Throne of velvet and thorns

About

A strange uneasiness settled inside my chest.

Then I heard the matrons whispering.

One name.

A name that made every girl in the room go still.

Decaprio.

The royal family is coming.

And somehow, I knew—

Whatever happened next would change everything

Chapter One The girls behind the Iron Gates I learned to wake before the bell. Not because I wanted to. Because five years of living here had taught my body that sleep was a privilege, and privileges were never meant to last. My eyes opened to darkness. For a few seconds, I remained still beneath the thin, scratchy blanket, staring at the ceiling above me. Cold stone. Cracked plaster. A single rusted pipe running along the wall. Nothing had changed. Nothing ever changed. The room smelled the...