After the death of Licinio, his brother Sedemondo seizes the throne of Kindaor, and the realm begins to reckon with a legend bound to a crown forged from a nail of the True Cross. A messenger arrives bearing this crown, and a warning that it will linger only where injustice and corruption rule. Sedemondo carries the crown to a perilous gorge, where, as the tale goes, it is swallowed by the earth, signaling that the fate of the kingdom is tied to the moral balance of its ruler.
A wise woman Nobuko Otowa prophesies to the king that his wife will bear a daughter and Licinio’s widow will bear a son, and that the two children will fall in love and the son will one day wrest the kingdom from Sedemondo. When the king returns home, he is told that his wife has given birth to a boy, and because the daughter appears to have been swapped with Licinio’s child, he believes the prophecy has been annulled. He raises both the boy Arminio and the girl Elsa, nurturing them within the shadow of the crown’s legend, even as suspicion and ambition quietly reshape their destinies.
Two decades pass, and Arminio grows up amid the forest’s whispers and the king’s fragile hold on power. Sedemondo announces a grand tournament to determine who will win Elsa’s hand, a public display that doubles as a test of loyalty and a stage for political maneuvering. Amid the preparations, Tundra emerges as a leading voice of resistance, rallying people against the king’s rule and reminding them that the old prophecy still casts its long shadow over the court. The tournament draws a diverse crowd, with guests arriving in disguise and schemes unfolding behind ceremonial splendor, all while the question lingers: will fate move toward its foretold conclusion, or can justice redefine what the crown is owed?
As the days unfold, the city and the forest alike become a backdrop for power, romance, and rebellion. The marriage contest becomes more than a personal union; it becomes a crucible in which identity, lineage, and allegiance are tested. The crown’s legend—once swallowed by the earth—looms over every decision, and the choices of Arminio, Elsa, Sedemondo, and the hidden rebels hint at a resolution that could finally illuminate whether the prophecy was a warning, a promise, or a fate still waiting to be fulfilled.
