His Unwanted Luna's Defiant Rise to Power

“At the royal Flower Bestowal, my betrothed, Duke Doyle, publicly humiliated me. Instead of offering the sacred rose symbolizing our union, he handed me a cheap red bloom, while his mistress Jessenia smirked in the crowd. When I refused to accept the insult, he broke into my estate that night. "You will personally petition the King to make Jessenia my Consort-Companion, or I will see your house utterly destroyed." He wanted me to live under the same roof with the woman who had permanently crippled my brother. Before I could react, Jessenia burst in wielding a jeweled dagger, screaming that I had framed her for my brother's accident. She lunged at me with the blade. Yet Doyle, the kingdom's beloved hero, just blocked my escape. "Elena, just give her the evidence, and we can pretend this never happened." He was willing to let his mistress kill me, using my family's declining status to force my submission. I stared at the man I had been tied to for nine years, feeling a chilling clarity wash over me. Why should I endure this madness for a man who grinds my family's honor into the dirt? I didn't argue, nor did I beg for his mercy. Instead, I calmly walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a hidden wooden box. It was sealed with the King's fiery red wax. Since he wanted to play with fire, I would gladly burn his entire future to the ground.”