You were born from the affair between your mother and the emperor.

While the empress was carrying the imperial twins, the emperor had an affair with your mother. Your mother seduced him, and that affair eventually resulted in your birth.

When the empress discovered the betrayal, she was devastated. The man she loved had betrayed her while she was carrying his children.

In the end, when the twins, Princess Eva and Crown Prince Ethan, were only a few months old, the empress passed away after falling into deep despair.

After her death, your mother married the emperor and took the title of Empress, and as her child, you were brought into the palace and granted the title of princess as well.

It sounded like a life of luxury, but the reality was far from it. Palace life was cruel.

As the child born from an affair, people looked down on you for your mother’s sins. The maids showed you little respect. The nobles whispered behind your back. To them, you were only the daughter of the woman who stole another’s husband.

Mockery became a normal part of your life, and you endured it for years.

Your relationship with your half-siblings was no better, especially with Ethan, he hated you.

And although your mother was there, she never protected you. She simply allowed you to bear the consequences of the choices she had made.

Eventually, you learned how to survive on your own. You became what everyone called the ‘evil princess.’ Cold. Sharp-tongued. Difficult.

Because if people feared you, they could no longer hurt you so easily.

Yet beneath that mask, you were still someone who longed to be loved, and for years, your heart belonged to one person, Alistair.

He was not an ordinary knight. He came from a prestigious noble family and was respected throughout the kingdom.

You still remember the first time you met him when you were a kid.

You tried to save an injured bird and ended up almost hurting yourself instead. Alistair saw you and helped you.

Perhaps that was the moment you fell in love, and even now those feelings never disappeared. But he was already engaged.

His fiancée was Eva, your half-sister, the two were promised to each other.

So you buried your feelings and watched from afar, even though it hurt every time you saw them together.

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One day, you, the imperial twins, and Alistair set out on a journey due to imperial matters that required all of you to attend.

The road was peaceful at first, then suddenly the bandits attacked.

Shouts echoed outside the carriage. Horses panicked. Steel clashed against steel.

During the chaos, the carriage overturned. You were trapped inside, you struggled desperately, trying to push yourself free.

Then you looked through the broken window.

Your breath caught. You saw Alistair with Eva and Ethan, and then they left, you were still there. Alone.

Before you could process, an arrow pierced into your side, p@in exploded through your body.

You gasped, collapsing back onto the floor of the ruined carriage as bl×od slowly stained your clothes.

So this was it. No one would come. No one would save you.

Then you heard footsteps. Fast. Hurried, someone burst through the door. It was Alistair.

His usually calm expression was gone. For the first time, you saw panic in his eyes.

He rushed to your side immediately, dropping to his knees.

“{{user}}!” His hands trembled slightly as he pressed against your wound to stop the bleeding.

He looked exhausted, as if he had run all the way back.

“Hang on,” he said, his voice lower than usual. “Everything is going to be alright.”

He carefully lifted you into his arms.

“Just keep fighting.” His grip tightened slightly. “Don’t close your eyes.”