The Pyranthos Palace had always thrummed with ancient energy. It was not just the grandeur of its fire-imbued walls or the gilded arches lined with phoenix feathers—it was the tension that simmered beneath every whispered conversation, the hidden glances exchanged between nobles, and the silent war waged behind jeweled smiles.
For Princess Mira Pyranthos, the palace had become both sanctuary and snare. At just nineteen, she had already been courted by royalty, billionaires, and emissaries from elemental dynasties whose names echoed through the divine halls of Pyranthos like ancient hymns. With her family being the original Flame-bearers—guardians of the First Fire—Mira had grown up understanding the weight of legacy. But lately, that weight had begun to shift. Heavier. Trickier. More dangerous.
Because there were now secrets. Dangerous ones.
---
It began with the invitation.
A golden scroll tied with obsidian thread arrived at dawn, brought not by hand but by a hawk wreathed in pale flame. The crest belonged to the House of Nocturne—a rival elemental dynasty, said to have mastered the shadows and mind control. The scroll was addressed to Mira alone.
Lady Pyranthos,
You are invited to a private midnight summit regarding the ancient pact made between the Flame and the Void. Your presence is not a request but a necessity. Should you choose to ignore this, the alliance may fracture.
—L. Nocturne
Mira frowned at the words. What ancient pact? Why her? And why had the Nocturnes, long considered unreliable and power-hungry, addressed her directly instead of her father, King Kaeron Pyranthos?
She folded the scroll and tucked it beneath her sleeve. She couldn't risk her mother seeing it. Queen Calistra had become wary lately—paranoid, even. Mira suspected it had something to do with the increasing number of suitors that had started arriving after word of her recent vision spread.
The vision had shown a blazing wedding pyre—but whether it was of union or betrayal, Mira had kept to herself.
---
Later that day, Mira strolled through the sapphire gardens with her cousin Lysa, who was notorious for both her flirtations and loose tongue.
"Did you hear?" Lysa whispered, twirling a flame-tipped rose. "Prince Aetherion of the Wind Courts is requesting a second audience. Apparently, he intends to challenge Crown Prince Irios to a duel. Over you."
Mira groaned. "Another duel? That makes five this month."
"Six, if you count the one that nearly happened in the east wing between Lord Drennon of Earth and Jaxon Thalor."
At the name, Mira paused.
Jaxon.
A mystery wrapped in ocean-blue eyes and sarcasm. The heir to the Thalor Water Dynasty, he was supposed to be a diplomat, not a flirtatious trickster who kissed her in the moonlit library and then vanished for two weeks. And yet, it had happened. And worse—she missed him.
"Are you going to see him tonight?" Lysa teased.
"No," Mira said quickly. "I—why would I?"
Lysa smirked. "Because you've looked stormy ever since he arrived. That's how fire reacts to water, right?"
Mira flushed. "You're ridiculous."
But her hand drifted to her sleeve, where the scroll from Nocturne still rested. Fire and void. Was Jaxon somehow involved?
---
That night, the palace dimmed as the moons rose. Mira donned a cloak of scorched velvet and slipped out through the hidden phoenix tunnel. At the summit grove, she found not just a Nocturne emissary waiting—but Jaxon.
He was leaning against a stone altar, arms folded, hair damp from some elemental ritual.
"You're late," he said.
"You're not supposed to be here."
He arched a brow. "And yet here I am. Like a bad decision you can't stop making."
She scowled. "What is this about?"
The Nocturne emissary, an older woman with silver eyes and ash-pale skin, stepped forward.
"Princess Pyranthos. Prince Thalor. The prophecy has begun to shift. The Child of Flame and Tide must be chosen wisely. But the court... the court is plotting."
Mira's mouth went dry. "What prophecy?"
"Your union is written," the emissary said. "But it is also threatened. The Earthborne and Air Tribes conspire. They will strike soon."
Jaxon looked grave. "I've heard similar. Even from within the Water Courts. Some think the Pyranthos line is unstable."
Mira glared at him. "Unstable?"
"Not you. But your suitors. They're dragging your name through fire and ash."
---
In the following days, the palace turned into a brewing storm of alliances, flirtations, and betrayal.
Queen Calistra arranged a court gathering with the suitors to ease tensions, but it became a battle of who could impress Mira the most.
Prince Aetherion summoned a cyclone harp to serenade her. Lord Drennon gifted her a carved obsidian lion made of elemental rock. Even the twins from the House of Light, radiant and inhumanly beautiful, attempted to win her favor by illuminating the palace roof in her likeness.
And Jaxon?
He leaned on a pillar, sipping wine and rolling his eyes.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered when Mira approached him.
"They're trying," she said.
"Trying to possess you, not court you. There's a difference."
She raised a brow. "And what are you doing?"
He stepped closer. "Trying not to fall in love again. Failing."
Mira's breath caught.
---
But beneath the glamour of the court, something darker pulsed.
Spies whispered about a secret heir in the Earthborne family who had mind-bonded with a Pyranthos servant. A forbidden bond that caused illusions to spiral through the west wing, nearly killing one of the guards. At the same time, a suspicious fire broke out in the Vault of Flames—where only royal blood was permitted.
And Queen Calistra... she began to act strangely. Missing meetings. Talking to shadows.
Mira cornered her one morning in the chamber of relics.
"Mother," she said, "What's happening?"
Calistra turned. Her eyes glowed dimly, and her voice was not entirely her own.
"The line must be preserved. Not blended."
Mira stepped back. "Are you saying... I can't choose Jaxon?"
"You must choose someone of fire. Or lose your throne."
---
The weight of politics, suitors, and prophecy settled heavy on Mira's shoulders. But the secret meetings with Jaxon continued. Hidden beneath waterfalls. Between bookshelves. Behind elemental shields. And with each kiss, she feared the vision more ...
Because the wedding pyre has started becoming clearer..
And someone ------- someone close--- is holding a knife...