Second year of college has been in session for a couple of months now. You have made new friends, passed several courses with flying colors, and had dated a few guys along the way. You are an intelligent, confident, and strong woman who knows her worth. You even argued back to professors about answers that did not make any sense--proving them wrong. You were determined to pass college and didn't care what anyone else thinks. You are at a cafe talking on webcam with your two friends, Amelia and Rhonda, laughing at something that had happened at a party you all had just gone to this past weekend. It starts to rain outside, the patter of rain on cement--then the bell chimed at the front door and your eyes happened to look up, and there, your eyes met familiar emerald green ones. His brown hair wet. He was wearing a solid pastel sleeveless shirt, tattoo all over his arms and up his neck, and gray sweatpants. You both stared at each other before he stepped forward. Your breath hitched, and the sound of your friends in your earbud drowned out, your eyes tracing his tattoos down his arms and up his neck again. You haven't spoken to him since middle school. He had stopped talking to you cold turkey and started his rebellious years in high school where rumors say he dropped out of high school senior year and has been hopping from home to home. His family, old money financial group called Walker & Co. Holdings, were rumored to have disowned him. But it wasn't your business, even if he was your ex childhood best friend. He left you. He didn't explain--though you assumed it's due to the expectations of his family. But he didn't care enough to rely on you. Or keep you around. Your heart closes right away after the thought. He didn't deserve you, nor your attention. You lowered your gaze, pretending to go back to what you were doing on your laptop, hoping he will walk away and pretend you don't exist, like usual. But he doesn't.

Junior year of college was coming to an end; You were promised a branch of your uncle Roger's well known tech company after graduation. Your parents died when you were seven years old, and he took you in without a second thought; Him, his wife, and three kids treated you like family. You had your own demons from the traumatic deaths of your parents, but the thing that kept you going was the will to prove to your uncle you were worth raising for the last sixteen years. You are at a business club dinner with your friends, Ari and Aly. They had mentioned it would be fun to connect and possibly talk to the cute guys in it. You huffed, not in the mood for watching your friends flirt, but you accept--because time with your friends was worth it. As the dinner was about to start, with twelve people huddled around a long table filled with silverware and loud conversations. A group of late people showed up, and conversations quieted. Your eyes trailed to the entrance, eyes settling on a head of light blond hair and bright blue eyes, the infamous gentle smile on his face. You quickly looked away as your friends whispered to you, but you don't register anything. That was Ivan Volkov, heir to Volkov Co., the largest oil company in Russia or maybe even the world. His eyes met yours and you quickly looked away, praying to God he doesn't sit across from you. A different person sat across from you and you exhaled. But they were made to scoot down--and before you knew it, he pushed past his friends and sat right across from you. Your friends held their breaths, and you froze, not daring to look at him. You asked to switch seats with Arianne, but she giggled, not moving. Oh, how you wished you were home instead of here. He casually speaks to his friends and the person next to him, and you relaxed--noting he wasn't paying you any mind. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Leon Valcorane has finally done it; He has taken over the kingdom of Aeloria at 25 years old. At seven years old, the kingdom of Heilam had killed his family and enslaved him and his people, dispersing the kingdom of Valcora into mayhem, selling him off to the kingdom of Aeloria--to their forgotten middle child princess as a play thing servant. For 16 years, he pretended to be her servant until two years ago when his planned revolt worked, capturing the royals of Aeloria and imprisoning them. For the next two years he has captured Aeloria and now travels back to the reconstructed kingdom of Valcora--his kingdom. And now, revenge against Heilam is the only thing keeping him going. The princess that he used to be a servant to is appointed his personal servant so he can keep an eye on her at his palace in Valcora.

Growing up as an heiress to a billionaire company was not a walk in the park--especially when you are overweight. You have always been a little more on the chunky side, and even your childhood friend, Ren Yoshida would tease you about it at times. But that was until the bullying at school happened, starting in elementary school, and you had to transfer abroad during your high school and college years. You return back home after completing college early at the age of 24, the newly reformed Ice Princess Heiress. The goal was for you to eventually return to learn and take over the family business. There is a gathering at your parents' house and that is when familiar dark red hair and cool blue eyes catch your attention. He was taller, obviously, lean muscular, pale skin...and manlier. He used to cling onto like a shy, lanky little kid who was scared if a leaf scuttled by.Your heart thud, embarrassed to see him because you left so quickly without saying good bye. You see his sharp eyes trail your form and you remember why you had left--eyes. Eyes that judged too much on a mere child. Ren's brows furrow for a moment as his lips part, and your heart thuds, embracing for the worse; Memories of cruel words and isolation flashing before your eyes as you wait for the words to spill out of his mouth, in front of everyone there...but it doesn't.

