The streets of Nexus Kingdom breathed warmth and familiarity. Here, no one was turned away; no hand was left unshaken. Though hierarchy still stood—royalties, nobles, and commoners—there was no wall of disdain between them. In the eyes of the kingdom, all were threads of the same tapestry, woven together under the same crown.
Amidst the bustle of the market, Princess Zuleika walked unguarded, her steps light as she hummed a tune only she seemed to know. Each stall she passed lit up with smiles. Vendors called out greetings, bakers lifted their hands flour-stained, and children waved with sticky fingers from stolen sweets.
"Your Highness, try these!" a fruit-seller urged, pressing a ripe peach into her hand before she could protest.
"You'll spoil me, old friend," Zuleika said with a laugh, biting into the fruit. Its sweetness clung to her lips, and the vendor chuckled proudly as if he'd grown it solely for her.
At another stall, a little boy tugged nervously on her sleeve, holding up a wooden toy soldier with chipped paint. "It's not much… but I made it," he murmured.
Zuleika knelt so her eyes were level with his. "It's perfect," she said warmly, accepting it with both hands as though it were a treasure. The boy's face lit up, and his mother bowed deeply, gratitude shining in her eyes.
Such moments repeated again and again—souvenirs tucked into her arms, laughter offered as freely as water. They did not just praise her beauty or grace, but the peace her family had guarded for generations. And Zuleika, with her humble heart, bore each gift as though it was proof of her kingdom's greatest treasure: harmony.
She needed no guards at her side, not because she lacked vulnerability, but because she had been raised to meet danger with strength. From childhood, she had been trained to shield others as fiercely as herself. And though magic existed in their world, rare and precious, it belonged only to the blood of royals. With that power came choice: to wield it as a blade of cruelty, as the Empire of Feltogora had done… or to wield it as a shield of peace, as Nexus had sworn.
"Your Highness!" A noble lady stepped forward, her hand linked with that of a common-born friend. "Is it true that everyone may attend Princess Eloisa's coming-of-age ceremony?"
Zuleika's smile was as warm as summer. "Yes. Everyone is welcome. It is a celebration for all of Nexus."
The lady and her companion exchanged delighted whispers, already debating what gowns they might wear, before bowing and departing arm in arm.
At last, Zuleika found herself seated on a quiet bench, the souvenirs gathered in her lap like tokens of trust. She looked up at the sky, now painted in orange and gold, the horizon a fading ember. Pride stirred in her chest—pride in her people, her kingdom, her father's rule. She had been born in the right family, one that carried the weight of power not for glory, but for peace.
Unlike others.
Her smile faltered, her eyes narrowing at the sky. Is it truly worth killing people over power? she whispered inwardly, the thought a bitter stone in her chest.
The history of this world echoed back at her, stories of blood spilled for crowns and thrones.
The Feltogora Empire, ruled for decades by the mighty Revazkerio dynasty, has long stood as the most dominant power in the continent. At its heart lies the imperial capital, Revaz, the ancestral seat of the Revazkerios. Yet, Revaz was not always an empire's throne. Decades ago, it was but a single kingdom among many—until the rise of King Maximiam Caeser Revazkerio.
Ambitious and relentless, Maximiam sought to unite the fractured lands under his banner. He cultivated strength in secrecy, gathering knights and training them in shadow, while dispatching scholars across the continent to master arts of war, governance, and strategy. When his preparations were complete, he unleashed his campaign—an era of conquest later known as The Revolution.
One by one, the surrounding kingdoms fell. Maximiam struck swiftly and ruthlessly, executing royal families to erase rival claims and binding the conquered territories beneath the Revazkerio name. By the war's end, he had subdued nearly all who opposed him. Only one realm resisted his grasp: the Nexus Kingdom.
The Nexus Kingdom stood apart not only in strength, but in purpose. Renowned for its just and orderly monarchy, it commanded the seas from its coastal strongholds. Nexus earned the title "The Wall of the Sea", for beyond its waters lay the dreaded Tartagalia Empire, a brutal power ever eager to invade from across the ocean. Nexus's naval might formed an impenetrable barrier, ensuring no enemy could reach the continent's shores.
To Feltogora, Nexus was both shield and obstacle. Even Maximiam, in all his conquest, recognized the futility of storming its defenses. Thus, he granted Nexus a precarious independence, demanding only cooperation with the empire. Yet the Revazkerios never intended to leave Nexus free. From generation to generation, emperors of Feltogora ordered covert raids, sending knights to harass Nexus's borders. When Nexus raised protests, Feltogora denied all involvement, cloaking aggression in lies.
So the struggle endured—a silent war beneath the surface of uneasy peace. And to this day, the Nexus Kingdom remains the last sovereign thorn in the heart of the Feltogora Empire.
"What a terrible and greedy person," she murmured at last, shaking off the weight of her thoughts. Rising from the bench, she gathered her souvenirs and turned toward the palace path, her steps slower now, as if burdened by questions the horizon could not answer.