I Stole the Heroines' Tragedy Flags - Chapter 41: The Masterless Nest

[COMPLETE] Can a royal Romeo and Juliet find their happy ending?

Ayleth, Princess of Zenithra, is secretly trained in hand-to-hand combat, and collects swear words she doesn't know how to use. During the Festival of Peace, in which every royal son on the continent will be at the castle for a month, she is instructed by her parents to find a husband. Yet, Ayleth has never even been kissed—until the very first ball, when she meets the man in the Lion mask.

Etan is a seasoned warrior, and the Prince of Summitras. He attends the Festival hoping to find a powerful wife who will help him conquer the dark sorcery of their bloodsworn enemies, the Kingdom of Zenithra. But at the very first ball, he discovers the masked woman who captures his heart is the Heir to the evil empire.

Ayleth and Etan face an impossible battle. Will their love survive? Or will their parents' dark dealings keep them apart forever?

[Mature content. No sexual violence.]

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“You…” She stepped back. Then back again, her mouth dropped open. “You… You cannot be…”

“I am,” Etan said, and his hair raked back as he pushed his mask off his handsome face. So handsome her heart raced.

His hair was ebony black, his skin a warm brown that threatened to fade in in the winter months. He stared at her with glittering green eyes, over high cheekbones and a noble nose, his jaw tight and shadowed this late in the day. His chin was high over the pillar of his neck that she’d just touched with its hard lines and steel strength, so different to her own. And his chest... She gasped and covered her eyes. She’d humiliated herself revealing her stupid, childish curiosity.

“No, Ayleth. This changes nothing.”

“How can you say that? It changes everything!” She was horrified to realize she was crying.

“Ayleth, please.” His voice cracked on the plea and she stared at him, shoving her mask up and off, despite how it would pull her hair out of the beautiful twist the maid had managed for her.

His eyes locked on hers and she couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe.

She had met her One. And he was the son of her bloodsworn enemy.

She stared at him as he stepped forward again, offering both hands, palm up. “Touch me,” he whispered. “Hold my hands. This is real, Ayleth. I don’t know how it happened, but this is real. Please don’t deny it.”

She couldn’t resist. She raised a trembling hand to his cheek, letting her palm catch on the scruff of his jaw. He blew out a breath and put his hand over hers, and that jolt that happened whenever they touched shivered through her again.

“Please, Ayleth.”

“I cannot deny it,” she whispered.

[Mature Content]I was born a bastard to the Archduke of Beloria, scorned because of my odd-looking hair and sickly body, maltreated by my stepmother and sister.And my father? He never looked my way. I was the reminder of a mistake he could never accept.My entire life should've been trying to live through my days as a labeled whores daughter and the taint to the noble house but everything changed when my marriage to the Lycan Monarch was announced.Lycans are apex predators, superior beings, beastmen, and originators of those horror stories your parents told you about to make you behave. My father saw fit to throw me to the beasts as a means to reclaim the lost lands.I was the bargain for a better future for the last human kingdom, but I felt more cursed than blessed. Forced into training to please a beast and ensure I was fit to be his wife.I dreaded the day I'd wed the Monarch and be treated no less than human meat. I've heard stories about him, and they are far worse than any combined. They call him a mindless beast, merciless, the ultimate feared being in the entire realm, and the terror that bested the vampires in war and ended it under his rule.My future was bleak.But when the day arrived and I set my gaze on the beast I'm meant to marry... I realized Drevon Balthar was unlike the rumors; they didn't tell the whole story.

Bags of salt, spices and sugar stacked from inside the shop all the way out into the streets. Merchants loaded with goods going flooded the streets with their carriages.

#HeiressShi Ran encountered an accident and transmigrated into a novel. She became a small-time cannon fodder supporting character in the story and was also a fake daughter who was not as good as the female lead of the plot. It was probably easier to just stop trying so hard and let herself go. Anti-fans: “Our Feifei’s skills are killing it!”The next day, Shi Ran’s first drama was released, and her seven-second appearance in the clip became viral on the internet, overshadowing the female lead, Shi Wenfei. It was smooth sailing for Shi Ran after that, and she even won the best actress award in one fell swoop. Anti-fans: “Our Feifei can sing and even write her own songs. What can Shi Ran do?”Elite Emperor: I won the Best Golden Song Award this time, and it’s all thanks to my awesome composer @ShiRan!Anti-fans: “!!!”One day, when a live stream was ongoing, anti-fans poured into the channel frantically, abusing the bullet comments and cursing in barrages. Anti-fans: “Our Feifei has gotten engaged with Young Master Zhou! Her fiance is tall, rich, and handsome! He pampers her, unlike you, who's unwanted!” “Babe, where are my things?” A man’s deep, magnetic voice silenced the barrages of comments. In the next second, a man with an enchanting look appeared in front of the camera. Everyone was shocked! It was the Chu family’s future head, Chu Jinchen! The man’s black eyes swept across the barrage of comments flying on the page. Pretending to be puzzled, he said, “The Zhou family? Who’re they?”Shi Ran looked at him, who was obviously humblebragging, and said, “I’m live streaming now.” “Why don’t you live stream something more interesting?” Saying that, the man leaned closer and behaved intimately. Everyone watching broke out into indulgent smiles. Then the camera went black, and the live stream ended. Everyone slammed their keyboards frantically. No! Continue the live stream! Come on! The next day…#Actress goes public with her relationship# was on the hot search. Chu Jinchen: “You’re finally willing to go public with me, Baby!”Shi Ran: “...Are you sure you didn’t pay to put that headline in the hot search?”