finger. "I'm the last Flamebearer."

Suddenly, the voices returned — this time from all directions. The hunters had found the ruins.

Milena narrowed her eyes. "Let them come."

The Flame and the Fox