The kingdom of Serena was celebrating a grand occasion today—the engagement of Prince Charles. But what shocked many was the name of the bride-to-be: not Freya, but her stepsister Tyra.

The entire royal ballroom was bathed in light, music, and joy. Nobles from far and wide had gathered, their laughter echoing off the golden walls. Amidst them, in a quiet corner, stood Freya—silent, alone, and with a heart quietly breaking.

The engagement was supposed to be hers.

Freya and Prince Charles were once destined to be together.

But Tyra and her cunning mother conspired to replace Freya and secure the engagement for Tyra instead.

Prince Charles raised no objections.

Why would he?

Tyra carried the blood of the God of War—a divine force capable of unleashing chaos and destruction at will. Who wouldn’t want to marry such a powerful woman?

Freya, however, carried a divine bloodline too—one she was completely unaware of.

Running through her veins was the sacred blood of the God of Peace.

At times, she would see strange dreams—visions she couldn't explain, unaware of the true power slumbering inside her.

On this grand night, Freya had been reduced to a mere servant.

Her task was to serve drinks to the guests—an act of humiliation forced upon her by her stepmother.

Her own father, once a respected man of the court, stood silently. In front of Tyra and her mother, he had become nothing but a shadow.

As Freya walked across the marble floors, balancing silver trays and silent tears, whispers trailed behind her.

Some mocked her.

Others stared at her with leering eyes.

From a distance, Tyra and her mother watched it all unfold—with cruel smirks dancing on their lips, satisfied by Freya’s suffering.

And just then—

The massive golden doors of the ballroom flung open.

All heads turned.

A chilling breeze swept in as a tall, dark figure stepped inside.

It was Prince Roy—the only heir of the neighboring kingdom of Aric.

His presence was magnetic.

Girls around the room visibly gasped. His piercing eyes glowed with a deep crimson hue, mysterious and dangerous.

Even Prince Charles couldn't hide his discomfort.

Roy was more powerful than him in every way.

Yet by the customs of the court, Charles was forced to bow his head in welcome.

Tyra and her mother quickly redirected their attention.

Their greed now shifted. It should be Roy, they thought.

Tyra tried to flirt, to catch his attention with her charm.

But Roy didn't even spare her a glance.

Instead, he walked—straight toward Freya.

Before anyone could process what was happening,

he knelt before her, looked directly into her eyes and asked—

"Will you marry me?"

The entire ballroom fell into stunned silence.

Tyra, her mother, Prince Charles—everyone stood frozen.

Even Freya couldn’t move.

She simply stared back at Roy, eyes wide with disbelief, as her world turned upside down in a single moment.

Freya simply stared at him in disbelief.

She had no words left to say.

A few days earlier —

A pitch-dark night. Though it was a full moon, the thick canopy of the forest blocked the moonlight from reaching the ground.

Freya was running along a narrow path through the woods, carrying an apple pie for her stepsister. Her father was away on a business trip abroad, giving her stepmother and Tyra even more freedom to torment her.

She knew very well what kind of punishment she’d face if she was even a little late.

While lost in these thoughts, she tripped over someone’s feet and fell hard to the ground. When she turned around to speak, her eyes met a pair of glowing red ones—burning like fire.

Freya froze in fear.

The figure before her was slowly transforming, no longer human, but into something monstrous.

Terrified, she tried to get up and run, but the creature grabbed her hand, pinning her roughly against a tree. Just as it was about to claw at her, she instinctively held onto its hand.

Though she had no real strength to fight back, something changed in the monster.

It paused.

Then, in a strange motion, it leaned in and sank its sharp fangs into her neck.

But instead of draining her blood completely, something else happened—something magical.

The monster transformed into a breathtakingly handsome young man.

Freya couldn’t see him clearly, but she could tell—he was no longer a beast.

The boy then pulled her toward a patch of moonlight.

Freya blushed the moment she realized he was completely naked. Embarrassed, she looked away and quickly offered him her muffler.

"P-Please... at least cover yourself first."

Even though he didn’t say anything, a flicker of hesitation appeared on his face. He took the muffler and wrapped it around himself.

Freya glanced at him shyly.

Then the boy asked,

"Who are you? And what are you doing here this late in the forest?"

Freya replied softly,

"My name is Freya. I live on the outskirts of this kingdom. I was just returning home with an apple pie for my stepsister."

"And what about you? You’re clearly not human!"

The boy smirked slightly and said,

"I’m not from this kingdom. I come here from time to time... to spend time alone. But tonight, I came looking for something."

Freya, her curiosity rising, asked,

"What were you looking for?"

The boy looked her in the eyes and answered,

"What I was looking for... I’ve already found."

Saying this, he twirled his fingers,

and in the blink of an eye, Freya found herself standing in front of her house.

"Magic?!"

Freya was shocked.

"He knows magic? And how did I get back here so fast?"

Then she remembered—the pie. She hurried inside.

But for returning late, Tyra and her stepmother tortured her mercilessly that night.but at night, she was just thinking about that boy.