I am born to be a princess

Previously

…As Anya watched Valerius disappear into the castle’s imposing maw, a new understanding began to dawn. The encroaching darkness was not merely a series of unfortunate events; it was a deliberate force, a calculated manipulation. And Lord Valerius was its architect. The fear that had always clung to her, the whispers of ill omen, the very reasons for her abandonment – they were all pieces of a much larger, and far more terrifying, puzzle. The truth, she realized with a dawning sense of dread and resolve, was finally beginning to unravel, and it was leading her directly into the lion’s den. The usurper’s grasp was tightening, and soon, she would have to face him.