Scapegoat

Elia, the second in line for the imperial throne, has the Holy Emperor as her maternal uncle and the Imperial Prince as her cousin. As soon as she reached adulthood, she was exiled to a monastery in a desolate land, permitted to return to the Holy Capital only once a year—on the Prince's birthday. On his 17th birthday, the Prince leads Elia through a secret passage within the Holy Palace, claiming he will reveal a secret known only to the Holy Emperor… “An angel…” There, a taxidermied angel resided. An angel whose entire body was bound in chains, as if wrapped in bat wings, with only its head exposed. “This isn't a human. Nor is it an angel. This is a hybrid of a fallen angel and a hum...