“I was holding a sword when you died.”
Those words made Elara’s world stop.
Outside the hall, the sound of troops approaching the castle grew clearer. The clashing of weapons, the guards’ shouts, and the pounding against the gates blended into one. But to Elara, all those sounds seemed far away.
All that remained was Adrian’s confession. She stared at the man before her. The man who had begun confusing her over the past few days.
The man who appeared cold before the entire kingdom, yet secretly carried wounds no one had ever known about.
The man who might have… killed her once.
“What do you mean?”
Elara’s voice came out softer than she intended.
Adrian did not answer immediately. He stared at his own hands, as though they no longer belonged to him.
“I saw a room.”
His breathing was heavy. “There was fire everywhere. People were screaming. I was wearing battle armor.”
Elara did not move.
“There was a woman in front of me.”
“Seraphine?”
Adrian slowly shook his head. “I don’t know.”
The answer only made Elara more uneasy.
“What was she doing?”
Adrian closed his eyes. “She was crying.” His voice dropped lower. “She begged me to stop.”
Elara’s heart began pounding faster. “And then?”
Adrian opened his eyes. “I raised my sword.”
The room seemed to grow colder.
Elara stared at him. “And after that?”
“I don’t remember.”
Silence fell between them. Suddenly, an explosion sounded outside the castle. The guards shouted that the main gate had been attacked.
Adrian immediately became a king again. His gaze sharpened.
“I have to go.”
Elara did not move.
“How can I trust you?”
The question stopped Adrian in his tracks. For a moment, he simply stood with his back to her.
“I’m not asking you to trust me.”
Adrian turned around.
“I’m only asking you to stay alive until we learn the truth.”
Then he walked toward the door. But before he could leave, Elara said, “Adrian.”
He stopped.
“If it turns out you really did kill me…” Elara swallowed her unease. “What will you do?”
Adrian looked at her. There was no hesitation on his face.
“If I’m the reason for your death…” He drew a breath. “I’ll accept whatever punishment I deserve.”
The battle outside the castle grew fiercer.
Valmere’s forces had surrounded Aveloria on three sides. They were not attacking like an army intent on claiming territory.
They were attacking like someone who had come to take one person.
Elara.
Adrian stood atop the castle wall with his sword drawn. The night wind stirred his hair, while moonlight gleamed off his black armor.
Below, a man on a white horse rode forward.
“King Adrian Veyr!”
The man’s voice echoed. Adrian looked at him.
“Prince Kael of Valmere.”
The prince smiled faintly. “So you still remember me.”
“I never forget an enemy.”
Kael gave a quiet laugh. “An enemy?” He raised his face. “Interesting. I came to free your kingdom.”
“From what?”
“The curse.”
Adrian’s face hardened. Kael pointed toward the castle.
“Hand over the woman of House Vale. She is not your savior.”
The Avelorian soldiers exchanged glances. Adrian did not answer.
Kael continued, “She is the beginning of your kingdom’s destruction.”
The words made Adrian’s hand curl into a fist. “Leave.”
“Aren’t you curious?”
Kael smiled. “What if I told you that woman was the reason you lost everything a hundred years ago?”
Adrian did not budge. “I don’t believe you.”
“Because you’re starting to love her?”
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Even the soldiers stopped moving. Adrian stared coldly at Kael.
“Don’t speak of something you don’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand it very well.”
Kael pulled an object from beneath his cloak. An old painting. He threw it toward one of the guards. The guard carried it to Adrian.
When the covering cloth was removed, Adrian froze. It was a painting of him. But not the man he was now.
The man in the painting was younger. And standing beside him was a woman. Her face was identical to Elara’s.
Beneath the painting were the words:
King Adrian Veyr and Queen Seraphine Vale.
Elara, watching from a distance, fell silent.
A queen. Not a traitor. Not an enemy. But his wife.
Adrian stared at the painting without blinking. Another memory surfaced. A garden. A woman laughing. Her hand clasped in Adrian’s.
“Promise me.”
“What?”
“If I ever forget you, don’t let me go.”
Adrian flinched. The painting fell from his hands.
“Your Majesty?”
He clutched his head. “Elara…”
The name left his lips unconsciously. But he was not thinking of Elara. He saw another woman.
Seraphine.
The woman whose face was identical to Elara’s. The woman he had once loved. And the woman he might have killed.
Inside the castle, Elara felt something strange. The pendant around her neck suddenly grew hot.
She touched it. Then a voice appeared in her mind.
“He’s starting to remember.”
Elara froze. “Who are you?”
There was no answer. Then the voice returned.
“Don’t hate him.”
Tears unconsciously filled Elara’s eyes. “Why?”
“Because he didn’t kill you out of hatred.”
Elara held her breath.
“Then why?”
Several seconds passed. Then the voice whispered.
“Because he wanted to save you.”
Elara fell silent. Everything she knew had changed once again.
Outside the castle, Adrian descended from the wall and walked toward the main gate.
“Your Majesty!”
The guards tried to stop him. But Adrian did not stop. Prince Kael watched him with a satisfied smile.
“At last, you remember.”
Adrian stopped a few steps in front of him.
“What happened that night?”
Kael smiled. “You want to know?”
“Answer me.”
“You killed Queen Seraphine because you believed she had betrayed you.”
Adrian stared sharply at him.
“But that’s not the whole story.”
Kael stepped closer.
“She was trying to destroy the curse placed on your family.”
“Then why did she die?”
“Because someone didn’t want the curse to disappear.”
Adrian fell silent. “Who?”
Kael smiled. “The same person who is trying to take Elara now.”
Before Adrian could ask anything else, an arrow shot from behind Valmere’s forces.
But it was not headed for Adrian. It was headed for Elara, who had just appeared on the castle balcony.
“Elara!”
Adrian moved without thinking. In an instant, he leaped forward and caught the arrow before it struck Elara.
But when the arrowhead pierced his hand, the curse symbol on his arm lit up. Black. Then it turned gold.
Everyone fell silent. Because for the first time… the king’s curse did not hurt him. Instead, it protected her.
Adrian looked at Elara from a distance. And in that moment, one final memory surfaced. Seraphine’s voice.
“If I ever return…”
“Don’t let your guilt drive you away from me.”
Adrian looked at Elara. Not as a king. Not as a cursed man. But as someone who had finally realized one thing. Perhaps for the past hundred years…
it had not been the curse binding him. It had been guilt.
And perhaps the woman before him had not come to destroy his life.
Perhaps she had come… to set him free.