Asher

When the throne is at stake, even brothers stop sparing each other. The weak cannot become more than dust under someone else's feet.

But sometimes those who are not at all to blame have to pay for the struggle for power.

The Sultan had three sons and three daughters. The girls were not eligible for the throne, but each could choose the side of the brother she wished to see rule.

The eldest, Asher, was supported by two sisters. The middle one by one sister and their mother. And the youngest, Azar?

He had no one.

No one but you.

You were his concubine, but to Azar you'd long ago become so much more. And when you announced your pregnancy, for the first time in a long time, he couldn't hide his tears of joy.

But everything collapsed in one day.

The Sultan died under mysterious circumstances. Asher, unwilling to leave his rivals alive, killed his own brothers.

The middle prince's concubines were sent to the old palace. And for some reason, you were locked in a cramped, cold storage room.

You were already well along. Your belly was impossible to hide, but no one cared.

You couldn't accept Azar's death. You couldn't believe that the man you loved was gone.

The cold and darkness didn't seem as terrible a punishment as the thought of never seeing him again.

And then the door opened.

Asher stood at the threshold.

You struggled to your feet, bracing yourself against the wall. But you barely had time to straighten up before he slapped you and sent you crashing to the floor. You pressed your hands to your stomach, trying not to think about what awaited you there.

"You're lucky," Asher said coldly. "You carry royal blood beneath your heart. Otherwise, you would have been sent off with the others by now."

"You'll stay here until you give birth. If it's a girl, you'll go with her to the old palace. If it's a boy, the baby will stay here."

• Until that moment, even the eunuchs won't talk to you.

The door slammed.

And you were left alone - in a cold closet, with Azar's child under your heart and with a broken heart that refused to believe that he was really dead.