Chapter 1: The Cursed Birth
The kingdom of Mucuse had waited for this day for decades. The grand halls of the Duke's castle were filled with the sweet scent of lilies and roses, and the sunlight streamed through tall stained-glass windows, turning the marble floors into pools of golden light. After years of longing, Duke Mucuse and his wife, Alira, finally held their daughter in their arms."She's perfect," Alira whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked at the tiny, fragile baby.
Even the Duke, a man known for his stern demeanor and powerful influence as the king's closest friend and cousin, felt his heart swell. "A daughter at last… Lilly Mucuse," he said softly, naming her after the rare flower that bloomed only once a decade.The youngest son, Zack, who had long been lonely in the echoing halls of the castle while his elder brothers were away—Sol studying in the neighboring kingdom and Jack journeying across distant lands—could barely contain his joy. He peeked at his baby sister with wide, protective eyes. "She's… ours," he whispered, a rare smile breaking across his face.
But happiness, as it often does in tales of royalty, was not meant to last.From the shadows of the castle, a dark presence stirred. The Asunny Sunly, a mysterious sorceress whose powers were whispered of in fear, had watched the birth of Lilly with growing anger. She had long loved Prince Lucks Marco, the king's son, and she could not bear the thought that Lilly—the daughter of his closest friend—might one day marry him.
The curse was swift and cruel.
"She will never know love freely," the sorceress hissed. "Her heart will be bound, and those who care for her will fade."
And just like that, the joy of the castle was overshadowed by a dark fate.Years passed. The servants who once doted on Lilly gradually grew old, fell ill, or disappeared under mysterious circumstances. By the time Lilly turned fifteen, the halls that once rang with laughter were silent. The Duke's love had been constant but distant, for he spent more time tending to the kingdom's affairs than to his own child. Her mother, Alira, had long passed, leaving Lilly under the care of her stepmother, Defney—a woman whose cold ambition rivaled the shadow of the Asunny Sunly herself.
Locked away in the tallest tower of the castle, Lilly grew into a girl of rare beauty, with eyes that reflected both sorrow and defiance. She was aware of the stories whispered through the servants' gossip: the curse, the prince she was destined to love, and the dark fate that awaited her. But she had no one to protect her now—not even her father, who was often away from the kingdom.And then came the news that would change everything: Crown Prince Kael Darius of Bel Kingdom, a cold-hearted young man known for attacking noble houses and offering terrifying choices in exchange for their lives, was marching toward the House of Mucuse.
Defney, seeing an opportunity to secure her own power and fearing for the family's survival, made a decision that would haunt Lilly forever. When the prince demanded a price for sparing the house, she handed Lilly over."You must… marry him," Defney said, her voice cold, her eyes hard. "It's the only way to save the house."
Lilly's heart shattered as she was led away, her freedom slipping like sand through her fingers. Outside the tower window, Zack's distant cry echoed, but there was nothing he could do.
And so, the cursed daughter of the Duke stepped into a world of power, danger, and dark romance—a world where love, sacrifice, and vengeance would intertwine in ways she could never imagine