Li Xiang is the Priestess of the Moon, she can see read the stars and fortune as well as misfortune to her people. However, the life of a Priestess consists of nothing but loneliness: she can neither leave the palace nor meet with anyone but the Emperor and his advisors. One day a mysterious servant boy named Rui sneaks into her room, daring her to go outside if he wins against her in a game. Upon meeting him, she also befriends a female warrior and a scholar, and realizes life is much more than the palace. When the day comes she can either choose to go down the road her heart truly desires but bring ruin to the kingdom, or ignore the one chance she will ever have to leave this life? *** "My fate has been decided for me." "There's no such thing as that," he said. "We all make our own fate." "But the stars tell me--" I stopped talking when he holds my face in his hands, warm hands cupping my cheeks, brown eyes looking into my eyes. "Then stop looking at the stars. Look at me." A love story about fate, finding one's identity, stepping out of your comfort zone, and, most of all, choosing between your happiness or the happiness of others... [[Word Count: 80,000-90,000]] Wattys Fantasy Winner 2021

A few minutes into the walk, I heard footsteps shuffling behind me. I tensed up and halted in my tracks. My heart began to pound violently in my chest. I felt too afraid to even do anything. I stayed glued to my spot, but that didn't stop the footsteps from approaching. Mustering all of the courage left in me, I spun around and to my utmost horror, two men - more like thugs were standing just few inches away from me. Ya Allah, please protect me! I don't want to die like this. I spun back around and started walking, my pace increasing rapidly. "Hey! Where the f*** do you think you're going, bit**" One of the men slurred. By the tone of his voice, I could tell he was tipsy or high. The rate of my fear intensified. MANAL ❤ ©2019