Chapter 1
Hello, lovely readers.
This story was inspired by a prompt (Open Novella Contest 2026 on Wattpad), but everything you’ll read here was built from my own imagination. Any resemblance to real people, places, or institutions is purely coincidental.
Prompt #40: You and your greatest enemy are struck by a curse that binds your lives together. The only way to survive is to share a kiss, but you would both rather face death than each other.
I’ve been dying to write a true enemiesxlovers trope, now whether this ends in a happily ever after... or something far more dangerous... is a question even I’m not fully ready to answer.
All I can promise is this: crowns will break, loyalties will bleed and not everyone will survive unscathed.
Yours truly, R.W. XOXO
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~ IMPERIAL LEXICON OF AUREVANE ~
(Founding Terms of the Fractured Crown Era)
AUREVANE: Ancient Imperial term meaning “Gold that survives ruin.”
Symbol of endurance through fracture. Later used as the name of Aurevane Academy, founded after the War of the Fractured Crowns to prevent unchecked sovereignty.
VINDEX: Latin cognomen meaning “champion,” “defender,” or “avenger.”
Historically used for those who upheld justice or reclaimed power by force. Ironic in the case of Mythias Vindex...feared as a destroyer, yet bearing the name of a protector.
VERDANOR: Origin unknown. Absent from official Crown founding records. Never officially recognised as a sovereign kingdom, Verdanor refers to an ancient woodland and the settlement built within it, historically linked to the dormant Lionheart Sigil. Its claim to kingdom status remains disputed.
LYSANDER: From Greek origins meaning “liberator.” Fitting or perhaps ironic for Lionel Lysander, the Light Prince whose intentions may not align with his name.
VENATRIX NOCTIS: From Latin roots: Venatrix (huntress) Noctis (night)
Meaning: “Huntress of the Night.” A refined, nearly undetectable toxin used by imperial assassins.
THE EMPEROR REFORGED: A sacred relic statue veined in gold. Kintsugi. Represents an empire shattered and imperfectly restored. Believed to bind fractured sovereignties together... willingly or not.
THE WAR OF THE FRACTURED CROWNS: The civil war that shattered the unified empire generations ago. Ended with the founding of the crown, a seat for all fourteen powerful kingdoms along with the opening of Aurevane Academy to prevent a single ruler from rising uncontested again.
Public record frames the decision as reform. Private accounts imply it was prevention.
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CAST/ AESTHETICS
