Veiled in Lies, Pierced by Thorns

Far from the cityscapes stood the ancient skyscraper-Cedar Dove Academia.

A boarding school where wealth, power, and lineage ruled. Talent and knowledge? Barely noticed. Nestled in the countryside, circled by lakes and mountains, the school itself breathed mystery.

Mornings felt divine-sunlight spilling over peaks, softening the greenery. Yet within its four walls, where pebbled paths gleamed like jewels, tension thrived. Princesses were molded into ladies. Princes, into fighters.

Today marked the new semester. Freshmen arrived with ceremony; they were the heirs of empires. But at the grand doors of Cedar Dove, a car pulled up.

Matthew Harris.

A freshman, devoted to literature, stepped out with his mother. White shirt, chinos, gentle eyes. Not a prince. Not an heir. A commoner, admitted on scholarship.

"Don't be upset if anyone mocks you, okay?" his mother whispered, worry etched deep since his father's passing.

Matthew smiled, kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be fine."

And with that, he walked inside-unaware his path would soon collide with Ashley Herbert.

The future queen.