Chapter 2: The Prince of Ice
The wind howled through the gates of the Mucuse castle as the army of Bel Kingdom approached. Smoke rose from distant villages, and the banners of the cold, unforgiving Crown Prince Kael Darius fluttered like dark omens.
Inside the castle, Lilly Mucuse trembled, her small hands clutching the edge of the tower window. She had never left her room, never spoken to anyone but Defney, and now she was being led to a fate she could not escape.The carriage was silent except for the creaking wheels, and Lilly's heart beat like a drum. Her stepmother, Defney, rode beside her, her eyes sharp and cold. "Remember," she said, voice like ice, "your life is the price of the house. Do as he commands."
Lilly didn't answer. How could she? Fear, anger, and despair churned inside her chest.The first time she saw him, standing tall on the battlefield with soldiers behind him, she felt her breath catch. Kael Darius—Crown Prince of Bel Kingdom—was everything the rumors promised: cold, sharp, and utterly untouchable. His dark hair whipped around his face in the wind, and his eyes, icy and calculating, seemed to pierce right through her.He didn't smile. He didn't greet her. He simply looked at her as if assessing whether she was a problem… or a prize.
"Daughter of Mucuse," Kael said, his voice low and commanding. "Your house has trespassed into my path. You will live… under one condition."
Lilly's stomach dropped. She already knew the price."You will marry me."
The words were cold, brutal, but they held power she couldn't deny. She swallowed hard, anger and fear mingling. "I… I can't," she whispered.
Kael's gaze sharpened, and the faintest smirk appeared on his lips, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You can," he said simply. "And you will."
Defney gave a satisfied smile, but Lilly's mind was spinning. Her father was gone, her brothers were far away, and now she had no choice but to follow this cold prince into a world she didn't understand.
As the carriage carried her toward Bel Kingdom, Lilly couldn't help but notice the loneliness in Kael's posture—the same loneliness she knew too well. And despite herself, a small, dangerous curiosity began to form. Who was this prince who demanded her life and yet… seemed as trapped as she was?
Little did she know, their fates were intertwined—not only by a cruel curse—but by a promise, a battle, and a sacrifice that would change both their worlds forever