A vast land was ruled by the Zenith Empire with pride and strength. The land was rich and magnificent—just like the prince it raised.
Eric Leonardo. Born with a golden spoon in his mouth, yet fate taunted him as the years passed.
10 years ago, Eric was barely 15 years old. Among the neighboring kingdoms of Zenith, there was an empire ruled by vampires for generations called Rosett.
Rosett, an empire with a clean ruling history. Rosett wasn't involved in any major wars in the last 500 years, and no wars in the last 100 years, unlike Zenith, which was in constant war recently.
At that time, Rosett had two living royals, the empress and an imperial princess. The imperial princess, Novia Rosario, came to Zenith with a delegation to continue their peaceful connection.
While staying at the empire, she resided in the guest palace. Eric saw her from afar a few times. His young soul admired the stunning woman he didn't know. She looked strong – unlike him.
She was a stunning woman with short, silky white hair and red, rose-like eyes that gleamed even under the sun—an unusual sight for a vampire.
Zenith requested military support from Rosett to conquer neighboring kingdoms. But Princess Novia declined at once, since their empire had been maintaining complete peace.
But that decision dissatisfied Alex, the emperor of Zenith, and Gloria, the empress. They didn't react much to this denial. But the problem arose when Novia tried to pursue Alex to maintain peace, too.
There were a lot of terms where their opinions didn't match, which caused displeasure among them. There were a few conflicts between her and Gloria, too, which made Gloria end up hating her.
Novia understood that they were planning to attack Rosett, too, whenever a chance arose. But they had maintained a good relationship for a long time.
She didn't want to ruin it. And felt that as the princess, she must resolve it. She didn't even inform Empress Nashia about it.
A grave mistake. She kept herself open to the enemies as she decided to overlook it and pursue a peace treaty. Which cost her life. A surprise attack.
During an inspection of a mine, Zenith was offering, which was strangely lacking in the usual security protocols. Whether it was negligence or something more deliberate, no one could say for sure.
Some claimed it was a tragic accident. Others whispered about betrayal. But the truth was buried with Novia's body—at least for now.
It caused a huge commotion in both empires. Rosett fell into deep sorrow from the loss of their beloved princess. An uproar crackled like thunder.
Zenith sent back her body with a delegation to show their condolences to Rosett. But it wasn't enough. They lacked a proper explanation. It provoked the Rosett Empire instead.
Nashia read between the lines of the vague report—no witnesses, no escorts, just a collapsed shaft. It felt less like negligence and more like a carefully constructed lie.
The empress of Rosett, Nashia Rosario, loved her sister very much. She couldn't accept her death that easily. She stood before her coffin with a letter in her hand.
Novia's last letter was signed with a wax seal and a promise to return soon. That promise was never kept. She had indeed returned, but as a body.
The moment she opened the coffin and looked at her sister's body, she knew the explanation Zenith gave wasn't the entire truth.
She couldn't die in this way. The wound in her chest said something else entirely. That wound wasn't from any mining accident. She could tell instantly.
There was something. Hidden, from her, from others, from everyone. Something dark.
A royal-blooded vampire like Novia could regenerate from near-death wounds. It would take either that weapon or dark magic to end her life.
She searched through her luggage desperately to find that thing which she suspected, but she didn't find it. It was supposed to be under Novia's protection. But it's missing.
Being desperate and angry, she declared war against Zenith. That way, the war began between Zenith and Rosett. It was a terrifying, bloody battle.
Nashia personally led the war. In just a matter of two years, she earned the name of "Rose-thorn of War".
She wielded her sword on the battlefield with grace and fear. Her vampire powers and her army's power were top-notch. Zenith bore the brunt of the casualties.
At first, they had thought they would be able to win, since their power and army were enough. Overconfidence blurs out the risk.
Naturally, they were ignorant. They didn't take into account that they were in constant war for years, which is why they weren't prepared to go head-on with a powerful empire like Rosett.
The war was terrifying. Nashia hadn't shown any sympathy on the battlefield. Her loss and her desperation fueled her for revenge.
The war dragged on for 10 years. Zenith was on the verge of crumbling. They couldn't take any more casualties. They needed time to prepare themselves. Rebuild themselves.
So Zenith proposed a peace treaty to Rosett.
They offered a nearby kingdom they had previously conquered as compensation, along with handsome noblemen of Zenith as hostages, as a goodwill gesture.
But Nashia's rage wasn't limited just to that. She was still burning, still hurting. Yet, Nashia couldn't outright reject the peace treaty, knowing her people were also suffering from the prolonged war.
At that time, she considered another form of revenge—something that would strike deeper than the battlefield. Then she remembered their first prince, Eric Leonardo.
By now, he was a fully grown adult. During the entire war, despite his reputation as a prodigy skilled in both magic and swordsmanship, he had never been sent to the frontlines. Not even once.
To Nashia, that said everything. A prince with power, yet kept far from the carnage while countless others died.
It wasn't weakness—it was favoritism. Protection. Cherishment. He was the golden heir they had hidden behind palace walls, too precious to risk. And that made him the perfect target.
If she couldn't break their empire with war alone, then she would tear it apart by taking what they most desperately tried to protect.
So Nashia proposed otherwise. She declined the kingdom and the men they proposed and instead demanded Eric's hand in political marriage.
The horror Eric felt when he was notified about the marriage for the first time still gnawed on his skin.
Eric's mind became heavy as he slowly returned from his memories. His life- tangled with betrayal, unfortunes.
"Why did they always choose power over me? Was I ever more than a pawn? It.. wasn't supposed to be like this." - Eric muttered with a sigh.