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Ivy took a deep breath and continued. "Vice saw how kind and loving Ivy was and he felt something stir in his heart, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He decided he wanted Ivy to be his queen, but he didn't know how to be nice.

He had been mean for so long that he had forgotten how to show kindness.

So, when Ivy came to him one day asking for help, he saw his opportunity.

He agreed to help her if she agreed to give up everything to come stay with him.

You see, someone Ivy loved very much was deathly sick.

And Vice was the only one who could save them.

So, with a heavy heart Ivy made the heartbreaking decision to leave her life and stay with him.

" Alice listened with wide eyes. Ivy continued.

"For a whole month, Ivy got to stay with her family, watching her daughter laugh and play, feeling the warmth of her father's embrace. It was a bittersweet time, filled with joy and sorrow. Joy because she was with her loved ones, but sorrow because she knew she had to leave them soon."

As she continued her story, she could feel Alice's eyes on her, the weight of the girl's gaze like a warm hand on her own heart.

"Then that day came," she went on, her voice shaky, "Vice came for her, she had to say goodbye to everyone and go to the castle.

It was so hard, but she knew she had to go because she made a promise to Vice so that he would hold up his promise to save and keep her loved ones safe. "

Alice's eyes searched hers, understanding dawning. "She gave up her freedom to save them?" she whispered.

Ivy nodded, her voice barely a murmur. "Yes," she said, her eyes reflecting the pain of the past. "But then, something unexpected happened.

Through all the sadness, Ivy and Vice began to understand each other.

He saw her strength and her love, and she saw that behind his tough exterior, there was a man who had been hurt just as badly as she had been.

But she couldn't hide how sad she still was because she missed her daughter very much. "

Alice's eyes were glued to her mother's, the story unfolding like a delicate blossom in the moonlit room. "Vice realized that true power isn't about controlling others," Ivy went on, her voice growing stronger.

"He knew that if he wanted to win Ivy's heart, he had to show her that he could be more than just a feared ruler.

So, he devised a plan to bring joy back into her life.

" Ivy's eyes shone with a mix of hope and pain.

"He arranged for her daughter to come live with them here, in the castle.

It was his way of saying, 'I understand what you've given up, and I want you to be happy here. "

Alice's eyes widened in surprise. "And then what?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement.

Ivy took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. "Vice knew that no amount of gold or jewels could ever replace what Ivy had given up," she said, her voice steady.

"So, he tried to be a better person for her, to make her feel loved and cherished.

He started to tear down the walls around both of their hearts, brick by brick. "

Alice's eyes sparkled with hope. "And did he succeed?"

Ivy's gaze held hers, filled with a warmth that seemed to glow in the darkened room. "It was a journey," she said, her voice a gentle caress. "A journey filled with ups and downs, but yes, in time, they both realized that amidst all the pain and fear, they had found something real."

Alice leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued. "How did they know it was true love?"

Ivy's smile grew, her eyes misting over with the sweetness of the memory.

"They knew because when they were together, the castle didn't feel so cold anymore," she said, her voice filled with a warmth that seemed to warm the very air around them.

"Vice's heart had been frozen for so long, but with Ivy and her love, it began to thaw.

They had set out to change each other to become who they wanted them to be.

Only to realize that that wasn't what love was about.

When you truly love someone, you don't want to change them into something they're not.

That's control. You accept the person for who they are good and bad.

And you both grow together, instead of trying to change each other. "

Alice nodded, her eyes shimmering with the understanding that was well beyond her years. "And what about the other people in the kingdom? Did they start to like Vice too?"

Ivy took another deep breath, her heart swelling with the hope that maybe, just maybe, their story could have a happy ending. "Some did," she said. "They saw the change in him and gave him a chance. But others were still scared because they remembered the old Vice."

"But the most important thing," she added, her voice taking on a tone of wisdom, "was that Ivy and Vice learned to love themselves first. They had to face their own fears and mistakes before they could truly love each other."

Alice lay there, processing the story, her little mind trying to grasp the concept of love and sacrifice. "And they lived happily ever after?" she asked, her voice filled with hope.

"They did." she said smiling at her daughter. She felt a bit of guilt lying to her daughter, but it wasn't a lie that they loved each other but she wasn't so sure if they'd ever actually get to live happily ever after. But she wouldn't let her daughter live in fear.

Ivy leaned down and kissed Alice's forehead. "Time for bed, baby," she whispered, her voice filled with love and the quiet strength that had carried her through the storms of her own life.

Alice nodded, her eyes still filled with the magic of the story. "I love you, Mommy," she murmured, her voice barely a breath as she snuggled deeper into the blankets.

"I love you too, more than words can say," Ivy whispered back, her eyes shining with a mix of love and sadness.

"Goodnight, my sweet girl," she said, pressing a kiss to Alice's forehead.

She tucked the blankets around her daughter one last time before standing up, her eyes lingering on the peaceful expression that had settled on the little girl's face.

With a sigh, she turned to leave the room, her heart feeling heavier than it had in a long time.

She knew that the story she had told Alice wasn't the whole truth, but it was the closest she could come to explaining the complexities of their situation without breaking her daughter's heart any further.

As she walked down the long, dimly lit corridor, the echo of her footsteps the only sound in the castle, she couldn't help but think about the life she had left behind, and the choices that had led her to this moment.

The castle was vast and cold, its ancient stones whispering secrets of past battles and lost loves. Ivy had grown used to its silence, but tonight it felt oppressive.