The people of the continent of Xierxi agree on one thing: a king without a male heir can never be called great, no matter how impressive his achievements.
King Norman, nearing fifty, found himself in just such a predicament. To keep his dynasty from dying out, he took the advice of his Minister of the Interior and switched the daughter born to his queen with the son born to his mistress. The mistress's son became the legitimate heir, while the pampered Princess Cecily became an unwanted illegitimate child. The succession crisis was thus resolved.
But no secret stays buried forever. Once the truth came to light, Cecily and her country became choice prey in the eyes of others. As nobles from every nation sought to claim the royal succession, they ingratiated themselves with the old king and pursued Cecily.
The nobles had clearly underestimated this little princess in such an awkward position. Though she had long been kept at the fringes of the royal court, she quickly adapted to a life of intrigue. She charmed and maneuvered her way through every situation, using marriage as a bargaining chip. She repeatedly negotiated and arranged engagements with princes from other countries, then broke them off and negotiated new ones, repeating the cycle until she had grown strong enough to become queen.
Nobles from other countries called her a demon who fed on desire, a siren who bewitched hearts, yet they kept choosing to ally with her, be deceived, and ally with her again, watching helplessly as the kingdom she ruled rose to power in the north of the continent...
First victim: Our marriage was arranged by the old king. Back then, she was still an illegitimate child. I knew early on that she was no proper lady, but a sharp-tongued, cunning witch. As a brave knight, I decided to sacrifice myself and marry her, sparing everyone else.
Second victim: People are always deceived by her petite appearance. They only realize what a wicked schemer she is after she has fooled them. She sees those shrewd nobles as circus lions, holding a hoop and watching with amusement as they leap through the traps she has set for them, time and again. We are both kindred spirits and sworn enemies. The greatest respect we can show each other is to take off the other's head, then spend our lives remembering those glorious years of plotting against one another.
Third victim: We met when we were young and were destined to be allies. Driven by mutual interests, we entered into marriage and worked together to put each other on the throne. In our hardest years, we trusted each other with our backs, relying on one another while remaining wary. But we shared the same goal: to build a powerful nation where its people could live and work in peace.
Theme: The brilliance of human nature
