"You will learn the rules of this Empire only so that you may know exactly how to break them. Your future is your own to shape. I am merely here to ensure no one stands in your way."
Seraphina sat frozen on the floor.
The adult soul within her, battered by a previous life of rigid expectations and the cold, unfeeling cruelty of the orphanage, felt an overwhelming, incredibly warm lump form in her throat.
She looked at the terrifying, blood-soaked warlord.
She saw the absolute, unconditional love and respect burning in his eyes. He didn't see her as a prop.
He didn't see her as a political asset to be married off for alliances. He saw her as an individual, with a mind, a future, and the right to choose her own destiny.
He was giving her the one thing she had never had: Freedom.
"I love you, Papa," Seraphina whispered, her voice cracking with genuine, profound emotion, a single, happy tear escaping her eye.
