From a distance, attendant Frederick could see his employer, Alexander Quinn Arcane, the first prince of the Empire of Arcane, sparring with his most trusted knights. Spotting the prince, Frederick Morrari quickened his pace toward the bustling training ground.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!... Excuse me… Excuse me… Your Highness!” he called out, struggling to navigate through the sea of testosterone dominating the field.

When the prince and his knights noticed Frederick’s frantic attempts to reach them, they paused their sparring. One of the knights grinned and called out, “Hey Fred, what’s the rush? Is someone in labor?”

Their laughter filled the air, but Frederick, catching his breath, heaved a sigh and turned to the prince.

“Yes, Your Highness. Your wife is in labor.”

The moment those words left Frederick’s mouth, the honorable first prince bolted toward the chambers where his wife was, dragging his loyal attendant along as though his tail was on fire.

Agatha Bellatrix was a woman blessed with unparalleled beauty, rivaling every woman in the Empire. But her striking appearance was matched by her formidable strength of mind and body. Known as the roaring tigress of Archduke Philip Bellatrix’s estate, she was famously unyielding, with a reputation that even made her father tread lightly around her.

Her innocent face, peach blossom eyes, and wavy red hair belied a fiery temper that had earned her the title of the Iron Lady of the Empire.

When the "Demon Prince" married the Iron Lady, it had been the most unexpected union in the Empire. Their notorious clashes and constant bickering had been the talk of society. Yet, much to everyone’s surprise, their marriage proved to be blissful. They became one of the most loving couples in the Empire, never quarreling—not even once.

This unexpected harmony left many aristocratic maidens and their scheming mothers deeply disappointed. They had been waiting for the marriage to collapse, hoping to claim the coveted position of the first prince’s wife—a role that brought them closer to the throne.

When the prince finally reached the chambers, he was met with a flurry of activity as maids bustled in and out. After ordering Frederick to stay outside, he attempted to enter the room himself, only to be stopped by the maids on his wife’s orders.

Agatha had made it clear: no men were allowed inside, not even her husband.

Defeated and visibly anxious, the first prince was unceremoniously sent back outside, where he began his long vigil. He refused to eat or sleep, remaining steadfast at the door. He waited, and waited, and waited.

While Alexander worried endlessly for his wife, other members of the royal family had far less noble concerns. They fretted over their positions and influence in the court, knowing that the birth of the child could dramatically alter the balance of power in the Empire.

“Emily, what do you think? Is it going to be a boy?” Evelyn Russels, the current Empress, asked her personal maid.

“I don’t think so, Your Majesty. If it is a boy, I have already arranged for maids to take care of him,” the maid replied.

Her maid’s words put the Empress at ease, and she thought, That’s good. That way, my children and I can succeed to the throne.

The Empress wasn’t the only one thinking this way. All the schemers in the palace were waiting for a chance to usurp the throne, making the new addition to the family a potential threat.

Meanwhile, one person was eagerly awaiting the birth of his first grandchild. Though he tried to maintain a calm demeanor, Sir Nicolas Morrari could sense the excitement of His Highness Theodore Alldyn Arcane, the Emperor of the Arcane Empire. Nicolas knew that beneath the Emperor’s composed facade, a storm was brewing. Even though Theodore was the Emperor, he understood that a single misstep could endanger his grandchild’s life.

News of a prince with an extraordinary fate being born in the Northern Empire had already spread far and wide. Now, the Arcane Empire eagerly awaited its own miracle. The Emperor had a strong feeling that his grandchild would bring something extraordinary to the world, even if the child turned out to be a girl. For him, the child’s health was the only thing that mattered. Yet, deep down, he felt that this heir would be a once-in-a-million kind of phenomenon.

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As everyone anticipated the newborn’s arrival, a strange phenomenon occurred: the sky over the empire darkened on one side, illuminated only by the brightest moon, while the other half of the sky glowed under a sun that refused to set, even though it was past midnight. This unusual event stirred hope among the people. Even the scheming Empress and the palace’s other conspirators recognized the significance of the celestial display.

Finally, Agatha gave birth.

