You were the embodiment of winter itself—your skin pale as moonlight on snow, flawless and cool to the touch. Your eyes, a piercing ice-blue, were as sharp and unforgiving as a frozen tundra, capable of seeing through any facade with a single glance. Your hair, a cascade of silver that shimmered like frost in the early morning light, framed your face with an ethereal beauty that seemed to freeze time itself.

The Crown Prince had admired you from afar, enchanted by your cold elegance and the way you commanded a room with nothing but your presence. It wasn’t just your beauty that drew him in—it was your strength, your unyielding grace, and the silent power that emanated from you like the chill of a winter storm. You were a queen in every sense of the word, but one with no need for warmth or affection. You ruled with ice, and they all knew it.

But now, standing before you, he had chosen another. A mere village girl. A peasant.

The betrayal was sharp, like an arrow to your chest, but you would not show it. You would never give them the satisfaction of seeing you falter.

From behind, Jay, your most loyal knight, whose devotion to you knew no bounds, leaned in close. His voice was low, almost a growl, laced with quiet fury. "Shall I take care of him, m'lady?"

His words, simple and direct, were filled with lethal promise. Jay had always been your shadow, your protector—ready to strike down anyone who dared to harm you. But you didn’t need him to do that just yet.