On the day of the archery contest to select a husband, Cedric—Aileen’s lover of three years—betrayed her; her stepsister, Chloe, preemptively claimed the right to marry him, and Aileen coolly stepped aside. When it was Aileen’s turn to shoot, her stepsister maliciously cast a spell that caused Aileen to strike a prisoner—actually the Elf King—held in a passing transport wagon. Her stepmother and stepsister conspired to have Aileen condemned to the stake, intending to drain her blood using leeches—an act that ignited the Elf King’s wrath. He banished the Thorne family and subsequently elevated Aileen to the throne as his queen.
