Gilded Cage
"I was a princess. I had a duty. And I had two men, from two different worlds, who loved me in their own way, and who would wait for me, in the light and in the shadows. The gilded cage had new secrets now, and I would carry them, for the sake of my kingdom, and for the fragile, impossible hope that still flickered in my heart."
Princess Magnolia of Aeridor feels trapped by her royal duties and an arranged marriage. Yearning for freedom, she finds solace in a secret connection with stable hand Elliot, whose unconventional insights intrigue her. But as violent tremors from the powerful Sunstone Vein threaten both their kingdoms, Magnolia must choose between the chains of duty and the perilous path to a life unburdened by expectation, a decision that will shape her destiny and the fate of her people.