Chapter 1: The Weight of a Crown
The sky hung heavy with clouds, casting a muted light over the city. In the grand hall of the Romanov estate, silence reigned — not the kind of quiet that brings peace, but the tension before a storm. Every footstep, every breath, echoed in the cavernous corridors.
She stood at the balcony, looking out at the sprawling city below. Elena Romanov — the heir to an empire built in shadows — wore a gown of deep sapphire, its silk shimmering like dark water under lamplight. Her black hair was pinned back in a sleek braid, and around her neck glinted a pendant, the family sigil: a raven rising from a ring of flames.
As Lena left, Elena returned to the balcony, her silhouette framed by the storm‑dark sky. The wind tugged at her dress; the night seemed to press in. She raised her hand to the pendant, the cold metal comforting against her palm.
*"They will know,"* she whispered to herself. *"They will all know."*
Below, the city carried on — neon lights flickering, cars speeding, whispers in back alleys. But those whispers would soon change. Because tonight, a queen would awake.
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