Bounded by duty
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She was born with a crown, raised in luxury, and known for her fire-bold, reckless, and anything but obedient. Princess Aurelia has never needed anyone to watch over her... until her defiance forces the king's hand.
He is the kingdom's most trusted knight. Loyal, silent, deadly-and now, bound by duty to guard the one person who refuses to be guarded.
He swore an oath to protect her, not love her.
She swore she'd never let him in.
But when shadows rise within the palace walls, and loyalty is tested beyond the blade, the line between duty and desire begins to blur.
He carries a sword at her side, but never a crown on his head.
Because some hearts are not meant to be held-only protected.
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Aurelia was once a nameless maid-obedient, quiet, invisible. But years of servitude taught her one truth: power doesn't belong to those who inherit it. It belongs to those willing to bleed for it. One night, she seized it. She slaughtered the royal family, took the crown, and made herself Queen. The only one she spared? Seraphina-the former princess, now a prisoner in her own palace. Once her mistress, now her captive. Once her dream, now her regret. But history between them runs deeper than anyone suspects. Before rebellion, before betrayal... there were glances. Secrets. Longing. And something dangerous neither of them dared name. Now, with Seraphina under house arrest and Aurelia sitting on a throne drenched in blood, their story begins again-not as ruler and servant, but as two monsters shaped by love, obsession, and the cost of freedom. Maybe she wanted the crown. Maybe she just wanted her. Maybe... she wanted both. ⚠️ Content Warning: dark romance, manipulation, obsession, murder, power imbalance, confinement > More of this chaos? I write the unhinged versions on AO3: sLilith200 🖤
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