🚨INTENSE CHAPTER AHEAD🚨

Reader POV (age 12)

I moved in front of Mariella, my arms out and my right eye two meters away from me on the ground.

"Hurt me all you want," I spat. "But leave her alone."

The teacher known as Ichiro Skywing only stared at me with amusement.

"So you would be willing to give up your life for a peasant girl, Princess?"

"She's my best friend and deserves to live. Do whatever the hell you want with me, but let her live!"

"Fine." He grabbed my arm and healed my right eye, giving me a new one.

He was one of the most dangerous mages in the Diamond Kingdom and he used to be a good man.

A respectable one.

He tortured me for hours and used his magic to repair any broken limbs, even bringing me back to life at the very end.

"As much as I would've liked to leave you here dead, I can't." He stood up and the door opened to reveal Zeno with the food trays. "Boy, bring her back to the room with the others. Then go finish your tasks."

Zeno draped my arm around his shoulders, bringing me back to my room I shared with Mariella, Seline, and Fana.

"(y/n)-"

I looked up at Mariella who was staring at me with horror, Fana trying to cover her eyes. "I am fine, Mariella."

"Your eye..."

I looked in the mirror and saw my right (e/c) eye was missing.

"He must've just taken it out again," I shrugged.

Zeno was watching me with worry in his blue eyes. "(y/n)? How could you be so calm about it?"

I found an eyepatch and placed it over my right eye, a frown on my face.

"Compared to what I have seen those people do, I am lucky to even be alive, much less speaking to you." I placed my hand on his, leaning close to him. "Zeno, I made my people a promise. You may be from another distant land, but I mean you as well. I promised to protect my people."

I stood up and reached through the iron windows, feeling a sting that made me flinch.

"Someday, we're going to get out of here. We'll be free. We'll see the world. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Seline moved closer to me, her amber eyes wide. "Do you really think we'll be able to escape?"

I hugged her and ran fingers through her raven locks. "I know it."

Zeno and I made our rounds to feeding the others, our hands interlocked.

He was three years older than me, but still respected me as I was of royalty.

He explained that he had two other siblings, but they managed to escape when the Diamond forces made their way into the Spade kingdom when I was four.

"I want to see the world," he said one day when we were given the opportunity to go outside and get some fresh air.

I was laying in his lap and he was holding a book on sights to see in his right hand, his left hand running through my hair.

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I want you to be beside me while we explore, (y/n)."

"Then I will be." I looked up at the clouds and pointed to one. "That one looks like a sheep."

"A sheep?" Zeno looked up and shook his head with amusement. "(n/n) you silly girl. That is obviously a ram."

"Well, how would you know?" I turned around and faced him, pushing him down onto the soft grass. "It's a sheep!"

"No, it's a ram!"

"It's a sheep!"

His face was a bit red from the situation we were in, but I didn't care.

"Zeno, what do you think a good ruler would be? Like, what makes a good ruler?"

He thought for a moment. "I think a good ruler is someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for their people. To offer themselves up for the greater good and have a strong sense of justice but also assertive qualities when needed."

He gently touched my cheek, smiling up at me. "I think you're going to be the greatest ruler known to history, (n/n). I bet my life on it."

I basked in his embrace, smiling. "Thank you. Zeno? Since you're from the Spade Kingdom, can you tell me who you are?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. If I did tell you, you'd hate me."

"I could never hate you!"

He shook his head and gave me a sad smile. "You would."

"No-"

"I'd just rather not talk about it." He sat up, still holding me in his arms. "(y/n), my family isn't the best of people. Someday when we're free, I'm going to stop them from doing the things they do."

I knew that was the end of the conversation, so I didn't push him to speak anymore.

About a week later, I heard an uproar in the library during our own free time when we weren't being subjected to experiments.

I used my magic and got to the library quickly, slashing through the windows and casting an ice shell around Seline and myself.

"Seline!"

The girl only stared up at me, a gash in her neck.

"Seline! What the hell-?"

The ice was broken by one of the teachers, the one with intense flame magic.

"This little brat was trying to escape," the man explained. "So you would do best to leave her to die."

"LIKE HELL I WILL!"

The man glared and opened his grimoire, an insane smile on his face.

"Then perish."

My grimoire opened and a new page was added.

"Winter God Magic: Blade of Hestia."

A silver blade with orange and red gems on the hem
appeared in my hand and I tore right through his spell, reinforcing it with ice magic.

"Winter Magic: Golem!"

Every teacher in the room turned to statues made of ice and Zeno was behind me and he killed them with his bone magic.

But it was too late for Seline.

"(y/n)...?" She gripped my hand tightly. "Do you think I'll still be able to see the stars?"

"Yes! Of course!" I carried her outside where it was already nighttime.

She stared up at the stars, pointing to one. "That's Polaris, the north star. The most important star in the sky."

"Seline, save your energy! We've got to-" Zeno began before I shook my head, staring at him with heartbreak.

There was no use.

Seline was dying and neither of us would make it to the infirmary.

And if we did, she'd be subject to more pain.

The most kind thing we would do right now was to let her enjoy the last few moments of her short life.

"It's beautiful," Seline's eyes watered. "Thank you."

She was silent for bit then I felt her body grow heavy, her eyes open in wonder forever.

She was gone.

I hugged her close to me, a magic circle appearing underneath Zeno and I.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to Seline. "You will not die in vain."

I buried her with my magic, Zeno following me.

This is the last time I'll let someone I love die.

I gathered all that was to gather, begging Mars and Fana to follow me since Zeno and Mariella were captured on the way to our bunker.

But as I was running, I was captured by someone with anti-magic materials artificially created.

