???'s POV
I have admired Lady Leonora ever since the very first moment I joined the imperial army. To someone like me—a daughter of a slave, born into chains and destined for nothing but servitude—I never imagined my life could change. All my life, I thought I would remain nothing more than property, something to be ordered around and used by those with power. That was the fate I had accepted. But then Lady Leonora appeared. She wasn't just anyone—she was one of the Emperor's closest aides, someone respected and feared. And yet, instead of passing me by like the rest of the world always did, she stopped. She looked at me. She saw something in me that I didn't even know existed.
"Do you want to join the army?" she asked.
