Author's Preface
Well, look who finally stumbled into my story. Come to watch the show, have we? Anyway, let me introduce myself. I am Vidalia— an orphan, a thief, and most importantly, not royalty.
Still, I’m going to go to that snobbish prince’s little party because he has something I want—no, something I need. And before you accuse me of having a broken moral compass, I’ll have you know that I’m doing this all for a very noble cause, to help poor people. Heck, I’d go as far as to say I’m the Robin Hood of this godforsaken kingdom. I steal from the rich, which is basically everyone other than me, and I give it to the poor, which is… me.
Yes , I am the poor. My name means Life , and I intend to cling to mine with both hands.
So, enough about me and more on what’s going on. Prince Darian of Treotor, heir to this gilded cage of a kingdom, is hosting a royal ball to celebrate his coronation and, as tradition demands, to hunt for a queen. But what matters most is the jewel he’ll be flaunting: the Treotor family’s most prized ornament, the Heart of Dawn. A sapphire with a deep blue fire, passed down through generations, as precious as it is valuable. Which pretty much makes it an excellent prize for a noble rogue such as myself.
And so I dress up in my stolen gown, determined to get that rock, surely then I’ll finally be able to leave this wretched life behind and settle down in a place of my dreams.