The moment the child was born, a beam of light descended from the heavens, piercing through the palace roof to bathe the newborn in its radiance. The midwife’s startled scream summoned the first prince, who rushed into the room.

What he saw stunned him: his newborn child was floating in the air, enveloped in a divine light from the heavens. When he looked up, he saw the sky split in two—half day, half night—with the light beam originating from the Heavenly Palace, a relic thought to have vanished with the old gods.

The phenomenon lasted only a few minutes before the sky returned to normal. Millions of sparkling stardust particles fell across the empire, blessing the land. Wherever the stardust landed, barren soil turned fertile, withering vegetation flourished, the sick were healed, and water sources gained medicinal properties.

The prince wasn’t the only one to witness this miraculous event; every citizen in the empire experienced it. To them, the birth of this child signaled a new beginning for the mortal world.

Once the commotion settled, the Grand Mage of the Mage Tower arrived at the royal palace with the elders of the tower. They were promptly led to the royal hall.

“We greet Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Arcane Empire!” they said in unison.

The Grand Mage stepped forward. “Your Majesty, we congratulate you on behalf of the entire Mage Tower. May the newborn prince stay healthy and grow up to be a formidable leader.”

As the Grand Mage spoke, golden orbs materialized in the hall and transformed into the Gods who guard the world from the Abyss. At their sight, everyone present knelt in reverence.

“Hail to the Gods of Ausra Nevaeh. Let thy holy light shine brighter.”

“May the blessings of the ONE TRUE BEING be with you.” the Gods intoned, their voices echoing through the royal hall.

The Emperor and his subjects rose, looking at the Gods with awe.

The presence of Gods brought joy to the Emperor and the prince, though it also stirred envy among others.

“Grand Mage, it seems you are mistaken,” one of the Gods said. “The child is not a prince but a princess.”

“Prince Alexander of Arcane, may I have permission to meet your daughter? Please, lead the way,” one of the Gods requested.

Startled by the sudden request, Alexander stood and, without hesitation, guided the way to the room where his wife and newborn daughter rested.

The goddess of fertility, Dairin, approached the crib and cradled the newborn child with utmost tenderness. The baby was stunning, like a delicate blossom, with flawless white skin, cherry-red lips, a slender, straight nose, and eyes that were as captivating as they were unique. Her left eye was a mesmerizing sky blue with silver freckles, while her right eye shone a deep purple adorned with golden specks. The child’s head was crowned with thick hair of intertwined red and silver strands.

The goddess of beauty, Calista, couldn’t help but coo at the baby in Dairin's embrace, marveling at her radiant beauty.

Around the child, the gods gathered in a circle. Destin, the God of Destiny, leaned forward and gently booped the baby’s tiny nose with his fingertip. “Your Highness, Prince Alexander of Arcane, this child will bring peace not just to our world but to all worlds plagued by the Abyss. Do not fear her, for she is wise beyond her years. Dear child, we are not here to bestow blessings upon you; you have already been blessed by the ONE TRUE BEING himself, along with all our masters. We offer only our hopes and await the day you become our savior.”

The gods began their blessings in harmonious unison. “May the will of the ONE TRUE BEING bear fruit through you.”

In an instant, the gods vanished, dissolving into orbs of light.

Despite the relentless pleas of the Grand Mage, the Emperor refused to allow them to see the princess and instructed them to return only when the child was officially presented at the Awakening Ceremony.

The Empress, unable to endure the situation any longer, retreated to her private quarters with her maids and her son, the Second Prince, Zelus Cimon Arcane. The current Empress was the stepmother of the first prince and the biological mother of the second. She had always envied the first prince’s cleverness and bravery. She had hoped her weak and lazy son would marry the Archduke’s daughter, boosting his chances of claiming the throne. But they had lost her to the first prince. Now, with her own son expecting a child, she wished for the newborn to arrive first, so she could improve her son's claim to the throne. Yet, it was the first prince’s child that had been born first.

The only glimmer of comfort left for the Empress was that the newborn was a girl. She thought, No matter how blessed she is by all the gods, as long as she is a girl, she is insignificant. My grandson will always be the one to challenge for the throne. Little did she know, time alone would reveal who was truly strong and who was weak.