The wind met me. It wasn't cold but felt empty, like the last breath of a dying land. This was Langley Duchy—my new place, my new challenge, and perhaps, a new start.
The carriage stopped in front of the old estate. I got out right away. My heels clicked on the gravel. Above, the sky was gray and still, like a vast stone. I paused, letting the silence tell its story.
There was no grand welcome.
No banners, no music. Just a young man standing like a lord at the top of the stairs, arms folded, looking like he didn't want to play this part.
That was Lord Elias Langley.
He seemed barely older than twenty. He had a stern face, silver hair, and golden eyes that looked at me as if I'd offended his ancestors. His clothes were tidy but not rich—practical, meant for someone holding this land together with hard work and worry.
I moved forward.
"I am Selene Cromwell, appointed overseer of this duchy by decree of—"
"You can stop there," he said, cutting me off. His voice was sharp but steady. "I know who you are. And I don't need you here."
His words weren't unexpected, but his boldness was.
"This duchy was left behind by the capital years ago," he continued, stepping down to meet my gaze. "We've survived without the crown's help. We don't need a disgraced princess trying to lead here."
I tightened my jaw but kept a slight, amused smile. "Yet here I stand, with a signed decree. Doesn't that make me your superior?"
"You were sent here as punishment, not as a ruler."
"To me, there's no difference," I replied. "I didn't come to stay quiet. I came to lead. While I'm here, this land is my responsibility. And you, Lord Langley, will answer to me."
There was something in his eyes—maybe dislike, maybe doubt. He gave a quiet laugh and turned his back.
"Your room is in the east wing," he said quietly. "Don't interfere with my work."
I watched him leave without another word.
I didn't need his approval or his acceptance. People had called me many things—heretic, villainess, imposter—but never a coward.
The manor was old. Faded banners hung like wilted flowers, dust filled the corners. But the building was strong, holding a hidden life.
And I, Selene Cromwell, would be its heartbeat.
I didn't waste any time. That night, I changed into work clothes—gloves, a high coat, my hair tied back. I gathered every local record, map, tax document, and trade paper I could find.
Time flew by. I traced old and new trade routes through mountains and forests. Some paths were blocked by landslides, others were risky due to bandits. But a few still had hope.
With protection, they could be trade routes again.
I didn't sleep.
I wrote to reliable mercenaries I knew from the capital, offering payment and temporary leadership. The money was mine. Some would call it risky. I called it an investment.
Langley's people were poor, but they weren't broken. They survived challenges the royal court couldn't understand. They needed direction, order, and vision.
They needed leadership.
As I delved deeper into the archives, I uncovered the past.
Langley had once been one of the kingdom's jewels.
Not for military power or noble prestige, but for innovation. Their expertise in tools, machines, and aurasmithing was renowned. Once, Langley was home to The Atrium of Steam and Aether, almost as advanced as the capital. Machines powered by aura, agricultural innovations, refined materials—these things began here.
But now, that history was lost.
Previous nobles had turned on their scholars, using their funds for selfish aims. Some were falsely accused and executed. Others vanished in shame. The people were tricked into betrayal, and Langley's golden age faded due to corruption.
What was left were fragments—blueprints, damaged diagrams, broken prototypes, rusted gears.
But even rusted gears can move again.
Aura wasn't just energy—it was potential. Life itself. Langley had once used that aura for progress. And now, it would again.
I would find the researchers in hiding. I would rebuild the workshops, labs, and forges. Traders, craftsmen, and protectors would come, not to recreate the past, but to build the future.
As dawn's first light touched the frosty windows, my ink-stained hands trembled from hours without sleep.
I lacked power in court, had no army, and my name meant little to the kingdom.
But I had plans. I had a vision.
Most importantly, I had a purpose.
This was my realm.
And I would see it rise—brick by brick, name by name, dream by dream.