Chapter 4: The Whispering Castle

Elysia wandered through the dimly lit corridors, her fingers grazing the cool stone walls as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. The castle was eerily quiet, yet it felt alive, as though it was watching her. Shadows flickered unnaturally, and the faintest whispers echoed through the halls.

She wasn’t imagining it.

The whispers had started after she left the dining hall. Soft, indistinct voices, threading through the air like a breeze carrying secrets. At first, she thought it was just the wind, but the further she walked, the clearer they became.

"Elysia..."

She froze.

The voice was barely more than a breath, but it had spoken her name.

Swallowing her fear, she turned a corner, finding herself in a vast hallway lined with tall, arched windows. Beyond them, the sky remained an endless shade of violet, no sun, no stars—just an expanse of nothingness.

The air felt heavier here.

Another whisper brushed against her ear.

"The prince is cursed."

Her breath hitched.

"Who’s there?" she demanded, spinning around.

Nothing. Just the empty hall.

She exhaled sharply. Either she was losing her mind, or this castle truly held spirits.

"You're wandering."

The deep voice startled her, and she whirled to find Kael standing a few feet away, his silver hair catching the flickering blue light from the torches. He looked calm, unreadable, yet there was something in his gaze—an intensity that sent shivers down her spine.

"You walk as if searching for something," he observed.

Elysia lifted her chin. "Maybe I am."

"And what is it you hope to find?"

She hesitated. If the castle itself whispered about a curse, then Kael knew more than he was telling her.

"Are you cursed?" she asked, watching him closely.

For the first time, something in his expression flickered—surprise, perhaps, but it was gone in an instant.

"Who told you that?" His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it, sharp and dangerous.

Elysia swallowed. "The castle."

His gaze darkened. "You hear it."

It wasn’t a question.

She nodded. "The whispers started after dinner. They say you're cursed. That you’ll lose anyone you dare to care for."

Kael’s jaw tightened, and for the first time since she arrived, she saw something crack beneath his composed exterior.

Pain.

It was fleeting, barely there, but she saw it.

"You shouldn’t listen to the whispers," he said at last. "They belong to the dead."

Her pulse quickened. "Then it’s true?"

Kael stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "It doesn’t concern you."

"But it does," she insisted. "You bought me, but you don’t treat me like a prisoner. You warned me against getting close to you. Now the castle whispers of a curse. Why?"

Silence stretched between them.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, Kael said, "Because if you stay, you will be bound to my fate."

A chill ran through her.

And yet, deep in her chest, something else stirred.

Curiosity.

Or perhaps something far more dangerous.

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