DISCLAIMER: The author's imagination and passion are the only sources of inspiration for this novel, which is a work of dedication. Parallels between these pages and the past or present may be apparent to some readers, but they are completely coincidental. You are free to interpret this art anyway you see fit, and it is meant for your enjoyment.
It was a gradual, oppressive descent into opulence rather than an abrupt flash of light.
The silence was the first thing Samantha Lim noticed as she opened her eyes. No distant city sirens, no frenetic keyboard pounding, no buzz of a computer tower. Rather, there was the faint chirping of distant birds and the gentle, repetitive ticking of a grandfather clock.
It felt like she was floating on a cloud as she lay on a bed that was incredibly soft. Above her, golden pillars shaped like roaring lions supported a canopy of thick crimson silk.
The girl in the black-and-white maid's uniform, who appeared to be about to have a mental breakdown, let out the yell. Before Samantha could even comprehend the word "Lady," the chamber's heavy oak doors opened with a loud thud that shook the surrounding walls.
"Reinn! My precious daughter!"
A towering, commanding man with a perfectly maintained beard and a mane of golden hair burst into the room. This was the Duke of the Lion House, Eyrion Hylde. He was followed by Ryianne Hylde, an ethereally graceful woman whose eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Eyldion Hylde, the older brother, a young man with a stern, protecting brow.
Samantha gazed. These were the novel's characters. And for now, she was the focal point of their mad, infatuated universe.
"Father?" Samantha's voice came out as a soft, melodic trill. It wasn't her voice. It was Reinn's.
Duke Eyrion pushed himself onto a chair near the bed and grasped her hand as though she were made of spun glass. "Yes, my darling! I'm here!" he said. "I've already sent word to the palace. If that royal physician doesn't arrive in ten minutes, I'll have the Dragon Emblem stripped from his coat! How dare you faint like that? Was it the heat? Was the silk too heavy?"
Ryianne whispered, "Eyrion, let the girl breathe," but she was preoccupied with applying a cool, lavender-scented handkerchief to Reinn's forehead. "Reinn, sweetie, you gave us such a fright. You were screaming about a blue screen and 'deadlines' before you collapsed. Is it a nightmare?"
Samantha, now Reinn, whispered, "A nightmare," as a gradual comprehension dawned on her. I am truly here. Spreadsheets are over. No more commuting by subway. "Yes... it was a very long, very gray nightmare."
"Well, it's over now," Eyldion remarked, scowling as he crossed his arms and peered out the window. "And I've already decided. Since the Mydril House heir, Dyierrean, was the reason you were so upset yesterday, I'll go and challenge him to a duel. No one makes my sister cry and gets away with it."
Reinn leaped to her feet. The House of Mydril. The symbol for wolves. And Dyierrean Mydril, the most dangerous man in the empire due to his secret royal ancestry.
Reinn yelled, "No!" and her voice reverberated.
There was silence in the room. Together, the three Hyldes blinked. The former Reinn would have ordered that Dyierrean be brought to her in chains, supported the duel, and applauded the mayhem.
"I mean..." Reinn softened her voice, adding a hint of fatigue while attempting to project the "spoiled" image. "I'm over him. My heart is... retired. I just want peace. And perhaps a very large cake."
Perplexed, Eyrion turned to face his wife. "Retired? At nineteen? Reinn, you've been obsessed with Dyierrean since he turned twenty-one and came back from the borders. You said his 'cold, strict eyes' were the only ones worthy of looking at you."
Reinn sighed, feeling much older than eighteen. "I was young then," she remarked. "That was... yesterday's Reinn. Today's Reinn wants to sit in the garden and do absolutely nothing. Can we do that? Can we just... stay here?"
"Whatever you want, my little lioness!" Eyrion exclaimed, grinning and gesturing to the servants. "Bring the finest chefs! Bring the jewelers! If my daughter wants to retire, she shall retire in a mountain of emeralds!"
