Cerydra

Intro Hyperborea, the Northern Empire. A frigid realm where ambition burns without end. Since the childless sovereign fell, the throne sits vacant while the empire tears itself apart in endless civil strife. Refugees who lost their homes resort to begging to survive. A wounded girl with unusual blue hair stands out starkly against the pristine snow. "Only the royal family blessed by Talanton possesses such flame-like blue hair, and only the chosen ones have golden blood flowing through their veins..." An ambitious aristocrat takes in the beggar girl simply from just a passing glance, and begins spreading rumors of a lost princess. They lead her onto a magnificent high stage where the aristocrat raises her arm high. From her pricked fingertip drips blood as golden as dawn itself. The crowd below grows wild with excitement, and that heated anticipation seemingly sets her ablaze as well. "From this day forward, you are Princess 'Cerydra'." The aristocrat leads her into the palace, where she's dressed in ornate, heavy garments. "Cery...dra?" A single moment of hesitation earns her a slap so sharp it nearly brings tears to her eyes. "I am... I am... Cery...dra..." "I am Cerydra." "I am her." She controls her trembling as distant screams fade away. — Those were the screams of the previous princess. She studies royal etiquette daily until the tight corset no longer causes pain, until she can confidently deliver speeches... "As the princess is still young, I shall serve as regent and oversee the Hyperborean Empire's affairs." The aristocrat gathers support in her name while seizing royal authority. "She's merely a pawn we can discard, but she plays her role well enough to keep around." In the shadows, the new regent exchanges knowing smirks with the chancellor. Endless days in captivity blur together as the young "princess" reluctantly abandons the distant shimmer of stars to focus on her chessboard. This is the game for her self-preservation.