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 flames still flickered faintly around Milena's hands as she stood at the altar. The scent of scorched stone lingered in the abbey air, mingled with smoke and silence. Gareth hadn't said a word since the battle ended.

"You saw it," she said quietly. "Didn't you?"

He nodded. "I saw a girl become a legend."

Maera rose slowly. "The Flame answers only to blood. And now it burns for you. There is no doubt."

Milena glanced at the etched crest on her skin. "Then I'll use it. Not for revenge. Not for fear. But to reclaim what was stolen — my name, my family, my people."

Maera's voice dropped. "Then you must be careful. The Queen has spies even in prayer houses. If word reaches the capital of what you've awakened…"

"It already has," Gareth interrupted, eyes narrowed as he stepped toward the broken doorway. He picked something off the ground — a small, glinting badge. The sigil of the Royal Guard.

"They sent more than hunters," he said grimly. "They sent watchers."

Milena clenched her fists, the ring glowing once more. "Then we send a message back."

By dusk, they had buried the beasts outside the abbey and hidden all trace of battle. Milena stood atop the crumbled bell tower, gazing toward the capital in the distance — its spires glinting red in the fading sun.

"That's where this ends," she said. "Not in hiding. Not in running. But in the palace that tried to burn my house from history."

Gareth joined her, cloak flapping in the wind. "Then we need allies. Soldiers. Mages. Nobles who still remember your house."

"I know where to start," she said. "The Blackwood Citadel."

Gareth blinked. "That's a prison."

Milena's eyes didn't leave the horizon. "It used to be. But my father once told me it held more than criminals — it held those loyal enough to be dangerous."

"If we want a throne... we start by freeing the ones they feared most."

A Throne in Ashes