Maelis POV...
What the hell was that?
My fingers trembled as I opened the book again, half-expecting the words to rearrange themselves, to laugh at me for being foolish enough to believe them the first time. But the pages stayed the same. The ink didn't blur.
The names didn't vanish.
They stared back at me....mockingly familiar.
The same character introduction.
The same cursed certainty.
"Am I... in a novel world?" I whispered to myself, my voice sounding too small inside the vast silence of the library.
I shook my head hard. No. Impossible. That only happens in fiction. You don't just get transferred from the real world into a book. That kind of logic belongs to fantasy forums and late-night discussions....not reality.
But then again... I wasn't in reality anymore.
I looked down at my hands....small, pale, unscarred. At the silk sleeves draping over my wrists. At the faint reflection of gold and glass around me. At the body that wasn't mine.
"...For me, it's possible," I muttered bitterly.
Swallowing hard, I opened the book again.
This time, I forced myself to read.
---
The story began with the rise of the most feared empire on the continent....the Kingdom of Ravencourt.
A name that now made my stomach twist.
Ravencourt was described as a kingdom built on conquest and strategy, its armies unmatched, its resources abundant, its rulers ruthless but intelligent. While other kingdoms struggled with internal disputes and fragile alliances, Ravencourt chose a different method of domination.
They captured the future.
Whenever a neighboring kingdom showed even the slightest sign of rebellion....whispers of dissent, movements of armies, political instability....Ravencourt responded not with war, but precision.
They seized the heirs.
Princes and princesses from rival kingdoms were taken under the guise of 'royal wards' but in truth, they were hostages....living chains binding entire nations. As long as Ravencourt held their future rulers within its palace walls, no kingdom dared to rebel.
If they did, their bloodline would end.
Among those captives was Riven Solcaire, the crown prince of the Solcaire Dominion.
He was sent to Ravencourt as a slave in everything but name.
The book described his arrival vividly....chains hidden beneath ceremonial silk, dignity stripped away behind polite words. He was forced to kneel, to obey, to endure humiliation disguised as 'education.'
And then came him.
Maelis Ravencourt.
The villain.
The crown prince of Ravencourt was portrayed as arrogant, cruel, and spoiled by power. According to the novel, Maelis despised Riven from the moment he realized something unforgivable....
Riven was smarter.
No matter the subject....strategy, politics, swordsmanship theory, history....Riven ranked first among all the captive princes and princesses. Calm. Focused. Unyielding.
Maelis, on the other hand, was described as painfully average.
Not because he lacked ability....but because he never tried.
The book painted him as arrogant, relying solely on his birthright and power. And jealousy, festering and poisonous, slowly turned into cruelty.
Page after page detailed the bullying.
The punishments disguised as 'discipline.'
The public humiliations.
The silent fear of those who watched and did nothing.
Maelis gathered allies....not through loyalty, but fear. Princes from weaker kingdoms, desperate to survive, followed him blindly. They laughed when he laughed. They struck when he commanded.
And Riven endured it all.
Because the novel said he was patient. Calculating.
He waited.
When he turned sixteen, the political landscape shifted. The hostage period ended. The princes and princesses were sent back to their kingdoms....educated, broken, and marked forever by Ravencourt's cruelty.
Riven returned home with fire burning in his chest.
He trained.
He sharpened himself into a weapon.
Years passed, and the boy who once knelt became a king drenched in blood. Kingdom after kingdom fell to him. Alliances crumbled. His name alone became a nightmare whispered across borders.
The novel described him as ruthless. Cold. Unforgiving.
And when he finally conquered Ravencourt-
He slaughtered everyone.
The King.
The Queen.
The royal bloodline.
The princes who had once followed Maelis....the so-called allies....were dragged into the square and executed one by one. Some begged. Some screamed. Some tried to justify themselves.
Riven showed no mercy.
The name Maelis Ravencourt was erased from history through public execution.
Except for one person.
Seraphine Valoire.
The book claimed she had been kind to Riven during his darkest days. That she had offered him food, words of comfort, quiet sympathy when no one else dared.
On the day she was meant to marry Maelis, Riven arrived with his army.
The execution happened before the ceremony.
Blood stained the altar.
Seraphine was spared-and taken.
She became one of his wives. One among many queens taken from conquered lands, used to solidify his power.
But the novel insisted she was different.
She was the only woman Riven loved.
Then came Theron Ashveil-Maelis closest friend. A man who had loved Seraphine silently and stepped aside for his best friend.
His return ignited misunderstandings. Jealousy. Manipulation.
Yet, despite everything, the novel forced a happy ending.
Love bloomed.
I stared at the final lines, my vision blurring.
"...What the hell did I just read?"
I slammed the book shut.
"What kind of garbage is this?" I hissed, my hands shaking. "Where is the character development? Where is the strong female lead? This is nonsense. Absolute rubbish."
Anger surged through me-hot and uncontrollable.
I threw the book across the table in disgust.
"I will never gift this shit to Milly."
The words left my mouth-then reality crashed into me like a blade.
Wait.
Publicly beheaded.
The Ravencourt family-executed.
And right now...
I am Maelis Ravencourt.
My breath hitched painfully.
My parents.
They look like my parents.
My legs gave out.
The room tilted, the golden shelves blurring into meaningless shapes. My heart pounded violently, fear clawing its way into every thought.
"No... no, no-"
The world went black.
And once again, I collapsed onto the cold marble floor of the royal library.