Chapter 3

Silas.

The first prince of the Kingdom of Obelia.

The cursed and abandoned prince.

Exiled as a child to a freezing palace deep in the mountains, far from the capital, far from anyone who could care for him.

He had no surname because he refused to be associated with the father who abandoned him.

And worst of all…

Sylviane de Rosnay was meant to die at his hands.

I swallowed hard. Oh, great. Just fantastic.

Silas was cursed before he was even born. His father—the emperor—was a cruel tyrant who committed unspeakable sins. And as divine punishment, his firstborn child was cursed instead of him.

When Silas was born, his body was slightly deformed, marked by scar-like wounds that looked like stab injuries. As he grew older, the deformities faded, but the pain remained. His body carried wounds that had never been inflicted. Wounds that should have belonged to his father.

I felt bad for him.

He had done nothing wrong, yet he was punished for his father’s sins and then discarded like trash.

But then again… Sylviane didn’t deserve to die, either.

In the game, she was sent to Silas under imperial orders to “heal” him. Except, instead of being cured, Silas killed her.

I remembered my friend ranting about it. How Sylviane’s death shattered her family.

Her mother died from grief.

Her father followed soon after.

Her brother, Raphaël, lost everything and went mad with vengeance. He attacked the emperor himself… and was brutally tortured and killed.

Looking at them now, alive and happy, I couldn’t even begin to imagine their pain.

But this story… was not what it seemed.

There was something much darker, much more twisted hiding beneath it all.

And this time…

I wasn’t going to let Sylviane—or me—die.

I snapped out of my thoughts when my mother spoke again.

"Dear, if you don’t want to go, I can speak to the emperor," she said gently, concern in her warm eyes. "As long as your father is alive, no one can force you to do anything against your will."

I turned to my father.

He sat tall, his sharp features calm but commanding. The way he looked at me… it was so gentle yet held an unspoken promise.

"Say the word, and I’ll burn the whole empire down."

Yeah… the Duke of Rosnay was THAT kind of dad.

"No, Dad, no need," I said quickly, before he actually started planning a coup.

I took a deep breath. I needed to go. There was something I needed to check, something I needed to change.

This time, I wouldn’t let fate kill me.

"You’re not going alone."

I turned to see Raphaël staring at me, his golden eyes serious.

"Your brother is here. I won’t let anyone hurt you," he said.

Okay, wow.

That was… unexpectedly sweet.

I barely knew this guy, but hearing him say that made my heart feel warm.

"Yeah, darling, we’re all here for you," my mother added, smiling. Then, in the same sweet voice, she added, "And if you need to take care of someone, I have some very strong potions that can do the job."

I nearly choked on air.

Did she just casually offer me poison?!

I looked at my father and brother, expecting them to be horrified.

Instead, they both nodded approvingly.

Was murder just… a normal dinner conversation in this family?!

I let out a shaky laugh. "Uh… thanks, Mom. I’ll let you know if I need some."

She beamed like I’d just complimented her cooking.

I exhaled, feeling a little overwhelmed.

I had never been this loved before. I had never had a family like this. People who cared, who protected, who stood by each other no matter what.

It was… nice.

"Thank you all," I said, truly grateful. "If I need your help, I’ll ask."

They all smiled at me, as if I had just made the best decision of my life.