Was what I did really a crime? What is a thirst for knowledge if not a human trait? Only we humans pursue knowledge and have the hunger to explore the unexplored. All other races are primitive at best.
They are no better than the magical beasts we hunt.
That was my view of the world, and these thoughts welled up even more now. As I lay in my room, feeling the silk sheets against my back and staring at the golden ornaments that made my room sparkle, I waited for my execution.
That was what it really was—an execution. My death was almost certain, and there was nothing I could do about it.
"Prince Percival!" A loud, stern voice called from outside my room. "It is time."
It was one of the guards who had come to take me away. Fighting made no sense, so I climbed out of bed and opened the door.
There were three guards posted outside, dressed in armor from head to toe.
"Prince Percival," they bowed.
Despite my supposed crime, I was still a prince, no less.
"Is it time?" I asked, my voice still holding onto my pride.
"Yes, the brides are here."
Brides! The word alone made me want to throw up. It was utterly repulsive.
Without saying a word, I marched to the hall where my execution would take place, with the guards following close behind me.
The hall was extravagantly decorated with floral arrangements and gold-lined silks hanging from the ceiling.
Most of the nobles were in attendance, dressed elegantly in tailored suits and dresses.
At the end of the hall stood my father, the king, sitting on his golden throne, with my twin brother standing next to him, a smirk on his face. Looking at their faces, a bitterness welled up on my tongue.
I cursed under my breath as the guards marched me over to them, but when I reached them, I gracefully got down on one knee and bent my head.
"Your grace," I said respectfully, trying to hide my burning resentment.
"Prince Percival," the king said, his voice as cold as ever. "It is with a heavy heart that I must marry you off on this day. Your actions here today are done in service of your kingdom, and for that, we are all grateful."
Utter bullshit.
"Thank you, your grace."
He stood from his throne and guided me to my feet.
"I am proud of you, my son," he said, so all could hear, before turning to the guards. "Bring in the brides."
Immediately as he said that, the giant doors to the hall were pushed open. The first thing I heard was the rustling of chains until three figures stepped into view—three women dressed in tattered brown cloth. They looked more like slaves than brides.
Both their heads and feet were shackled. The three looked like ordinary girls, but they were far from it.
One was a vampire named Isabella. A vampire who simply refused to drink the blood of animals like other vampires and instead resorted to feeding on humans.
She was a scourge in the city; every morning, a freshly dried-out human husk would be found in some godforsaken alleyway. All of them male, their bodies had two small holes in their necks and were drained of blood.
It all traced back to her.
Her eyes were a shade of blood, and so was her crimson-colored hair that cascaded down her back and cupped around her waist. Her skin was as smooth as ice and as pale as snow. She had a sort of graceful air about her. Even in her current state, she carried herself with the dignity of a noblewoman.
The only reason she was kept alive was that we couldn't figure out a way to kill her. She wore a smirk on her face as her eyes swept around the room, looking at everyone with an amused expression.
To her right was the werewolf girl, Sylvie. She had short brown hair, yellow eyes, and a brown tail between her legs. Out of all the girls, this one was even less human-like, both in her appearance and behavior.
She was like a wolf in a semi-human form. On many occasions, she had been caught hunting farm animals. They used her the same way they used a hunting hound, but her violent nature was too much to handle, so they decided to lock her in a cell and fed her raw meat every once in a while.
Her overall intelligence seemed to be low. Her only value was that she was an omega from an ancient pack of werewolves—a rare specimen that would only serve as a waste to toss aside. She growled and hissed at the crowd of nobles, utter repulsion flashing across their faces as they stared at her.
To the right of Sylvie was Ava, a powerful demon we captured on our last raid into the demon realm. She was the most powerful of them all and most likely the most valuable. She wore a bracelet on her arm to seal away her power.
We didn't know much about her, as she refused to speak to us. When we first captured her, she was just a girl, but now she was the same age as me—18 years old.
She had a certain captivating beauty about her that seemed to draw you in. She had long black hair and a set of pink-colored eyes. She had pointed ears similar to those of an elf and two small black horns protruding from her head. A frown was etched on her face as she gave us a look that could cut steel.
The kingdom's goal was to recruit them as assets, and the only way they thought to do that was through marriage. And who better to serve as a match than a disgraced prince? This group of savages would most likely kill me the moment we were alone.
I stood facing them, looking at their dreadful appearances. The nobles standing off to the side were snickering and covering their noses. The girls were covered in mud and dressed in clothes you could only describe as rags.
The priest, a bald old man dressed in an elegant white gown with gold and silver woven into the material, stepped between us with four sets of binding rings in the palm of his hand. It was the binding rings that would forever tie the four of us together.
My stomach churned at the thought. The priest went down on his knees as he raised the rings to the sky.
"God of light, magic, and men. Bind these souls together in a union of matrimony. Let their lives forever be intertwined as one."
An ominous golden glow encircled the rings as intricate runes and symbols began to form.
My eyes widened at the sight. When the golden light dispersed, the guards helped the old priest to his feet and guided him toward us.
In the palm of his hand was a ring with a blue crystal embedded in it. Surrounding that ring were three smaller rings with red crystals.
The priest instructed me to put the three smaller rings on the girls' fingers. I did as he bid. Isabella wasn't reluctant in the slightest; she gladly held out her hand before I even reached her, so I slipped on her ring without any trouble.
Sylvie, on the other hand, bared her white fangs before retracting her claws. The guards had to step in and grab hold of her before she could lash out like a feral beast.
I barely managed to slip on the ring before her claws grabbed my wrist.
Ava was fuming; she didn't offer much resistance, but her face was reddened with anger.
"You'll pay for this," she muttered bitterly as I slipped on the ring.
I stood unsure of what to do next until the guards began to pull their swords from their sheaths. My throat went dry as a chill crept up my back. For a second, I dreaded what was going to happen next until they turned their attention to the girls.
They created small wounds on the girls' palms. Blood flowed from their wounds like a stream until the priest stepped forward with a golden chalice. He allowed their blood to flow into the chalice, and when he was done, he poured it onto the ring with the blue crystal.
The ring absorbed every drop of blood until the once blue crystal turned crimson, just like the other set of rings. He then handed me the ring. For a second, everything went silent.
This was the moment that would change everything for me. In that moment, I cared not for my father's or the other nobles' expectations, but for my own pride. If I was going to die, I would rather do it gracefully and live up to my role as the prince of Palasia.
With my mind made up, I slipped on the ring, and immediately sharp pain erupted through the four of our bodies. It felt as if a needle were threading its way through each of us.
"From this day on, the four of you are husband and wives."