The crimson sun sank behind the jagged mountains, casting long shadows over the ancient castle. Inside, Princess Elara paced nervously in her chamber, the golden chains around her wrists cold against her skin. She had lived all her seventeen years under the whispers of a curse, one that promised she would be bound to a king whose heart belonged to darkness.
A sudden knock at the door froze her mid-step. "Enter," she called, her voice steadier than she felt. The doors swung open, revealing him—the king whose name alone stirred fear in the halls of the kingdom. His eyes, dark as midnight, locked onto hers, and Elara felt an unexplainable pull, a thread binding their fates together.
"You know why you are here," he said, his voice deep and commanding, yet with a softness that betrayed a hidden vulnerability. Elara swallowed hard, her heart pounding. She knew every step forward was a step into danger—and yet, she could not turn away.
Magic crackled faintly in the air, a sign of the curse that lingered between them. One misstep could shatter everything, yet one choice could ignite a fire no one had ever seen before. And as their hands brushed for the first time, the castle itself seemed to hold its breath.
Elara's mind raced. Was this the moment she embraced her destiny… or the moment it consumed her?