Chapter 3

Valerius was dressed in armor, exuding the oppressive aura.

Seraphina stood beside him in silver silk, surrounded by courtiers like a future queen.

They looked perfectly matched.

My chest tightened.

The thought of watching them be crowned together made it hard to even breathe.

Over the next few days, Valerius accompanied Seraphina everywhere.

Some of the Fae courtiers used illusion crystals to record their intimate smiles, deliberately shoving the projections in my face.

I gripped my skirt, forcing myself to tell the maids I didn't care.

But at night, I kept dreaming of Valerius taking Seraphina's hand. Every time I woke up, my pillow was soaked.

Valerius hadn't stepped foot in my room for days.

The whispers stung my ears: "She's just a toy to suppress his curse. She'll be tossed aside sooner or later."

Maybe they were right.

His past indulgence was probably nothing more than a fleeting distraction to cure his boredom.

Soon after, Queen Dowager Isolde summoned everyone.

She sat on the high throne, relegating me to the furthest corner of the hall.

"Princess Seraphina needs company. You, mortal, will go entertain her."

It wasn't about entertaining.

It was about crushing my dignity in front of the entire court. For the first time, I truly realized there was no place for me in this palace.

The Sacred Tree's side courtyard was empty.

Seraphina approached me with a sweet smile. "Taking care of the Prince... you must have endured so much, haven't you?"

Before I could say a word, her smile twisted into a mocking sneer.

"Tell me, who do you think he'll choose? A lowly mortal like you... or me?"

I took a step back, but she purposely brushed hard against my shoulder.

Her sharp nail grazed my fingertip, leaving behind the faintest line of black mist.

At that exact moment, the heavy, rhythmic thud of boots echoed into the courtyard.

Valerius.

Seraphina instantly stumbled into his arms.

She choked, spitting up a mouthful of black blood before collapsing weakly. "She... she placed a soul curse on me!"

Valerius's eyes were cold, unfamiliar.

Panic seized my chest.

"I didn't do anything..."

I scrambled to defend myself, but the royal guards lunged, pinning me to the floor.

Valerius looked down, his voice softening for the woman in his arms. "Don't be afraid."

Without even sparing me a glance, he waved a hand. "Seal the courtyard. Summon the healer."

"The source of the curse is on her," Seraphina pointed at me. "The cure must come from her!"

It was completely illogical. I was a mortal; I couldn't even sense magic, let alone cast a deadly curse.

Yet Valerius didn't hesitate for a second. His command was ice-cold. "Test her."

I was forced into the magic array. The healer activated the mechanism.

The array was meant to purify the Fae, but for a mortal, it was like being roasted alive over an open flame.

Eerie blue light pierced through my skin, and that black mist surged frantically through my veins.

The searing agony made my vision go dark.

By the time the ritual finally ended, the faint black mark on my fingertip was glaringly visible under the blinding light.

It became the irrefutable "proof" she had planted.

Isolde arrived with her entourage, glaring at me with unbridled fury.

"A mortal daring to harm the princess! Unforgivable! Confine this wretch! Let her kneel on this altar for a full day and night!"

Valerius never once looked at me. He scooped Seraphina into his arms and strode away.

In that moment, the despairing reality of the chasm between Seraphina and me finally set in.

I didn't even have the right to open my mouth to defend myself.

A single word from her was enough to take my life.

I used to think Valerius would keep me safe. What an absolute joke.

For the first time, I truly, desperately, wanted to run away.

The backlash sent me into a violent fever.

Drifting between dreams and reality, I thought I caught the scent of Valerius.

Someone wiped the dried blood from my face with a damp cloth. Someone held my trembling hands with agonizing tenderness.

"What am I to you?" I cried.

No one answered.

When my eyes finally battered open, the room was empty.

A bitter, self-deprecating smile touched my lips. Of course. Just another pathetic hallucination.

Then, the door was pushed open, and Valerius walked in, his face dark as a storm.

And yet, some pathetic sliver of hope still lingered in my chest. "Your Highness..."

"The soul poison has sunk in. Seraphina is worsening. The healers say the only cure requires a mortal's heart-blood as a catalyst."

"You have always been obedient. Cooperate, and I will compensate you."

His words drove into my skull like an ice pick, sending violent tremors down my spine.

"She planted it on me! It was all an act! Why won't you believe me?"

"I'm sorry."

"This is what you owe her."

He didn't give me the chance to argue.

Pinning me down effortlessly, he drew his dagger with his other hand and drove it ruthlessly into my flesh.

The crushing grip on my arms and the agonizing pierce of the blade near my heart exploded simultaneously.

Just before the sheer agony dragged me into the dark, I thought I caught a momentary flash of heartache in his eyes.

The next day, I heard Seraphina was fully recovered.

Isolde summoned me, claiming the princess wanted to "personally thank me for saving her life."

I had barely reached the door when the sound of their laughter stabbed into my ears.

"Once you marry him, you must hurry and give birth to a pureblood heir."

"As for that mortal, I am keeping a very close eye on her. I will never allow her to conceive some filthy half-breed before the Queen. If she ever shows signs of carrying a child, we will have her 'purified' and disposed of."

This was the reality of my existence. Not only did they want to drain my blood, but they had also completely sealed off any chance for my future child to live.

Inside the room, Seraphina put on a sickeningly fake act of gratitude, repeatedly calling me her "miracle cure."

Isolde didn't even bother to give me a second glance.

"She is nothing but a low-born plaything. To provide blood for the princess is an honor. You are far too soft-hearted, coming to thank her in person."

Every single word was a warning.

A warning to remember my place. Don't dream of stepping out of line. Don't dream of having children.

I pressed my hand against my lower abdomen.

Last night, after the fever finally broke, I had felt the faintest, most microscopic pulse of magic radiating from within.