Years had passed.
Six months after the truth came to light, Queen Eva ended her life, leaving baby Noelle alone in a world already heavy with shadows. From that day on, Noelle grew without a mother-and without the warmth of a father's presence.
King Neptune refused to see her, no matter how many times she wished it. Yet her desire to meet him only grew stronger with every passing year. Somewhere deep inside, she believed that if she could prove herself-if she could become useful-he might open the doors to his heart.
And so, from the earliest days of her childhood, she lived for one man alone.
At three years old, she learned to cook, carefully memorizing recipes so she could serve him a meal one day. At nine, she learned the way of the sword, the sound of steel becoming her lullaby. By fourteen, she had read every book in the King's library, feeding her mind as she had fed her body-with discipline and purpose.
But no message came. No gesture of encouragement. No meeting.
Until three days before the Trial of the Six Kingdoms.
Noelle was in her chamber, dressing for the day. A lady-in-waiting stood behind her, gathering her long hair into a neat braid. The knock on the door was soft, but in the silence, it sounded like the strike of a bell.
"See who it is," Noelle said.
The lady crossed the room and opened the door.
And there he stood.
Her father.
For the first time in her life, she saw him not in a faded portrait, but in flesh and blood. Her breath caught, her knees gave way, and she collapsed to the floor-her heart hammering so hard it hurt.
The man before her was older now. His skin bore the weather of years, his face lined with time's quiet cruelty. Yet to her, every mark was precious.
King Neptune stepped forward, his voice low but warm. "Hello, my little one... how have you been all these years?"
The sound of his voice-her father's voice-shattered the dam she had held for so long. She began to cry, the sobs mixing with a strange, intoxicating joy.
He knelt, gathering her into his arms. "Sorry. Sorry for everything, my little one..."
She clung to him as tightly as a drowning soul to driftwood, breathing in the scent of him, as if to memorize it for the rest of her life.
"I'm here to tell you something," he said, his tone shifting. "Do you know why I never came to see you?"
"Yes, Father," she whispered through her tears. "I know... I know everything."
"Then you also know the man behind all of it?" His eyes searched hers.
"Yes. I learned everything about the past so I could help you. I trained. I read. I studied. I'm ready."
His gaze sharpened. "Then help me kill Garrick. Over these years, I've learned his full name-Garrick Varkari. Leader of the Varkari family. They served the Heart Kingdom... which means the King of Hearts ordered them to bring me down. That is why I want more than Garrick's death. I want the Heart King broken as well."
Her pulse quickened. "But... how can I help?"
A flicker of satisfaction lit his eyes when he saw her eagerness. "In three days, the Kingdom of Knights will hold the Trial of the Six Kingdoms. The victor earns the allegiance of the Knights and their King. If you win, we will gain the strength we need. I have heard that you are the greatest warrior the Kingdom of Novels possesses. Prove it. Defeat every champion in the field. Then I will make you my minister... and together, we will punish the one who destroyed your mother."
The words ignited something fierce inside her. This was the moment she had been waiting for all her life-not just to see her father, but to stand beside him.
She looked him in the eye, her voice steady. "I'll win, Father. For you."
And that was how Noelle stepped onto the battlefield.