Chapter 1: Marriage of shadow
"The Cost of Secrets"
By:> brdn!
Story notes:
This is the beginning of my journey as a writer. "The Cost of secrets" I truly hope it becomes my best one. I’ve written it with all my heart, and I hope you guys enjoy every word of it.🌙
Chapter 1: Marriage of shadow
I was born into a royal family — a life wrapped in gold and lies — with my twin sister, Ella.
Our family carried an ancient gift. We were healers — blessed with a power that appeared in only one child of every generation. This time, fate chose me. Not Ella.
And from the moment my powers awakened, something changed between us.
Ella’s smile faded. Her voice sharpened.
She looked at me as if I had stolen her destiny — as if by breathing, I was taking something that belonged to her.
The king of a distant kingdom had once wished for his son to marry Ella because of the healer’s gift. They believed her touch could restore the prince’s sight — that her power could give him the world he had never seen.
But fate can be cruel.
The power belonged to me.
And Ella’s jealousy grew into something darker — something poisonous.
My father didn’t care about that… or about me. His heart beat only for gold. When the royal marriage proposal arrived, he didn’t correct them. He didn’t tell them the truth. He didn’t tell them the healer was the son, not the daughter.
He simply nodded — hungry for the wealth that would come.
My father decided I would take her place.
I didn’t argue.
I didn’t even breathe a word of protest.
Because I knew — if I dared to speak, his rage would find me again.
He never looked at me the way he looked at Ella.
To him, I was a shadow — a mistake — something he never admitted to the world.
No one even knew he had a son.
With a coldness sharper than steel, my father spoke:
“Two months. That’s all you get. Heal the prince’s eyes, and when his sight returns, your sister will take back what was never meant to be yours. No one must ever know the truth. After that… you disappear. From the kingdom. From the family.”
His words didn’t just cut — they carved scars.
And so, hidden beneath a veil of deception, I was forced to take Ella’s name… and her fate.
When I saw Prince Kirial for the first time, I couldn’t look away.
His light-gold hair shimmered like sunlight through stained glass, and his golden eyes — empty yet endless — were the most beautiful I had ever seen.
The priest’s voice echoed softly through the cathedral, each word falling like snow.
“Do you, Prince Kirial of Aurelion, take this bride to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
His hand trembled slightly as he reached for mine. His touch was warm, steady — even though his eyes could not find me.
“I do,” he said, voice deep and lonely, like he had been waiting his whole life for someone who never came.
My heart stumbled.
This vow was meant for Ella.
Not for me.
Yet somehow… it felt like my fate.
“And do you, Lady Ella of Velis, take this man to be your husband?”
The name stabbed me.
Ella.
Her identity, her life — all wrapped around my throat like a lie.
But I nodded.
“I do,” I whispered, the lie trembling but unbroken.
The golden rings were exchanged, the choir sang softly, and the heavy cathedral doors closed behind our vows like sealing fate.
As the priest blessed us, I felt it — the weight of everything collapsing onto my shoulders.
I hadn’t just taken my sister’s place.
I had bound my soul to a man who would never see my face…
and yet might be the only one who ever truly saw me.…
I could almost feel Ella watching.
Jealous.
Burning.
Waiting for the moment she would take back everything — including him.
The priest lowered his hands.
“The vows have been spoken. You may seal this union with a kiss.”
My breath caught.
A kiss.
A kiss meant for Ella.
A kiss I had no right to receive.
Prince Kirial turned toward me, slow and uncertain, as if following the echo of my heartbeat instead of the priest’s words.
His golden eyes didn’t know where to look, yet somehow… they found the space just above my lips.
He leaned closer.
For a moment, the world fell silent.
No choir.
No guests.
No lies.
Just him… and the truth I could never say.
His fingers brushed my cheek — light, searching, almost trembling — as though he was memorizing the shape of a face he had never seen.
A soft gasp escaped my lips.
“You’re warm,” he whispered.
“Warmer than I imagined.”
My heart stuttered dangerously.
His forehead touched mine, gentle as moonlight.
Then, with the caution of a man stepping into the unknown, Kirial pressed his lips to mine.
The kiss was tender… hesitant… but deep enough to steal the breath from my chest.
His hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me in as if he was afraid I’d disappear if he let go.
For the first time in my life, someone held me like I mattered.
But then—
His fingers trembled.
Not with nervousness…
but with recognition.
As if my touch meant something.
As if something inside him responded.
His golden eyes flickered — a faint spark of light, impossible and terrifying.
He broke the kiss, breath unsteady.
“Who… are you?” he whispered, voice soft but shaken.
My blood froze.
He couldn’t know.
He must not know.
Not now.
Not yet.
Before I could answer, the cathedral’s doors slammed open behind us.
A cold gust swept through the aisle — strong enough to make my veil flutter violently.
I turned.
Ella stood in the shadows.
Her eyes burned with a hatred so sharp it cut through the air like a blade.
And on her lips —
a smile that promised this was only the beginning.
Thank you for reading this chapter!!
I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter will be out — stay tuned
