Chapter 1: A Step into the Past

The morning sun cast golden hues across the sky as Aria stretched lazily in her bed. Today was different. Today was Saturday.

No university, no lectures—just a full day to immerse yourself in history. More importantly, it was the book. Prince Adrian Valemont, aka The Caged Ruler. The title alone had kept her up all night, tossing and turning, desperate to solve the mystery.

As she entered the kitchen, the warm aroma of her mother's special poached eggs filled the room. A rare delight.

"Morning, sweetheart," her mother said, sipping her black coffee. She was dressed in crisp formals, with her badge neatly clipped to her belt. Being an FBI agent meant she was constantly on the move and rarely at home. Aria's father was no exception—an archaeologist who spent months deep in hidden forests, pursuing history's mysteries.

"So, what's new, my little doll?" her mother enquired, smirking.

"We've got a project," Aria said, smiling. "And this time, I'll be travelling back in time!"

Her mother chuckled and shook her head. "If anyone could time travel, it would be you."

They talked about her mother's next assignment and her father's recent excavation. Rogers quickly arrived, tapping impatiently on the door.

"Ready, history nerd?" he teased.

"Always," Aria smirked and grabbed her bag.

It took Aria only five minutes to locate the book again.

She sat in her favourite library corner, the dim light casting an eerie glow on the aged leather cover. As she flipped through the first few pages, the story unfolded before her eyes.

King Henry Valemont. Queen Erieana Valemont. Their only son - Prince Adrian.

King Henry's reign was one of power, greed, and cruelty. He had forcibly married Queen Erieana, but that was insufficient. To broaden his empire, he had married all three of her sisters.

Aria shuddered. Marrying sisters? That is insane.

But fate had played a cruel game with him: he only had one son, Adrian. The rest were daughters, dispersed throughout the kingdom.

Her pulse quickened as she continued to read.

"Why was Adrian called the Caged Ruler?"

Before she could turn the page, a loud thud jolted her out of her trance.

"It's lunch, bookworm," Rogers announced, towering over her.

Aria blinked and rubbed her eyes. Had she really been reading so long?

All the way to the canteen, she talked about King Henry, Queen Erieana, and their tragic son. Rogers listened with a half-interest, chewing on his hamburger.

"If you keep obsessing over them, you're gonna start hallucinating," he told me.

Aria rolled her eyes. "You will see, Rogers. This is a different story. "I feel it."

They had planned to go to a historical café, but Rogers had also discovered something interesting—"The King of Persia and His Forceful Conquests." Instead, they changed plans and went to the museum, hoping to delve deeper into their research.

By the time they arrived home, they were exhausted. However, as Aria fell asleep, the Valemont family remained in her thoughts.

That night, she dreamed about them.

"What happened next, Adrian?" she asked quietly into the darkness.

And somewhere in the depths of history, fate spoke back.