The Hidden Secret Of The Prince

CHAPTER ONE: Before the Curse POV: Mark Garrett There was a time when I believed love could save a kingdom. Now, when I look back on those days, I realize how foolish that belief truly was. The rain had not stopped for three days when I first met her. Velmora was drowning beneath storms sent by an unforgiving winter, yet the kingdom still celebrated as though nothing could touch us. Music echoed through the palace halls. Nobles drank themselves senseless beneath chandeliers of gold. Soldiers laughed loudly around roaring fires. And I, I escaped them all. Even as crown prince, I had always hated royal gatherings. Too many fake smiles. Too many eyes watching every movement I made. So while the palace drowned itself in celebration, I rode alone into the eastern forest beyond the kingdom walls. That was where everything began. I remember the cold that night. The kind that seeps through skin and settles into your bones. My horse moved carefully through the thick woods while fog wrapped around the trees like pale ghosts. The deeper I traveled, the quieter the world became. No music. No guards. No expectations. Only silence. For the first time in weeks, I could breathe. Then I heard screaming. I pulled the reins sharply. Another scream followed, closer this time. It sounded like a woman. Without thinking, I jumped from my horse and rushed toward the sound, pushing through wet branches until I reached a clearing. And that was the moment my life changed forever. Three men surrounded her. Bandits, judging by their filthy clothes and rusted weapons. The woman stood trapped between them, her back against a dead tree. But strangely, She did not look afraid. Her silver-black hair clung to her soaked skin from the rain. A dark cloak covered most of her body, yet something about her presence felt unnatural. Beautiful. But dangerous. One of the men grabbed her wrist violently. “You should’ve stayed hidden, witch.” Witch, the word immediately sharpened the air around me. The kingdom had laws against witches. Every child in Velmora grew up hearing stories about them. Manipulative creatures. Cursed blood. Destroyers of kingdoms. But the woman before me did not look like a monster. She looked exhausted. The bandit raised his blade. I moved before thinking. My sword struck his arm, sending the weapon flying into the mud. The other two turned instantly. “What the hell,” The fight ended quickly. None of them were skilled enough to challenge a royal knight, let alone the future king of Velmora. Within minutes, all three men lay unconscious beneath the rain. Breathing heavily, I turned toward the woman. She stared at me silently. Her eyes were unlike anything I had ever seen. Dark. Ancient. Almost inhumanly calm. “You should not have done that,” she said softly. Her voice sent an unfamiliar chill down my spine. I frowned slightly. “They were going to kill you.” “No,” she replied quietly. “They were not.” Before I could respond, something impossible happened. The rain around us froze midair. I froze completely. Tiny droplets hung motionless in the air like crystals suspended by invisible strings. The forest became silent. Too silent. Then slowly, Black shadows curled around the woman’s fingers. Real magic. Every instinct inside me screamed to step away from her. But I could not move. Not because I was afraid. Because I could not stop staring. The shadows disappeared just as quickly as they came. And the rain fell again. The woman lowered her hand slowly. “You should leave, human.” The way she said it made me realize something immediately. She already knew what I was. “A witch,” I murmured. She looked away. “I was.” I should have reported her to the palace. I should have called the guards. I should have feared her the way every law in Velmora demanded. Instead, I asked for her name. For the first time, emotion flickered across her face. Almost surprise. “Seraphina.” Even now, after all these years, hearing that name still feels like reopening an old wound. I stepped closer carefully. “I’m Mark.” “You should not tell witches your name,” she said. “Why?” A faint smile touched her lips then. “Because names hold power.” I was already falling for her. Even then. Even before I understood what she truly was. Thunder shook the forest above us. Seraphina pulled her cloak tighter around herself before turning away. “You should return to your palace, Prince Mark Garrett.” My body stiffened. “You know who I am?” “I know many things.” There was sadness in her voice. A sadness I did not understand at the time. She began walking deeper into the forest. I should have let her go. Instead, I followed her. “Wait.” She stopped but did not turn around. “You’re injured.” “It will heal.” “At least let me help.” A long silence followed. Then finally, she looked back at me. And in that single moment, My fate sealed itself completely. Because I saw loneliness in her eyes. The same loneliness I had spent my entire life hiding behind royal duty and forced perfection. For the first time in years, someone looked at me not as a prince, But as a man. And I was weak enough to need that. I did not know then that loving Seraphina would destroy kingdoms. I did not know that one day I would look into the eyes of my own son and see nothing but the curse I created. Back then, all I knew was this, The storm no longer felt cold when she stood beside me. And that was the beginning of the end.