[Book 1 of 3 Parts] After losing her entire family from a tragedy involving a cursed one, wild, headstrong, and untamed Shia Hyanessa Aifendel, who possesses a curse herself and had thus far lived a nomadic life away from the Capitol, suddenly finds herself face to face with the probable murderer – Langrion Zephiry Romualdi, the mighty and powerful Imperial Prince of Gascone and the prophesied Demon King who is bound to start a war that would break the world. In an unexpected turn of events, Shia found herself agreeing to be Prince Langrion's pretend-betrothed. Working her way through the politics of the nobility, the fight for the throne, and the struggle to overthrow the discrimination against cursed ones, can she uncover the mysteries of her family's death, keep her promise of vengeance, and keep her life at the end as she starts to deeply fall in love with the would-be Demon King? Penned by: Ellie Love. IG: ellielove12. FB: Jan Camille Tongco (Author Ellie Love).
View MoreMy satin veil billowed against the wind as I walked down the aisle in the cream-colored wedding gown that the villagers have presented to me. It was their tribute for today’s occasion. My head was lightly pricked by the crown of baby’s breath that kept my veil in place, and I clutched the bouquet of peach roses and lilies nervously and sighed as the wedding march started to play.
I started my way towards the end of the aisle where my would-be husband awaited. It was a slow, steady, but equally nerve-wracking walk; butterflies of every shape and color swirled all around me as flowers started to bloom where I have previously treaded. This was perhaps the final salute of the plants that have grown to love me my whole life. It pains me to think I might leave them all too soon today.
My beloved’s eyes seemed to look at me with awe and anticipation. Thankfully, I did not falter with my walk. I stood high and felt more confident with each step that brought me closer to the altar where I will soon be wedded.
I never imagined my own wedding to look like this. As a young girl, I have always imagined it to be surrounded by so many people – the people whom I loved and the people whom I have met along the way in the perilous journey I have undertaken; but here I am now accompanied only by the Royal Officiator and my own groom.
There was not a single human guest; we could not risk putting anyone else’s life in danger. Only the wind, the trees, the flowers, the butterflies, and the other magical creatures of the island will be bearing witness as we profess our love for each other today. The silence drowned my own heartbeat against the wind, but it did not dampen my spirit even the slightest bit.
My soon-to-be husband – the man that I love, but also the man that many had and will come to loathe and fear - was waiting for my coming. Some might call me mad for choosing him, but my choice rested fully on the fact that I trust and understand him and the fate that has brought us together – the same destiny that I pray will pull us through this ordeal that we are about to face. Other people do not know him as well as I do. They were never privy to all of his struggles – our struggles.
Now that we have reached this crucial moment, I knew there was no coming back to the old ways. If I – or rather if we - can survive this, I know that we will have to become renewed people. We cannot simply go back to our former, wily, and reckless ways and think solely of our own needs. I have to consider my husband’s needs before that of own, and he must consider my own welfare before his. But at this very moment, we are putting aside our own happiness for the happiness of those who are dear to us. I pray that this sacrifice will be all worth it in the end...
This was of course not an ordinary wedding. This can well be my funeral rest. The ritual that we will undergo in a few minutes involves the union of our souls forever. Should I survive this ordeal, it will only be the beginning. Should I perish here, my groom must make the arduous journey ahead alone and persevere with all his might towards victory.
My beloved and I have discussed all the possible scenarios a million times before. I told him I was ready for any of the possible outcome even though, in reality, I was not. I have never feared losing my life, yet my heart quivered in fear of him losing his life should I not come out of here alive. He was resolute in his disagreement to this ordeal, but I convinced him otherwise. I reminded him that before he is my husband, he is the nation’s leader and that he knew the danger that lies ahead if we do not attempt to do the ritual.
People’s lives depended on his success. Should he lack the will to go on in this journey, millions will perish. Thus as his soon-to-be wife, I must make the ultimate sacrifice too. I must be brave enough as he is for we are each other’s only source of strength. I must not look weak or fearful in his eyes, especially at this very moment of our union.
Finally, I have reached the end of the aisle. My beloved stood side by side with me looking dignified and calm as always. In contrast with the thick fabrics and armor that he usually donned, he was wearing a simple white suit that I have weaved myself for the occasion, and this makes me swell with joy and pride.
His face was as impassive as when I first met him, but his eyes that contain the whole of my universe say it all. He took my hand gently, and he walked a little further with me until we stood in front of the Royal Officiator.
“We have gathered here today for the union of two hearts and the forging of two souls,” the officiator turned to me, “Moreover, when this ritual commences, we will begin the purification process that will put your life in peril. Should there be any protests at any point from the two of you, we will cease to proceed further on. Do you both agree?”
I smiled slightly towards the Royal Officiator. He wore a grim look on his face and his brows were full of unspoken worries.
