Claimed By The Tyrant King

The package eventually found its way into the hands of a royal servant and he was to present the important delivery to the Queen. By the time it arrived, however, the Queen was nowhere to be found in the throne hall. Instead, Princess Hannah occupied the chamber, seated where she often received minor reports in the Queen’s absence.

"Your Highness, this package just arrived and was marked as important for the Queen," the servant said respectfully.

"I’ll make sure the Queen receives it," Hannah replied, and the servant bowed before withdrawing.

Once she was alone, Hannah loosened the cords securing the small red pouch and poured its contents into her palm.

The moment her eyes landed on the pendant and chain, her breath caught in her throat as disbelief swept across her face.

This... this was the same pendant the Queen used to wear, and if she remembered correctly, the matching one belonged to Princess Sophia.

Hannah remembered seeing the Queen stare at this matching pendant countless times over the years.

Whenever discussions about Princess Sophia arose, the Queen would unconsciously reach for it as if it were the last piece of her daughter she still possessed.

There was no way Hannah could mistake it.

But how?

Her fingers tightened around the chain as shock flooded through her. She quickly looked inside the pouch again and found a folded letter. Without wasting another second, she unfolded it.

My name is Sophia, though I was raised under the name Rosalind in Eryndor. I lost my memories after the war and only recently discovered my origins.

Inside this package is a pendant that belonged to me. Hidden within it is a picture of the Queen holding a child and a white tiger cub. I am the child in that picture.

I bear the same mark shown in the image, and seeing it restored fragments of memories I believed were lost forever.

I am currently in Eryndor and am expected to marry King Alaric in two days. If this pendant is known to you, then I ask that you investigate this matter immediately.

Hannah read through the letter before looking back at the pendant. Did this message actually come from Princess Sophia, the very princess the royal family had spent years searching for?

They had never given up the search, and to think that she had been living in Eryndor all this time while they searched everywhere else.

Now she was reaching out to them herself.

Hannah wanted to believe it was a lie because over the years countless people had come forward claiming they knew where Sophia was, only for every lead to end in disappointment.

Yet this person had been clever. She had not sent only a letter because a letter could easily be dismissed. She had sent the pendant as well. That was proof.

Real proof.

Not only did they now know where Sophia was, but they also knew she was about to marry the King of Eryndor.

For a brief moment, genuine happiness bloomed inside Hannah. She imagined showing the pendant to the Queen. The woman had grieved for years, and Hannah knew she would be overjoyed if she learned her daughter had finally been found because if there was even the slightest possibility that Sophia was alive, the Queen would move heaven and earth to bring her home.

But slowly, that happiness began to fade.

A darker thought slipped into her mind, and once it appeared, it refused to leave.

Because if the Queen found Sophia...

What would become of her?

Hannah had always known she was not the Queen’s real daughter. She had simply been fortunate enough to be rescued during the war and brought into the palace. The Queen had clothed her, educated her, and treated her with kindness. She had been given the finest things and allowed to live a life most people could only dream of.

Yet no matter how loved she was, it had never truly felt like she belonged.

The Queen always spoke about Sophia, searched for her and mourned her.

And now Sophia herself had reached out.

That meant everything would change. She would no longer be seen as the Queen’s daughter. She would become what she truly was... a rescued girl who had spent years living the life meant for someone else.

The thought dug into Hannah’s chest and poisoned her heart little by little until her fingers crumpled the letter.

No.

She couldn’t allow the Queen to see this.

And she couldn’t allow Sophia to come back and take her place.

****

Meanwhile, back in Eryndor, Rosalind sat alone in her chamber, hoping with every passing moment that the package had somehow reached Merovia.

She hoped her family would finally learn where she was. More than anything, she hoped they would come for her before it was too late as the wedding was only two days away.

Every hour that passed brought her closer to a future she dreaded, and she found herself imagining countless possibilities.

Some filled her with hope, others with fear, but she clung to the belief that if the Queen saw the pendant, she would not ignore it.

The pendant was the strongest proof Rosalind possessed, and she prayed it would reach the Queen without any interruption.

Rosalind pressed her hands together tightly as she stared out the window. Hope was all she had left now, and if the message failed to reach Merovia in time, she would be forced to marry Alaric no matter who she truly was.

****

Back in Merovia, Hannah’s gaze drifted toward the candle burning nearby. Its flame flickered softly, and as she stared at it, a dangerous thought entered her mind.

She could burn the letter, so no one would ever know.

And the pendant...

She could hide that too.

Her fingers tightened around both items as she stared into the flame... It would be better this way.

Better if Sophia was never found and better if she never came back.