All Ivetta wants is a steady paycheck and consistent hours. Her mother’s health is failing fast, and she has to earn enough money to keep paying the mounting doctor's bills. But a dubious background means finding safe employment is hard. Getting a job as a palace maid seems like the answer she needs, even if she has a long commute.

​​​​​​​Until she meets her new employer.

Prince Chevalier, the Second Prince of Rhodolite, has a reputation for being a cruel, heartless monster. The Brutal Beast. The Bloody Tiger. This is the man Ivetta now works for, and if it weren’t for her circumstances, she would quit after the first day. But although he and his seven brothers are each their own variety of beast, putting up with them is better than the alternative. There are many dangers outside the palace for a vulnerable young woman, after all.

When disaster inevitably strikes, she resolves to hide the truth and pretend nothing is wrong, just like she’s always done. She never expects Prince Chevalier to come to her rescue. But he does. And suddenly, he’s the only person with whom she truly feels safe, allowing the roots of an unlikely and impossible romance to take hold. A romance neither of them can let happen.

But the heart wants what it wants.

Threats against Prince Chevalier become threats against Ivetta, forcing them even closer together. When the pain of loss overwhelms her, she turns to him. When the threats become reality, he’ll do anything to save her. And when the mysteries of her past come to bear, the impossible becomes possible. A glimmer of hope for a brighter future blossoms in the darkness.

Maybe, on the other side of pain and heartbreak, is the fairytale ending Ivetta never dreamed was possible.

This is a fanfiction, but it's accessible to anybody. No prior knowledge of the game is required to understand it. I'm working on a separate book, The World of A Dove's Tale, with game, character, and world information for anybody who wants that, but you don't have to read it to follow the story.

I've been enjoying the stories within the Ikémen series, but I usually feel like the main character is a bit weak, so I started thinking about how the stories would go with a stronger main character. Prince Chevalier in the Ikémen Prince game caught my attention, and thus this fanfiction was born. I am editing and fleshing out the characters as my knowledge base grows. Constructive criticism and feedback are very much welcome, especially for the princes' characters, as I really want them to be as true to the game as possible.

Current version based on content from reading Chevalier, Leon, Yves, Nokto, Licht, and Clavis' stories in the game. Yes, I know this is getting super long, and I will probably split it up into several parts in the future, but I don't see the point in doing that when I still have to read Silvio's story in the game. (I have read Jin, Luke, Sariel, Rio, Gilbert, and Keith in the course of this rewrite and will incorporate that information into the next rewrite.)

If you like this, be sure to check out A Beast's Tale, which is the same story but written from Chevalier's perspective. (And will be next up for a rewrite.)

And in the distant future, you can look forward to A Warped Tale, which will include the same characters but have an altered timeline where Gilbert is the main love interest. Plus A Swan’s Tale, which will be a prequel. Plus bonus chapters and one-shots involving the myriad side stories, what-if scenarios, and other such nonsense floating around in my head.

(Yeah, I’ll be working on this fanfic series until I’m 80.)

Also, there are some Easter Eggs/references to an older Ikémen game called Midnight Cinderella.

*****

Disclaimer:

I would like this story to be as realistic as possible, so if anybody has suggestions about things like historical details, medical issues, politics, etc., let me know. That being said, the game is set in the Middle Ages, but historical accuracy is not a priority, and I'm a bit loose with it, too. (I can't fathom a world without toilets and running water.)

*****

Content/trigger warnings:

There is no swearing or explicit sexual content, but themes and content are mature and include depictions or mentions of (brace yourself; I'm trying to be comprehensive here so there are no surprises):

- Abuse and Relationships (arranged marriage, child abuse, emotional abuse, infidelity, physical abuse, verbal abuse)

- Alcohol and Drugs (alcohol consumption)

- Animal Death and Cruelty (animal death)

- Blood, Injury & Medical (blood, chronic illness, dismemberment, gore, life-changing injury, medical treatment, physical injuries, scars, weight loss)

- Death and Loss (death, death of a loved one, grief depiction)

- Hate, Discrimination & Oppression (classism, poverty, sexism, slavery, workplace harassment, xenophobia)

- Mental Health and Suicide (anxiety, anxiety attacks, attempted suicide, cutting, depression, eating disorders, nightmares, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm, sleep disorders, suicide, suicidal ideation, trauma)

- Pregnancy and Childbirth (breastfeeding, childbirth, pregnancy)

- Sex and Sexual Violence (non-explicit sexual content, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual predator, sex work, sex-worker shaming)

- Violence and Crime (abduction, attempted murder, captivity, confinement, disappearance of a loved one, knives, murder, physical assault, poisoning, stalking, swords, torture, whipping)

- War and Genocide (massacres, military service, military violence, war themes)

*****

Credits:

Based on the otome game Ikémen Prince: Beauty and Her Beast. Cover created by me using Canva. All other images in the story come from the game.