*Lyra’s POV*
I am Lyra Barclay, the younger sister of the kingdom’s beloved future queen, Raylee. She’s everything the kingdom wants—graceful, admired, and somehow endlessly lucky. And then there’s me, the overlooked, the “other” princess. I smile when expected, nod politely, and play the part, but no one sees the fire that burns beneath my soft, practiced exterior. No one sees my ambition.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve envied Raylee’s role as the Kingmaker. The prophecy whispered about her, the girl who would stand beside the future king and bring unity to the kingdom. My father and the council never failed to remind everyone of her importance, her destiny. And all I could do was watch, my own desires quietly strangled under the weight of her shadow. I longed to be the one. I cr
