A swing of the sword.

The sharp blade went into the wood like a knife into butter. Sweat dripped from the tip of his nose. Let off steam, try to relax, do everything to return the ice blocks back to their place, in his heart.

That devil Rosemary. Remembering the face of his now deceased wife, pale, contemptuously distorted even in death, with white foam at the corners of her mouth and yellowish, dried bile on her chin. Gregor clenched his teeth - the clouds over Ravengard grew heavier, heavy rain poured down, as if made of steel and glass. The air smelled of damp earth, grass and clay.

He asked her to be careful. He asked her to be careful. He respected her, even though he had never carried her in his arms. Gregor had done everything his mother, who had died the night before, had expected of him – Queen Gretta adored Rosemary, extolled the noble family of the Greens as if they were gods who had set foot on the sinful lands of Ravengard. Gregor felt the crown pressing on his temples, the hot gold circlet cauterizing his skin, his hair smoldering, turning into gray strands in his chestnut mane.

Gregor swung his sword again, and the wet wood of the dummy creaked. The training pole tilted, and Gregor thrust his sword into the ground, leaning on it like a crutch. An invisible weight presses on his back - pain for the look of his children, pain for Ravengard, which suffers chaos, pain for how his perfect, strong posture broke for the first time.

When he married Rosemary Greens, Duchess of the Greens dynasty, he did not expect anything from the marriage. Only as a true man he respected her, sought cooperation in this arranged marriage. Gretta was no longer Queen - her mother gave him the Crown many years ago, but the woman's influence was tangible. For long twenty-one years, Ravengard stood firm, repelled the attacks of the neighboring state of Tarnelis at the Dragon's Ridge, did not surrender its ports in the Evil Gulf to the state of Calestoria. While Gregor tore out enemy outposts with his teeth, while he built heavy chains of action, appointing spies, using even the black market to achieve total information, Rosemary had one job. To be a pious Queen, to be a spark that warmed the common people in such difficult times.

And she failed.

Of course, Gregor knew that Rosemary was not happy about their marriage. But was it so difficult to be careful? To cheat without the nobility finding out about it? Gregor never forbade his wife to splash out her feminine temperament, except that he asked her to be careful, to keep this shamelessness in the shadows, to be prudent and to remember what it was like to wear a Crown, and how tightly a golden circlet can constrict the head.

Gregor executed her lover. Not cruelly – a quick death by guillotine in the dead of night on the castle grounds, so as not to make a theatrical performance out of the unfortunate man’s death for the entire city beyond the walls. Was it necessary?.. not quite. In fact, Gregor even regretted his decision for a moment, since the man was not entirely to blame – Gregor knows what his wife could be like when she wants something.

After the execution, to which he forcibly brought Rosemary, he allowed himself to pull her hair for the first time. He hissed right in her face – it was her fault for the death of this man, her feminine temperament, her brainlessness. And she was lucky that Gregor did not send the family of this unfortunate man an official paper accusing him of damaging the royal prestige.

He did not expect Rosemary to do what she did. He found her, dead, with a suicide note clutched in her hand. What was in that scrap of paper Gregor does not know – the note was immediately burned. He will never forget the expression on Roman’s face when he found that difficult moment in the throne room. The young prince was crying, hugging his mother’s body. The young princess, who had come running to the sounds of the fuss, fainted from the horror that overtook her in an instant – Gregor managed to pick up his daughter in his arms, and soon sank to the floor with her.

Queen Rosemary's death undermined the health of Queen Gretta, who was retired. She loved Rosemary and treated her daughter-in-law very well. After Gretta's death, chaos ensued - while Gregor tried to eliminate this, leveling his position among the nobility - after all, rumors that it was he who killed Rosemary were already a popular topic at balls - the Greens family began a full-fledged fight with the Dawnfort family.

Dawnfort and the Greens had been at war since the ancient times of Ravengard, and Dawnfort had the upper hand, although they too were in crisis after the death of Nicole (Gregor's first wife). The Greens knew that the Dawnfort family had an heir, and they were eager to win her over as well, in order to make her a pawn in their political game. Gregor had given her his family name and the title of princess, meaning that it tied her to the royal family.

...and then, he remembered. He remembered her.

Her name felt unnatural on his tongue. Gregor swallowed, closed his eyes. He had almost forgotten about her, about the girl to whom he had given his family name and the title of princess many years ago. He had almost forgotten about the girl with whose help he would put an end to chaos and destruction.

