The Shadows Between Us

Tired of being constantly overlooked, Alessandra is determined to prove just how cunning and villainous she can be. The plan is simple:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

What could possibly go wrong? Nothing. Except for one scen

Tired of being constantly overlooked, Alessandra is determined to prove just how cunning and villainous she can be. The plan is simple:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

What could possibly go wrong? Nothing. Except for one scenario she’s not at all prepared to face.

“I may be trying to win the heart of a king, but…I’m still being myself.”

“You are beautiful,” he continues. “But not so beautiful as to tempt me.”

“I think that when you care enough for someone, you reach a point where it’s far more painful not to have him at all than to have him and risk losing him. You realize the risk is worth it. Because happiness, however short-lived, is always worth it.”

“Aren’t we all drawn to friends in the beginning by trifling things? True bonds develop afterward, when character is revealed.”

“Don’t be afraid of who you are. Say what you wish. Be who you wish. Don’t try to be someone else.”

The poets can say whatever they damned like. A woman’s worth is not decided by what’s between her legs but by what is in her mind.

The poets can say whatever they damned like. A woman’s worth is not decided by what’s between her legs but by what is in her mind.

“I know what I’m doing. And I’m going to keep doing whatever I wish, because I am the master of myself.”

“I lose interest in everything sooner or later. Everything save you. Because in you, I found my match. In you, I found my equal.”

“I want the power to change things.”

It’s been a fun game. Learning their secrets. Seducing them. Getting them to shower me with gifts.
But to be honest?
I’m bored with it.
I have a new game in mind.

“To you, Alessandra. May your wit never be used against me.”

“Alessandra Stathos, that’s positively despicable.” He says the words like they’re the highest compliment he can give me. “You are an absolute gem, do you know that?”

“When I see something I want, I reach for it without hesitation.”

“I don’t think it’s necessarily about finding the perfect man but finding the perfect man for you. One person may rank a man far differently than another, even if they are both using your ranking system.”

Credit: Melanie Bourgeois

“It was you who reminded me what it is to live.”

“I’m not a trollop...I’m a sexually empowered woman, and there is nothing wrong with that.”

“There is nothing silly about waiting until you want to. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. It is your body to do with as you will... Waiting. Not waiting. One lover. A hundred lovers. There should be no judgment either way. A woman is not defined by what she does or doesn’t do in the bedroom.”

“The point is, Father, I know what I’m doing. And I’m going to keep doing whatever I wish, because I am the master of myself. And you? You’re going to send me to the palace with the next wave of women to see the king, because if there’s anything I’m good at, it’s getting men to propose to me.”
Father’s eyes narrow. “How long have you been planning this?”
“Years.”

“The point is, Father, I know what I’m doing. And I’m going to keep doing whatever I wish, because I am the master of myself. And you? You’re going to send me to the palace with the next wave of women to see the king, because if there’s anything I’m good at, it’s getting men to propose to me.”
Father’s eyes narrow. “How long have you been planning this?”
“Years.”

“They've never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.”

“I’m a sexually empowered woman, and there is nothing wrong with that.”

“The poets say a virtuous woman’s worth is above rubies [...]”
The poets can say whatever they damned like. A woman’s worth is not decided by what’s between her legs but by what is in her mind.

“I just need a moment to gather my courage”
(He) nods in understanding.
“Doing the right thing is not always easy. And being the bigger person, the first to reach out with kindness, takes great strength of character. You needn’t fear, though, Alessandra. Doing the right thing is never the wrong answer.”

“All the time in the world is worth nothing if I don't get to spend it with you.”

“But it’s practically an unspoken law that ladies must be virgins on their wedding nights.”
“It’s no law of mine. In fact, I’ve made a point of doing my best to give ladies the same rights as men. [...] And besides, how can men expect all the ladies to remain virgins while they don’t? The numbers don’t add up.”

“There is nothing silly about waiting until you want to. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Is it your body to do with as you will.”
She smiles at me then, and I worry that I might be the first person to tell her that.
Waiting. Not waiting. One lover. A hundred lovers. There should be no judgement either way. A woman is not defined by what she does or doesn’t do in the bedroom.

(Situation: (One of them) wants her friend to stop emulating her in everything to get love)
“Do you know how I was able to catch (his) attention?”
She shakes her head.
“By being myself. By discussing what I wished to discuss and behaving how I wished to behave and wearing what I wished to wear. It is not conforming to a standard that drew (his) attention. If you wish to make a happy match, I think you should do the same. Don’t be afraid of who you are. Say what you wish. Be who you wish. Don’t try to be someone else. You don’t need to catch a man who wants me. You want to catch a man who wants you.”

"La cuestión es, padre, que sé lo que estoy haciendo. Y voy a seguir haciendo lo que desee, porque soy la dueña de mí misma. ¿Y tú? Me enviarás a palacio con la próxima oleada de mujeres para ver al rey, porque si hay algo en lo que soy buena, es en conseguir que los hombres se me declaren."
Los ojos de padre se estrechan."¿Cuánto tiempo llevas planeando esto?
"Años."

“Nunca encontraron el cuerpo del primer y único hombre que me rompió el corazón. Y nunca lo harán."

"Soy una mujer sexualmente empoderada, y no hay nada de malo en ello."

"Los poetas dicen que el valor de una mujer pura está por encima de los rubíes [...]"
Los poetas pueden decir lo que quieran. El valor de una mujer no se decide por lo que hay entre sus piernas, sino por lo que está en su mente.

"Solo necesito un momento para reunir coraje."
(Él) asiente en señal de comprensión.
“Hacer lo correcto no siempre es fácil. Y ser una gran persona, la primera en arribar con amabilidad, requiere una gran entereza. Sin embargo, no debes temer, Alessandra. Hacer lo correcto nunca es la respuesta incorrecta."

"Pero es prácticamente una ley tácita que las mujeres deben ser vírgenes en su noche de bodas."
"No es una de mis leyes. En realidad, he hecho todo lo posible para darles a las mujeres los mismos derechos que a los hombres. [...] Además, ¿cómo pueden los hombres esperar que todas las mujeres sigan siendo vírgenes mientras ellos no lo hacen? No tiene sentido."

“No hay nada de absurdo en esperar hasta que quieras. No dejes que nadie te diga lo contrario. Eres tú quien debe hacer lo que quiera con su cuerpo."
Entonces me sonríe y temo que pueda haber sido la primera persona en decírselo.
Esperar. No esperar. Un amante. Cien. No debería haber juicio de ninguna manera. Una mujer no se define por lo que hace o no en el dormitorio.

"They’ve never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.
I buried Hektor Galanis in a hole so deep, even the devils of the earth couldn’t reach him."

"Waiting. Not waiting. One lover. A hundred lovers. There should be no judgment either way. A woman is not defined by what she does or doesn’t do in the bedroom."