Six years had passed since that fateful day at the Rosamère Finishing School , six years since a wild-haired girl from Zerola and a golden-haired daughter of a duke first pulled each other into chaos and friendship. Britannia had changed since then, or maybe it hadn't. The streets still whispered of secrets, and the nobles still wore smiles that hid daggers.
The Kingdom of Britannia, proud and golden, stood as the crown of civilization. At its heart ruled King Benjamin II of House Stanford, a man whose presence commanded respect and whose word was law. He was stern but fair, known for his booming laughter and his love for hunting. At his side stood Queen Selina of House Vale, graceful and cunning, a woman whose beauty was only rivaled by her sharp mind. Together they ruled the kingdom with an elegance that made other nations envious. They ruled so well that no one could complain about the queen's lowly birth.
Their children were the jewels of the court, Crown Prince Julian, tall, charming, and utterly aware of his perfection, and the royal twins, Princess Edwina and Prince Edwin, whose constant mischief kept the palace guards awake at night. The royal family was admired, whispered about, and sometimes feared ,the kind of family poets wrote about and servants gossiped over.
The capital city, Elaris, sparkled like a diamond on Britannia's golden crown. It was a city of endless carriages, glimmering gowns, and late-night scandals whispered over champagne. The grand townhouses stood shoulder to shoulder in elegant rows, their windows glowing with laughter and candlelight. Music from ballroom after ballroom floated through the crisp night air, and gossip traveled faster than carriages ever could.
But that spring, Elaris buzzed for a different reason. The new social season had begun, a time when mothers sharpened their smiles, young men dusted off their charm, and debutantes prayed not to trip while curtsying before the queen. It was a battlefield dressed in silk and lace, where hearts could be won, broken, or sold to the highest bidder.
And among those stepping into society were two young women, two girls who had grown into graceful ladies with entirely different destinies.
From the grand estate of Windmere, came Lady Lavender Sparrow, daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Windmere, Lord Edward and Lady Beatrice Sparrow. The couple were known for their quiet grace and charitable hearts,or as some of the ton called it, their foolish kindness. They had no children of their own until fate brought a little girl from distant Zerola into their lives. Lady Lavender was no ordinary debutante,her skin glowed like bronze satin, her curls a deep black that shimmered blue under candlelight. Many still whispered, but she held her head high, a symbol of grace carved from defiance.
Across the street in Elaris stood the grand townhouse of Ashburrow, belonging to the Duke and Duchess, Lord Thomas and Lady Clarissa Cavendish. The Cavendishes were everything the Sparrows were not,proud, powerful, and far too aware of their bloodline. Their daughter, Lady Sarah Cavendish, had become the darling of every ballroom before the season had even begun. Blonde, poised, and with a smile that could charm even the most bitter dowager, she was the very picture of what society wanted in a lady.
The two families could not have been more different, and yet, their daughters were inseparable. Neighbors in Elaris, rivals in beauty, equals in wit, and bound by something far stronger than blood ,friendship. The ton might have raised their brows, but Lavender and Sarah didn't care.
Now, standing at the threshold of womanhood, the two friends were about to face their first London season, or rather, their first Elaris season. Gowns would shimmer, waltzes would spin, and love , oh, love,would play its dangerous games.
But neither of them knew that beneath the polished marble floors and glittering chandeliers of Britannia, something darker was brewing, whispers of rebellion, heartbreak, and secrets that could shatter even the brightest of crowns.
And in the middle of it all stood two girls, Lavender Sparrow and Sarah Cavendish, about to learn that in Britannia, friendship could be a blessing… or a curse.