They had never been close, although Gregor was technically her stepfather. To his shame, Gregor did not even remember how old she was - he only knew that she had received a decent education, had been abroad, was well fed and treated promptly, and has definitely reached the age when he can marry her. Twenty-two? Twenty-three?... Echoes of the Past, a Broken Red Thread - Gregor buried a part of his heart with Nicole, the pain of her death dulled over the years, almost disappeared. But with every step, with every step towards the Dawnfort family nest, a heavy feeling inevitably appeared in his chest. ... does she look like Nicole?

"Your Majesty," the corpulent man in a luxurious expensive suit said hoarsely from cigarettes. The velvet clung to its folds in all places, making it look more like a velour bag from the local fair. "We have been expecting you since the day we received the news."

Gregor chuckled. His back is perfectly straight, the scarlet robe swaying behind him, like a living creature. Heavy boots left a thud, as if stone was hitting stone. Gregor had not been here for more than twenty years. The Dawnfort family portraits hung in elegant wooden frames made of the rarest rosewood from distant Talassaria. Gregor gritted his teeth and looked ahead sharply when he stole Nicole's portrait out of the corner of his eye. Shaking his head, Gregor followed Mr. Dawnfort.

He entered more abruptly than he would have liked. His gaze quickly scanned the luxurious maiden quarters, dominated by a soft bed and a pink canopy with scarlet thread patterns. Lace curtains were tied with satin ribbons, and a soft polar bear pelt lay on the floor. The heavy, handcrafted furniture, carved with the Dawnfort family patterns, was black in color, seeming even heavier in the light, airy room. The quarters of a young duchess, a young princess. Gregor swallowed as she entered.

Gregor closed his eyes, nodded respectfully, and allowed himself to look her over. She was beautiful, but a little lost. She was old enough to get married - he wondered how many nasty worms were already squirming around her feet at such a difficult time. Gregor wouldn't be surprised if the youthful brat Maximilian of the Greens family was already hitting on her. Her moderately luxurious dress, with beautiful embroidery on the skirt and precious stones on her corset, indicated that she was probably busy with something. But he didn't have time to wonder about that.

"You." His stern voice with a natural huskiness broke the hanging silence in the women's quarters. He thought for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly, but it only lasted for a few seconds. "You are marrying me. The wedding is in ten days. This is an order, this is your duty. And you are obliged to fulfill it." He extended his callused palm to her.

God, how fragile, Gregor thought, squeezing her thin wrist in his massive hand. His gesture was not angry or rude, his calloused fingers even gently stroked the soft skin of the girl's hand.

Mr. Dawnfort, who was her grandfather, opened his mouth. All the color had disappeared from his greasy face, even his hair seemed to have suddenly turned gray. The aristocrat clearly had some kind of plans for her, but that was not surprising. In the conditions of chaos, it is she who has the potential to be a pawn, a cog, an important bolt in a well-oiled manipulative chariot that could carry the unfortunate young lady into the very heat of hellish chaos.

"Your Majesty!.." squealed Dawnfort, blinking stupidly. But he was not able to answer the King. They had not yet managed to become so closely related to the Voxes, not counting Duchess Nicole, who, unfortunately, did not live long. The old man looked at her, his granddaughter, and chuckled. His eyes were already reflecting an active intellectual process, and soon he realized that... that for Dawnfort, this marriage was a chance not only to strengthen their ties, but to wipe the hated Greens off the face of the earth.

"Leave us," Gregor said lowly, his voice icy and displeased. The old man quickly obeyed and left, only carefully closing the door behind him. Gregor turned his gaze to his adopted daughter, who was for him... a stranger. Just a young girl, on whose shoulders so much fell at once. Gregor pursed his lips, his grip on her fragile wrist became softer.

"It is of great importance to me to know that you recognize the necessity of this, and to what extent the union between us holds significance.." Gregor says coldly, looking her in the eyes. "It means nothing that you bear my name. You are still Dawnfort-Vox, and you should know how dark times can be." Gregor released her hand. Taking two steps back, the king bowed to her, pressing his hand to his heart, where it seemed he no longer had one. Straightening his back, Gregor took her hand again and left a light kiss on her knuckles. A gesture full of regret, apology, and even a promise. "I solemnly vow to bestow upon you protection, solace, and prosperity. I shall place the Queen’s Crown upon your brow, and I shall dedicate myself to ensuring your back remains upright and your shoulders unbowed, steadfast in your dignity and strength." A vow full of heaviness and a flash of bitterness in his voice. Gregor released her soft, fragile hand. "Say something. If you have had someone as a suitor before, I am truly sorry."