Chapter 3: The Queen Without a Crown
Before anyone could move, Celeste suddenly reached beneath her gown.
Steel flashed.
A jeweled dagger appeared in her hand.
"If I can't have the throne..."
Her eyes locked onto Mara.
"...neither can she."
She lunged.
Everything happened at once.
The king stepped forward instinctively.
Royal guards rushed across the marble floor.
Mara froze.
Then a broad figure burst through the crowd.
It was Rowan.
The blacksmith who had raised Mara as his own daughter.
He had followed the royal carriage to the palace after hearing rumors that his adopted child had been taken inside.
Without hesitation, he threw himself between Mara and the blade.
The dagger slashed across his shoulder instead.
"Run!" he shouted.
The guards tackled Celeste before she could strike again.
The dagger clattered across the marble.
She screamed as soldiers pinned her to the floor.
"It was supposed to be mine!"
She laughed hysterically.
"My father promised me everything!"
The king looked at her with overwhelming sadness.
"No."
His voice was calm.
"He promised you something he had already stolen."
Celeste lowered her head.
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For the first time in her life...
She realized the crown had never belonged to her.
