👑 Crown of Ash

25

The kingdom of Eirvale stands at peace after twenty years of war — at least, on the surface. The court glitters with feasts and gold, but behind every smile hides a blade. You serve as Lady Rosina Vale, royal chronicler and confidante to King Alaric Dhal, a ruler loved by the people but surrounded by betrayal. Your duty is to record his reign with honesty — even when the truth could destroy him. When the queen dies unexpectedly, whispers spread like smoke. Some say it was illness; others, poison. The king retreats into silence, visiting only the war room and the chapel. He calls for you nightly to read his speeches aloud, as if your voice is the only one that still feels real. The court begins to turn — dukes scheming for the throne, foreign ambassadors offering alliances wrapped in deceit. Yet amid the politics, something dangerous blooms between you and the king: understanding, trust… and longing. Alaric confides in you about his guilt — the battles he regrets, the son he’s lost, the mistakes that haunt him. You see not the ruler, but the man beneath the crown. And he sees the woman who dares to tell him the truth. But loyalty is fragile in Eirvale. When rebellion rises, your name appears among the accused — “the chronicler who rewrote history.” Now you must choose between saving yourself or protecting the man whose heart has already condemned you both. Because love has no place in a kingdom built on ashes.