Chapter 1: The Bride of the Monster
The day I married the monster… I thought it was my end.
The palace was too quiet.
Not the peaceful kind of silence—but the suffocating kind. The kind that pressed against your chest and made every breath feel borrowed.
Aarya stood at the center of the grand hall, her fingers trembling ever so slightly beneath the heavy silk of her sleeves. Gold chandeliers glowed above her, casting a warm light that did nothing to ease the cold crawling up her spine.
Everyone was watching.
But no one dared to speak.
Because today… she was to marry him.
"The Cursed King."
A man whispered to be half-demon. A ruler no one had seen smile. A king whose previous brides had never lived long enough to tell their stories.
Aarya lowered her gaze, hiding the flicker of emotion in her eyes.
So it begins again.
Memories clawed at the edges of her mind—blood, betrayal, a blade sliding between her ribs.
Her last life.
Her last death.
And the face of the man who had smiled as she fell.
This time… things would be different.
"Aarya."
Her name echoed through the hall.
Deep. Cold. Commanding.
Her breath caught.
He had arrived.
The doors opened slowly, the sound dragging across the marble floor like a warning.
And then she saw him.
King Kael.
Dressed in black, as if the night itself had wrapped around him. His presence swallowed the room whole, suffocating everything else. Dark hair fell over sharp eyes that held no warmth—only something distant… something dangerous.
He didn't look at the nobles.
He didn't look at the priest.
His gaze fell on her.
And stayed there.
Aarya forced herself not to look away.
So this is the man they call a monster.
He didn't look like one.
No horns. No fangs. No visible sign of the curse that terrified an entire kingdom.
But something about him…
…felt wrong.
Like standing too close to the edge of a cliff and realizing, too late, that the ground beneath you wasn't stable.
"Step forward," the priest said nervously.
Aarya moved.
One step.
Two.
Each one felt heavier than the last, as if fate itself was pulling her toward something she couldn't escape.
Kael watched her the entire time.
Silent.
Unreadable.
Dangerous.
When she finally stood before him, close enough to feel the faint chill radiating from his body, her heart skipped.
Not in fear.
But in recognition.
Why… does this feel familiar?
"Do you accept this marriage?" the priest asked, his voice shaking.
Aarya didn't hesitate.
"I do."
Her voice was steady.
Because this wasn't just a marriage.
This was her chance.
To survive.
To uncover the truth.
And maybe… to take revenge on the fate that had once destroyed her.
The priest turned to Kael.
"And you, Your Majesty?"
For a moment, Kael said nothing.
The silence stretched.
Tension coiled.
And then—
"I do."
His voice was low. Final.
The moment the words left his lips, a strange wind swept through the hall. The candles flickered violently, shadows twisting unnaturally along the walls.
Aarya felt it.
A sharp, invisible pull.
Like something had just wrapped itself around her soul.
Her breath hitched.
What was that—?
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he felt it too.
For the first time, something changed in his expression.
Not warmth.
Not anger.
But… interest.
"You may seal the vow," the priest stammered.
The entire hall held its breath.
Aarya's pulse thundered in her ears as Kael stepped closer.
Too close.
She could feel him now—the cold, the darkness, something almost… alive beneath his skin.
His hand lifted.
For a second, she thought he would touch her.
But he stopped.
Just before their skin could meet.
His gaze darkened.
"Strange…" he murmured, barely loud enough for her to hear.
Aarya frowned slightly. "What is?"
His eyes locked onto hers.
"You're not afraid."
A small, dangerous smile touched her lips.
"I don't fear monsters, Your Majesty."
Silence.
Then—
A flicker of something dangerous crossed his face.
"Good," he said softly.
"Because you should fear me."
Before she could react, he pulled her closer—not gently, not cruelly, but with a force that left no room for resistance.
And kissed her.
The moment their lips met—
Pain exploded through her body.
Aarya gasped, her fingers clutching his robe as something burned beneath her skin. Not heat… not fire…
Something darker.
Something ancient.
And in that instant—
She saw it.
Chains.
Black, endless chains wrapping around Kael's heart.
Tightening.
Crushing.
Destroying him from the inside.
Her eyes widened.
The curse…
It wasn't just real.
It was killing him.
Kael pulled away sharply, his expression shifting for the first time.
Shock.
Real, undeniable shock.
"You…" he whispered.
Aarya staggered slightly, her breath uneven, her heart racing.
Because she understood now.
This wasn't just a political marriage.
This wasn't just survival.
She had been bound…
To a dying king.
And somehow—
She was connected to the curse that would destroy him.