Reinn relished the splendor of the Hylde estate for three days. She found that being a "spoiled daughter" was much simpler than working as a middle manager. But she was unable to rest in the world of The Lion of the North.
The Edryyion Royal Family was supported by the Hylde and Mydril families, which served as the Empire's two main pillars. The two Ducal houses maintained harmony when Giyorre, the Emperor, and his Empress, Sylvvia, ruled from the Dragon throne. However, a storm was approaching.
"Reinn," Ryianne, her mother, murmured over tea. "The Empress has invited us to a small gathering at the Mydril estate. It's to celebrate Dyierrean's recent achievements. Since his mother, Giyenna, is the Emperor's sister, the Imperial family will be there in full force. Crown Prince Giywon is expecting us as well."
With a lemon tart halfway to her lips, Reinn hesitated. This was the scene in the book where Reinn embarrassed herself by attempting to flirt with Dyierrean in front of the Crown Prince, which resulted in a huge controversy.
Reinn questioned, "Do I have to go?"
"You told me you'd die if you didn't see him again," Eyldion reminded her, leaning against a pillar. "And his younger brother, Dyiervo, mentioned that Dyierrean has been... moodier than usual. Probably because he's waiting for you to annoy him again."
Reinn had a sigh. She had to play the social game just enough to be forgotten in order to maintain her quiet life. "Fine. I'll go. But I'm going for the catering, not Dyierrean."
The Wolf insignia was engraved into each archway of the Mydril estate, which was a stronghold of dark stone with silver accents.
Tension was in the air when the Hylde carriage pulled up. The Royal family had already arrived. With an imposing appearance, Emperor Giyorre sat at the head of the garden table.
Wearing gold silk that glistened like a lion's mane, Reinn entered. She anticipated being the talk of the place, but she kept her head down and searched for the closest sofa.
Then she noticed him.
Dyierrean Mydril conversed with his father, Duke Dyionne, while standing by a stone fountain. He was tall, twenty-one, and had an unsettlingly keen beauty. However, Reinn's contemporary vision allowed her to see things that others missed. She noticed the little violet spark that twitched in his fingers. She glimpsed the gift of his mother Giyenna's heritage, the latent royal magic, which he was fighting to repress.
He was a power bomb that was about to explode.
Dyierrean pivoted and fixed Reinn with his dark gaze. He anticipated the customary greeting, the grasping arms, the oppressive perfume.
Rather, Reinn gave him a courteous, aloof nod—the kind that one gives a coworker they don't particularly like—and made her way directly to the buffet table.
Dyierrean froze. Dyiervo, his younger brother, laughed startledly next to him.
"Did Reinn Hylde just... ignore you, brother? I think the sun must be rising in the west today."
Dyierrean remained silent. He saw Reinn find a quiet bench apart from the Royal party and load three different desserts onto a plate. She appeared... content. Completely unconcerned about the Crown Prince, the Emperor, and most of all, him.
Dyierrean Mydril experienced a spark of something other than magic for the first time in his life. It was a biting, incisive curiosity. Everyone in the garden looked at him as he started to approach her with a rigid, military gait.
Reinn nibbled into a chocolate truffle, blissfully oblivious. This is far superior to a spreadsheet, she thought.
"Lady Reinn," a deep, icy voice murmured behind her.
With a small trace of chocolate on her lip, Reinn looked up. She met the man's eyes who had the power to bring down the empire.
"Oh," she uttered in a dull voice. "Lord Dyierrean. Don't mind me. I'm just here for the snacks. Please, go back to being scary somewhere else."
Dyierrean squinted. The air's violet buzz intensified. His face was inches from hers as he bent down. "What are you playing at, Lioness?"
Reinn remained unflinching. She simply extended the platter to him. "Want a truffle? You look like you need a nap."
The novel's universe had officially collapsed. The real job was just getting started for Samantha Lim.