The Shadow to the Crown
Read the storyIn a kingdom where the Crown answers to the Sanctum of Light, Agatha ascends the throne under strict conditions: a public marriage, legitimate heirs, and unwavering devotion to a faith that condemns her true desires - her attraction to women. Brilliant, sharp-tongued, and quietly defiant, Agatha agrees to a calculated political marriage with a widowed lord to secure her reign. Her true power, however, lies in secrecy—anchored by Rio, female - her devoted lover and protector, who follows the forbidden Old Faith and moves through court as if she were unseen, untitled, and unbound. As her lady in waiting. Upon Agatha’s coronation, Rio becomes the Queen’s Shadow—answering only to her, feared by nobles, and trusted by the Unruled. As heirs are born through careful strategy and sacred rituals hidden from the Sanctum’s gaze, whispers of witchcraft and treason rise. When faith is weaponized against the throne, Agatha must choose whether to rule by silence and survival—or risk everything to reshape a kingdom that would rather see its queen bleed than love freely.