Prologue
|| Selene ||
I am going to die tonight.
The steady clip-clop of the carriage wheels should have been soothing. Instead, it was drowned out by the frantic drumming of my heart.
If they found out I’m not the real princess... I’ll be slaughtered on the spot.
If they don’t, the curse will kill me by morning.
Either way, I’m dead.
How did it come to this?
My fingers twisted the silk handkerchief in my lap, the embroidered edges fraying under my grip. My mother had crafted this— the woman who had been murdered for the crime of loving a king. For daring to bear him a second child.
Would things have been different if she’d lived?
No. She was nothing but a maid, lifted to concubine out of pity—or perhaps just the king’s fleeting desire. A woman who had survived way too long in a court of vipers.
I was five when they accused her of treason. A lie, of course. My father had favored her too openly, and she had been carrying another child—a son, maybe—one who might have threatened the queen’s precious heir.
So the queen made sure she never delivered.
And just like that, I was no longer a princess. Just a ghost in the palace halls—until the day Valemore needed a sacrifice.
Our kingdom was peaceful until the witches touched our shores. They wanted our kingdom, our wealth, our souls. My father, the king who always lived in luxury, failed terribly to defend our homeland.
When our kingdom was almost demolished, the brave king of Ebonveil came to our rescue. And hence the treaty.
The King of Ebonveil asked for Lilith, the precious princess of Valemore, my father's first born. On the surface, it should have been an honor. Ebonveil’s king was a legend—a warrior who wielded all four elements— fire, earth, ocean and air... A hero who had driven back the witches when our own armies crumbled. But the truth was far darker.
Three of his brides had died on their wedding night. Because of the curse.
And now, they wanted a fourth.
My mind went back to the discussion we had last night. When I was suddenly summoned in the queen’s courtyard.
"I won’t marry that monster!" Lilith’s shriek still echoed in my skull.
"Your Majesty, you can’t do this!" Queen Ravenna clutched her daughter like a lifeline. "You cannot send her to die!"
"Three wives, Father! Three!" Lilith’s voice was raw with terror. "Do you want me to be the fourth?"
A heavy silence fell before the king finally spoke, “Silence. This is for the good of our country,”
“Xavian, how could you be so cruel? You know the curse. Do you really want to kill our daughter?” The queen questioned.
“What do you suggest then? Ebonveil helped us through war. This is the price they have asked.” The king spoke.
I was still unsure why I was a part of this discussion, until the queen opened her mouth again.
“I have a plan,” the queen said and then his eyes fell on me, the daughter who was standing in the corner of the room, hiding in the shadows. “Come closer, Selene.”
I flinched, but obeyed. I didn't have another option anyway.
As I stepped closer, their eyes measured me.
“You indeed have grown up. How old are you now?” He asked.
“Eighteen, your majesty,” I whispered. He didn’t even know my age! Wasn’t he my father?
“Good. She has the same blonde hair as Lilith. Even their faces match a little. Only her eyes are a bit different but that won't matter. No one from Ebonveil has ever met Lilith. No one will know if we substitute the bride.” The queen added.
My heart dropped. So that's what they wanted!
And just like that, I was sent off the very next day to Ebonveil, to marry the cursed king.
I could still remember the cruel laughter of Lilith. "This is perfect. She’ll be dead by the morning anyway. Who cares if her eyes are the wrong color?"
Her smirk widened, her fingers digging into my arm. "Don’t ruin this, sister. Or I’ll make sure you regret it—even in the afterlife."
And so, I was dressed in her wedding gown, draped in borrowed jewels, and shoved into a carriage with two guards who would kill me if I spoke out of turn, to keep me disciplined until the marriage.
The carriage rushed through the woods, the sun was already about to set as we reached Ebonveil.
“Remember, no one in Ebonveil should know your identity. Otherwise, the queen will dig up your mother's grave and feed the bones to the dogs,” Nyra said.
Yes, that was how they made sure I didn't blow up their plan. And Nyra, the queen’s personal spy was here to make sure to see through my death, and report back.
