Chapter 6: The Chains of Fate

Elysia sat in her chambers, staring out the window at the endless, violet-hued sky. The castle was unlike anything she had ever known—beautiful yet haunting, alive yet empty. The whispers had faded, but their warning still echoed in her mind.

"The prince is cursed. If you stay, you will be bound to his fate."

Kael’s words hadn’t been a simple warning. They had been a promise.

She should be terrified.

And yet…

Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress.

She had looked into Kael’s eyes and seen something else beneath his cold, untouchable exterior—something raw and haunted. If he truly was as heartless as the world claimed, then why warn her at all? Why hold himself back?

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Enter," she called.

The door creaked open, and a familiar figure stepped inside—Ephraim, the castle steward. His skeletal frame was wrapped in a dark cloak, his sunken eyes sharp with knowledge.

"You are troubled, my lady," he observed, his voice raspy yet calm.

Elysia sighed. "It seems impossible not to be in a place like this."

Ephraim chuckled, the sound dry as parchment. "You are not the first to feel that way."

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

The old steward hesitated, then moved closer. "The prince has had others before you."

Her stomach twisted. "Others?"

He nodded. "Women, sold to him as you were. Yet none remain."

Elysia swallowed. "What happened to them?"

Ephraim’s gaze darkened. "They tried to love him."

A chill ran down her spine.

Tried to love him.

And they were gone.

She felt the weight of Kael’s warning now more than ever.

"If you stay, you will be bound to my fate."

The air in the room grew heavy. "Did he… kill them?"

Ephraim shook his head. "No. But love is a dangerous thing for one cursed as he is. Those who stayed, who dared to reach for him, all suffered the same fate."

Elysia’s throat tightened. "What fate?"

The old steward’s voice dropped to a whisper.

"They withered away. Their souls drained, their bodies turned to dust by the curse that clings to him like chains."

Her breath caught. "Then why buy me?"

Ephraim’s gaze softened. "Perhaps, despite his warnings… he still hopes."

Silence stretched between them.

Elysia’s heart pounded as she processed the revelation. Every fiber of her being told her to run, to escape before she became another nameless ghost in Kael’s tragic tale.

And yet, when she closed her eyes, she saw his face.

The way his fingers had trembled—just slightly—when they brushed her skin. The way his voice wavered when he told her to be afraid.

He was fighting something.

Something bigger than himself.

Something that had already cost him too much.

Ephraim turned to leave but paused at the door. "Be careful, my lady. Curiosity is a dangerous thing in this castle."

Then, he was gone, leaving her alone with the weight of the truth.

She should be afraid.

She should want to escape.

But all she could think about was the silver-haired prince who had never known love without loss.

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