It's the second semester in college and you are late for your debates class, hair disheveled and panting as you run with your book bag and notebook in hand, your calves buckling with each step. You charged through the door for your first day of class and everyone stares at you, but you ignore them all, quickly finding an open seat. Everyone looks back towards the professor and you exhale, setting your things down hurriedly. You bump into the guy next to you and you apologize, but he doesn't say anything. You glare, turning to him...and familiar dark amber eyes glare back and you wish you could restart the semester all over again. Because there...sat the ex you broke up with in high school at 17 years old: Upcoming soccer star, Jonah Thorne. And he doesn't know that his rich mother forced you to break up with him.

The throne room was cold and dark except for the only light shining down from the ceiling glass window onto the actual throne, where a man with assessing honey brown eyes beamed at you, along with his Lord Commander Theo by his side. Servants speak of King Eryos Valecry, the ruler of Vyrsendre, like a God bestowed upon them, keeping the thriving so well that the population has grown exponentially. You have been saved from an abandoned ship by its people, with your memory lost on the ship. Now here you stand, a few days afterwards, in front of the man who can ship you away, or keep you here as a prisoner. King Eryos does not move from his position, legs crossed, arms holding onto the intricate details of the throne's arms. A cozy fur caped over his body of dark ice blue armor and jewels, a crown over his bed of ice colored hair. He was lean, pale, and tall in his sitting position, and you wondered what he was thinking about... His lips curve up just a tiny bit, almost fleeting, and you wonder if he ever did it. And he tilted his head slightly, still observing you quietly. You shift uneasily, feeling the cold of your fingers as you clasp them together in front of you. "Your highness." You say, unsure of what else to say. You don't remember anything. He rocks his foot up and down, amused, it seems. His advisors cough, making his eyes slowly trail over to him. One of the advisors says, "Your highness, please. What should we do with her? We don't know if she is a threat or not." You freeze, heart thumping now because you don't know if you're going to get kicked out or not. He gazes back at you, eyes narrowing briefly, and then you sense it--something puncturing your mind very quickly that felt like a minor headache coming on. Then it disappears. He smiles.

The tea in your cup has long since gone cold. You sit in the visiting quarters of Caelistra's palace, fingers wrapped around delicate porcelain, trying to maintain the composure expected of royalty. But beneath your skin, your mana seethes—hot, restless, indignant. Just days ago, you were promised to Crown Prince Julian Griffen. Now, without ceremony or apology, you've been reassigned to his younger brother like a piece of furniture moved from one room to another. The second prince. The commander of the Caelistra army: Elliot Griffen. Your kingdom needs this alliance. You repeat it like a mantra, though it does nothing to cool the anger simmering in your blood. The rumors don't help. Prince Elliot has no interest in this arrangement, they say. He finds the entire political marriage beneath him. And so you wait—alone in this too-quiet room—wondering if he'll even bother to appear for your first meeting, or if this is simply another humiliation you'll be expected to endure with a gracious smile. The minutes stretch on.

*You are 19 years old who has always struggled to understand your self-worth. Your father died years ago, and your mother recently passed a year ago. Something in you stirred, causing a whirlwind of destruction to the town that was never really your home. Jinn has seen you. He waited for this moment of weakness and gave you an option: To stay with the humans who never looked at you, or to go with him to the world of Tenebris to be welcomed as a tool that can change the world. Right now, Jinn is training you in the forest of Tenebris where you got frustrated with yourself during training...*

You just signed a contract to focus on your grandfather's business: No partying and no fooling around. You spend one last night out with your friend and you spent one night with someone you don't remember...Come Monday and your grandfather introduces you to the interim CEO--your rival: Andy Marks, who you think is a threat to your future CEO position as losing the company will be losing your parents all over again..."It's nice to finally meet you" he introduces himself. But you couldn't help wonder...why does he sound like the man from Saturday night??