I was taken to the torture chamber, but it was burst open by a very angry Zeno.

"I won't let you idiots harm her!" He spat, his blue eyes ablaze with fire.

"Shut it, boy!" They used their magic and sealed him in a torture-like state.

He let out screams and I could only watch, stood frozen and unable to move.

"ZENO!" I screamed. "LET HIM GO! LET HIM GO!"

The leader of the experiments only snickered. "You two really are brats. But he should be killed right now, Princess! Trust me, you'll see him later in life and wish you killed him then!"

"I could never!" I screamed. "I love him!"

The adults in the torture chamber only laughed louder.

"You hear that?! She loves him! Well guess what, girlie?! He's not yours."

They tied me down to the table and began stripping Zeno of his power.

"Take it from us, girl." They tore Zeno's grimoire up and someone with sealing magic transferred his power to my grimoire. "You'll wish he were dead in the future."

They forced me to bury his dead body, but I was so angry.

And in that anger, a new page flipped in my grimoire despite being put in anti-magic weapons.

"Winter God Magic: Clock of Cronus!"

A huge dial appeared in the sky and they were frozen in time and then burst to smitherines.

I had stolen five minutes from time and was able to save Zeno.

I heard shouts and knew I had no time to save him completely.

"You're strong enough," I whispered to his barely functioning body. "Live, Zeno! I'll return and you better be here!"

But since I used Clock of Cronus, I was able to give him 80% of his magic back to him, also repairing his grimoire.

"I'm sorry," I hugged his body one final time and felt his hands move to hug me back, but I pushed him away into the water, protecting him in a layer of ice in hopes that he'd escape.

And I left, using his magic to get myself out.

I knew I couldn't bring him with me, but I regretted not doing so.

However, I was recaptured and knocked out.

When I awoke, I saw a much older version of Mars.

He informed me that two years had passed and Zeno had disappeared.

"You are now the leader of the Nine Shining Generals," he said to me.

I didn't know how to respond when a new plan formed in my mind.

Make them believe you're on their side then strike swiftly without mercy.

So I play along with their game, but never hurt anyone.

As per Seline's life, I took her name.

I was once just Crown Princess (y/n) Augustine Korenthan. Now I was Crown Princess (y/n) Augustine Seline Korenthan.

Missions gone in a single snap, the people transported to the mountains that bordered the kingdoms.

As a reward for my 'service', I was given my right eye back and it felt strange to not wear the eyepatch anymore.

But I couldn't cry out of my right eye.

The day I left, I swore to return and kill anyone who caused my people harm.

Present Day

"Let's make a plan for war," I said as I pulled up a map of all the kingdoms and armies, as well as demonic activity.

"Hey, that's the Heart Kingdom!" Rill pointed to a huge flame that was the current ruler.

"Yes."

I explained the battle strategy, keeping secret that I was once in love with Zenon.

I watched with a cold expression as the hologram displayed him slaughtering his own people mercilessly.

You promised to stop what your siblings were doing.

Yet you're doing exactly what you told yourself you would never do.

I moved a chess piece that had the crest of the Golden Dawn and another piece that had the crest of the Silver Eagles. "If these two groups send their strongest mages here in addition to the Royal Knights, we should be gain access to the Spade Castle itself."

Langris stepped forward as did Kirsch and Solid Silva. "I would like to lead them!"

I was about to agree to it when Julius shook his head.

"I believe that (y/n) should lead that group. She personally knows one of the Dark Triad."

"But wouldn't that serve to be a bad thing?" Nozel asked. "If she personally knows one of them, then-"

I held my hand up, everyone going silent.

The malice in my voice was unmistaken.

"I understand your concerns, Lord Nozel. But it is one that should be disregarded. I may have known Zenon Zongratis once, but I do not know him anymore. That man attacking his own people isn't the one I grew up with."

"Wait, you said something when Zenon attacked us in the Astronomy Castle." Fanzell looked perplexed. "You said you loved him once."

The meeting room got very quiet and people looked at Langris who didn't look at anyone.

I closed my eyes and reopened them, staring at Fanzell.

"Yes, it is true. I once loved him, but not anymore. What he has done is unforgivable. But I promise you this on my life: I will be the one to end him. He is nothing but a shadow now."

With that said, the meeting resumed.

But Langris said nothing anymore.

That's when I realized he didn't hear me that night Zenon attacked.

He didn't know of my past.

He didn't know what horrors I shared in the experiments nor the pain I went through just to protect the people I cared about.

The meeting ended and I walked with the captain of the Silver Eagles, talking to him about dividing up people to train in my kingdom, the Heart kingdom, and the Clover Kingdom.

Langris didn't speak to me until much later in the day.

"Langris!" I placed my book down on the history of magic, happy to see him.

But when I saw his face, I immediately worried.

"Langris, what's wrong?"

He moved away from me when I stood up. "(y/n). I love you, I really do." He looked up at me with frustration and sorrow in his eyes. "But..."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know what to think of this whole war," he said. "I came to tell you that..."

"Well...?"

He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes, his own ocean blue cold and uninviting. "I came to tell you that whatever we have is done. We need to focus on the war and...and you have to confront your past."

"But why?" I asked him, not liking the feeling in my body.

It felt as if my heart were in my throat.

"Goodbye, Your Highness." He bowed and started to leave.

I knew I couldn't make him stay, but I didn't want to lose him.

I looked at him, tears running down my face.

But I didn't speak.

Not a word left my lips.

He left through a portal and I got a glimpse at my face.

It was the first time I cried in years.

And the first time I could cry with my right eye.

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Nothing like angsty angsty to set the stage for a war, eh?😁