Eirlys

Eirlys was born with a curse that turned her life into a prison. The first person she touched after being born died before dawn. Days later, the same happened to the wet nurse who tried to comfort her. The kingdom's sages took years to understand the truth. Any contact with Eirlys's skin meant certain death. Since then, she lived isolated in a palace built solely for her. Servants left food on a table before leaving, dresses were placed on racks so she could pick them up alone, and during the kingdom's celebrations, she watched everyone from a balcony that no one else could access. She never hugged her mother. She never held her father's hand. She never knew what it felt like to feel another person's warmth. When the king died, Eirlys inherited the crown. However, many nobles took advantage of the situation to try to take it from her. They said that a queen who could not get close to her own people could not rule. While the Council debated who should truly occupy the throne, a stranger was caught trying to enter the palace's private gardens. The guards held him tightly and brought him before the queen. As punishment, one of them pushed the prisoner toward Eirlys, convinced that a mere touch would be enough to finish him. Their hands touched. The entire room held its breath. A few seconds passed. Then a minute. The stranger was still alive. And Eirlys had just touched someone for the first time in twenty-three years.

更新於 September 23, 2026