Above everyone else, he knew what was about to happen. He was the one who planted the seed of this possibility in our minds several moons ago. I remembered the countless times he had tried to coax me out of this marriage in the past, but I have always declined his pleas knowing that the apparent pros of my decision outweigh its one and only disadvantage which is losing my soul forever.
“Are you sure about this? From here on, there will be no turning back...” he trailed on in a half-pleading voice.
I met the stare of my groom and saw the eyes that spoke only of love. It was the eyes that knew trust. We are not sure what the outcome of this ordeal might be, but we are sure of each other’s love. Furthermore, we know each other’s strengths and capabilities. We both know that we can pull through this if we trust each other enough. This fact filled my heart with the encouragement I needed to go on.
“I know, and I am ready,” I said, and my dearly beloved nodded in agreement.
The Royal Officiator presented us our wedding rings which he had especially blessed for this occasion. My beloved put the ring on my finger, and I felt a small twinge of electricity coming from it. I did the same, and judging by my beloved’s reaction, he also felt the sudden jolt of electricity emanating from it.
We each took turns and spoke our vows of undying love for each other – something that seemed so in contrast with the possibility of death that loomed over us. We spoke of how each of us has changed each other’s ways and perspective. We spoke of snippets of the special times we have shared together, the fondest memories we have of each other, and we pledged our loyalty – even with death at the forefront – to each other until we meet again in the afterlife.
Later on, the Royal Officiator began tying the red ribbon symbolising our union over my left hand down to my wrist and my beloved’s own left hand down to his wrists. He began citing the rituals of marriage using the Elder Tongue, and our wedding rings began to light up in the most amazing way. Throughout this part, my dearly beloved clasped my hands in a protective manner, just as we have done so countless of times in the past, and I knew that he will protect me no matter what is to come to me today.
Finally, the spoken rituals have ended, and now the final and hardest part of our wedding will begin. The Royal Officiator wiped the sweat that had formed over his brows in a nervous and grim manner.
“Now,” the Royal Officiator said, “the real ritual is about to begin. Starting this moment, you will truly become the bride of the Demon King. If you both concur, let this agreement be sealed with your kiss!”
My body shuddered in a mixture of fright and excitement, but my heart was at peace as my groom, and now my husband and my Lord – the would-be Demon King – pulled my waist closer to his body and planted his soft lips against mine in an apparent kiss of eternal union and death.
“Ugh, I absolutely hate boys,” Khailis said in disgust as she threw her sweaty gauntlet onto the floor.Shortly after, Khalis heard a shriek. She gasped as she realized who it was she had just injured.“Gavil, Gavil, I’m so sorry! Were you hurt?”A black furry cat sat by the floor, rubbing his bum with his tail due to the accident she had just caused.Khalis has often gone home in sulky moods before, but this was the first time he was ever hit by him, and as a result, his feelings were deeply hurt.Khalis picked him up like a baby and put him at her lap, stroking his sleek, black fur and patting his behind apologetically. “Was my Gavil hurt? Were you injured?”Gavil whimpered some more, not because he was hurt but because he was sad and lonely. Even before Khailis went out today, Gavil had stayed in this spot because it was the most comforting place in her room. Every day, Khailis went
“Are you coming tonight?”Danterion placed his arms around my waist as I tied the last few knots of my dress. He repeated his words when I did not speak.“Are you coming again tonight, Fina?”I did not answer because I didn’t know what to tell him. This was the third night that I had come here on my own and sought him. I had been feeling rather sad and empty lately, but Langrey came back in town today, and I agreed to meet him at the same, old place. True, I had been deliberating in my mind if today would be a good time to call everything off between us, but how could I possibly know how things will turn out? How would I know if I needed solace and comfort again after I break up with my childhood sweetheart and his own twin brother today?I shook the thought away from my head. I am a bad, bad person, I know; I had been seeing Danterion for half a year now behind his brother’s back. Although Langrey and I had a long hist
Silver roses bloom only for a week once every five years – their life spans are too short and too far apart but also far too sweet to be fully ignored. These flowers are like one’s childhood love – a memory that came too soon but rarely leaves. Tristal Mariana Andry, the Grand Duchess of the Noble House of Andry, sighed deeply. At age sixty and mostly bedridden, she had become more and more prone to melancholic spells, especially when it came to remembering her past. Today, she had been in reverie once more as she faced a seemingly daunting task. It was the first time she had been out of her room and in a party. It was also the first time in decades that she had chosen to speak to Caldwell again – the present king of Gaulane and her past lover. The details of her last communication with Cal, as she would lovingly call him ages ago, had already slipped away from her mind, but the memories of their first encounter loomed as fresh as yesterday for her. It all started fr
