Introduction People often say that every choice has a consequence. They're right. What they don't tell you is that some lessons arrive years too late—after the damage has already been done, after hearts have been broken, after opportunities have slipped away, and after you've become someone you barely recognize. If I could go back, there are things I would do differently. Words I would never say. People I would hold on to. Decisions I would never make. But life doesn't give us the privilege of rewriting yesterday. This is not the story of a perfect girl. It's the story of a girl who tried to be perfect for everyone else until she forgot who she was. I have loved deeply. I have trusted the wrong people. I have made mistakes I wish I could erase. I have hurt others, and I have been hurt in return. Some moments filled me with joy. Others left wounds that took years to heal. For a long time, I believed my story was something to hide. Now I know it is something to tell. These pages are not written to ask for sympathy or to justify my choices. They are written because someone, somewhere, may be standing where I once stood—confused, afraid, desperate to be loved, and searching for a place to belong. If my story can help even one person make a wiser choice than I did, then every painful lesson was worth writing down. This is my story. And these are the lessons I learnt too late.

Every century, the Kingdom of Elaria awakens its most feared ritual: seven maidens are chosen, one becomes queen, and the rest are sacrificed to maintain the ancient magic that keeps the throne alive.Ella never imagined she would be among them — until a glowing mark appears on her skin, binding her to a destiny she never asked for. Taken from her home and thrust into the obsidian palace, she enters a world of deception, beauty, and blood-soaked traditions.The King, rumored to be ruthless and cold-hearted, is nothing like the monster she expected. Behind his iron mask lies a man trapped by a curse older than the kingdom itself — a curse that demands both magic and sacrifice.Ella’s presence disrupts everything.Her mark is unique.Her power is awakening.And her connection to the King becomes a dangerous spark neither of them can control.As the deadly trials begin and the other chosen maidens turn into rivals, Ella discovers the truth:She wasn’t chosen to be crowned.