Some stories begin with love.

Some begin with war.

This one begins with a mistake Heaven made.

I was born beneath a sign the heavens themselves tried to erase — the Sapphire Omen under the Sol Veil. The court called it prophecy. The astrologers called it deviation. Heaven called it an anomaly.

Personally… I just called it Tuesday.

Raised under watch in the imperial capital, promised to a prince who never quite knew what to do with me, I learned early that people are far more comfortable with beauty than they are with power. And when given the choice between truth and convenience…

Most will choose convenience.

So the empire made its choice.
Heaven issued its mandate.
And somewhere beyond the veil, a demon lord paid the price for noticing me too closely.

You might think this is a story about fate.

It isn’t.

It’s a story about what happens when the world mistakes restraint for weakness… and realizes too late that some women were never meant to obey the rules written for them.

So welcome to the empire.
Mind the decrees.
Watch the mirrors.

And if you happen to see a golden butterfly…

…don’t assume it’s harmless.

— Seraphae