“I, the new sun of Gascone, swear to dedicate my life into the service of my people. I swear this oath in the name of my father and my forefathers before me and in the name of the holy gods and goddesses of Teotroly!” Everybody cheered as the new king took his oath. They gazed at his ocean blue eyes, and they were taken aback by the honesty of his words and his demeanor. They welcomed him and his new queen with open arms. Shia looked back at the dignified man’s jet-black hair and mesmerizing blue-eyes with awe. She was proud and happy at what he had accomplished so far. It had been four months since the battle between them and Sirion has ended, and in those four months, he had been able to recover by and by. During the battle that left half of the castle in ruins, the last clear vision in Shia’s mind was that of Sirion plunging a sword in Danterion’s body – the body that hosted him – just after claiming that his death will fulfil what he had lon
As soon as Shia cut through the kraken’s tentacle, she found herself falling helplessly down. She screamed. She had forgotten the fact that she could not fly. She was really a useless goddess. Thankfully, the feeling of falling suddenly stopped, and Shia was turned upright by an invisible force. When she craned her neck to see who it was that helped her, she spotted a familiar face. It was Marmie, and she was staying some distance away, manipulating her fall. Almost instantaneously, a cry emerged from up above her, and she saw two flying entities swoop down into the center of the kraken’s head where Sirion was. Finally they came! Gilyan and the Commander were perched at Chibi’s back, and a black winged puma, who could only be Gavil, went into the courtyard to help them. “Sirion,” Shia shouted. “Let Danterion go! It’s over! You are outnumbered!” Sirion simply laughed at her, seemingly unfazed. “Do you think you and your puny friends could kill
Darkness covered the sky as birds from all direction converge towards the courtyard where Gavil, Chibi, and Marmie had seen Langrion go earlier. “Come on, let’s go and help Shia now. She had been taken away by some monster, but I think she’s nearby,” Khailis remarked as she tried to stand, but Gavil held her tightly by the shoulder. “Wife, you stay here with Goddess Eily. The rest of us will go.” “Wait, no! How can I stay here? There’s no action here! Plus, I’m fine, don’t worry too much,” Khailis said, beaming with energy. “You’re not fine. We might lose our babies, and I don’t want to lose you too... Ever!” Khalis looked back at Gavil’s glistening eyes. For the first time since he had met him, he saw him shed tears... Ah, she had almost forgotten! The blood of knighthood runs so strongly in her veins, but first and foremost, she was a mother now and a wife to someone who deemed her precious... She couldn’t possibly be as bold and car
“Just a little bit more, my lady... Please...” Gilyan have not begged anyone saved the God of Darkness for years. He didn’t have to before this. He became a free man because of His Darkness, but now, he found himself in a predicament where he would kneel down and kiss the earth if he could just get his wish. He didn’t know how many hours they had been buried down there. He tried his best since earlier to get help from above. However, he could not sense any living being, or was it perhaps because his magic was weak and limited? Earlier, the goddess who was with them revealed something about him that he felt had some semblance of truth. “All who can wield powers have the imprints of divinity in them, and you, in particular, given that strong sense of power, I’d say you must be a candidate for a god.” He had believed those words. After all, he had seen how his powers had gotten out of bounds even without the God of Darkness’ permission.
Langrion could not believe it! His wife almost died. If he was just a second late, she would have perished! She surely wouldn’t have survived! A heart beat ago, he swopped as fast as he could towards the open fire burning at the castle’s courtyard. He had seen it countless of times before, looking like a candle far-away in his own tower. He heard the pleas of the cursed ones like him, begging, screaming for help, but his uncle never did give his mercy at any of those times. As such, Langrion feared those flames for a long time. He felt like they were the cause of his torment. He should have died with those people accused of being cursed a long time ago. He should have been the first to burn, but because he was a prince, he survived. He lived until his present age of twenty one years old... That’s right. Today is his twenty first birthday, and today, he just turned curseless. The mask on his face fell as he snatched Shia away from the burning flames th
Langrion and Gavil, together with Chibi and Marmie, wasted no time travelling to the place they needed to go: the capital city of Gascone – Gaulane. “I can take us there easily, Prince Langrion,” Marmie said during the dead of the night a few second before they ascended in the air. Marmie was on Chibi’s back while Gavil had already transformed himself into his beast form – an enormous, black feline with wings like an eagle. “How,” Langrion asked. The last time he checked, Marmie’s powers involved controlling things with her mind. Can she also create voids like Galahad? “With this,” Marmie said, pulling away her sleeve from her left hand. There was a tattoo that looked like an eye with feathers reaching on both sides. “This was installed by the Ancient Evil when he controlled me... when he controlled us. We were supposed to use it once we have fulfilled our mission. Although I was not conscious at the time he was controlling my thoughts, I remembered it well i
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