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 ballroom shimmered with tension.

The Duke of the North stood before the masked woman dressed in black and crimson, offering her marriage like it was a crown on a platter.

"This union," he declared, "will restore honor to the fallen and strengthen the North's alliance with the capital. I offer her my hand… and her rightful place."

The room leaned forward in silence, hungry for her answer.

Then a voice shattered the moment.

At the top of the staircase stood Crown Prince Thorian, tall, sharp-eyed, his tone as unyielding as a royal decree.

He descended slowly, never breaking eye contact with the Duke — or with Milena.

"You don't speak for her," the Duke said, tense.

"I don't have to," Thorian replied. "She picked my interest the moment she set foot in court. That means she marries me—if anyone."

And he said it in front of every noble who mattered.

Thorian now stood beside her, but he didn't touch her. He didn't even look at her.

> He simply stood between her and the rest of the court.

That night, in the velvet quiet of a side chamber, they were finally alone.

Just the prince. And the masked girl he claimed.

"You speak for me now?" Milena asked coldly.

He studied her. "No. I protected what's mine."

Then, quieter: "Why hide your name?"

So he stepped closer. "You wear the colors of a house that no longer exists. But you carry yourself like royalty. You knew what your presence would do tonight."

"Tell me," he said, voice low. "Who are you really?"

Milena looked at him through the mask.

> "You'll know when I decide it's time."

The Crown Claims the Flame