Chapter 2 – The Beast’s Bride
1202 Words
“Remember, this is for the good of the kingdom. You are a necessary sacrifice to the beast. Surely, you want to be useful at least once—for me and for your sister, right?”
Queen Helena’s sharp voice cut through the silence of the grand corridor.
Princess Seraphina lowered her head, biting down hard on her lip to stop it from trembling. Her fingers tightened against the worn handles of her crutches. She wanted to scream, to beg for mercy, but no words came. Instead, she gave a small, fragile nod, sealing her fate entirely.
She followed Queen Helena’s sure and steady steps with difficulty. Her crutches clicked softly against the polished marble floor, the sound echoing in the vast hallway like a cruel reminder of her weakness. Each step was slow and painful, but even more unbearable was the way her sister Lyria strutted beside her, smirking with every move Seraphina made.
“Oh, Seraphina,” Lyria mocked, walking deliberately close so that the crutches nearly hit her feet. “Careful where you swing those sticks. I’d hate for you to ruin my shoes.”
Seraphina’s patience thinned, though she forced her voice to stay calm.
“Be careful, Lyria. I don’t want to step on you by accident.”
“Accident?” Lyria giggled, circling her crippled sister like a predator playing with prey. “Go ahead, step on me. I’ll just tell the guards to take away those ugly crutches, and you can drag yourself across the floor like the pitiful little thing you are.”
“Lyria,” Queen Helena’s voice snapped like a whip. “Enough. We don’t have time for your games. The beast is waiting.”
Lyria pouted but gave no sign of remorse. “I only wanted to have a little fun before she dies.”
“Go to your room,” Helena said sternly, her voice softening only when she looked at her golden daughter. “You are far too precious. If that beast sees you, he might be tempted to take you instead. I cannot risk that.”
But Lyria’s eyes glittered with mischief. The thought of being so beautiful that even a monster might abandon her crippled sister was far too delicious for her pride.
Ignoring her mother’s warning, she twirled and hurried toward the main hall where the beast waited.
“Lyria! Guards, stop her!” Queen Helena ordered.
The guards rushed forward, but Lyria was quick, darting ahead like a child in a cruel game of chase. She laughed—until her laughter was abruptly silenced when her face slammed into something solid, something unmovable, like a stone wall.
“Ouch!”
The guards froze in terror, unable to take another step. Lyria rubbed her nose and looked up, her breath catching at the sight before her.
A man stood tall above her—no, not a man, a beast in human form. His body was powerful, sculpted like a warrior’s, his bronze skin marked faintly with scars of battle. His jaw was sharp, his presence suffocating, his very stillness radiating danger.
Black hair framed his face, and over his eyes rested a dark blindfold, yet there was no doubt he could see her.
Kael Draven. The Savage Beast.
The conqueror who had stormed their palace and spilled her father’s blood only two nights ago.
Lyria’s heart pounded wildly, a mix of fear and fascination. His voice, low and commanding, sent chills down the hall.
“I am here for my bride.”
For a moment, Lyria thought she would be chosen. She stepped back quickly, shaking her head.
“I’m not your bride! Don’t even think about it!”
But Kael Draven did not even spare her a second glance. His attention shifted past her, past the queen, and locked onto the figure slowly making her way down the corridor.
Queen Helena forced a tight smile, her voice trembling despite her effort to remain composed.
“Pardon us, Your Majesty. My daughter is… slow and takes too long to prepare herself.”
She turned cold eyes onto Seraphina.
“Now go. Meet your husband.”
Seraphina’s chest tightened. She raised her gaze to the beast who stood waiting at the end of the hall.
This was the man who had slain her father. The man whose name alone made kingdoms shiver.
Yet she could not hate him entirely. Her father had been the one to invade Kael’s lands. His death, though brutal, had been an act of vengeance, not cruelty.
Still, fear gripped her as she quickened her pace with her crutches, her head lowered in shame. Every step felt like a humiliation, her disability displayed before the watchful eyes of guards, her mother, her sister—and her new husband.
It took her what felt like an eternity to reach him. She bowed as best she could, her voice trembling.
“Th-this one is Seraphina, first princess of the Holy Achate Kingdom.”
She dared not claim any other title. She dared not speak of family, for she knew she was nothing more than a pawn, abandoned by all but her own fragile hope.
Lyria’s lips curled with malice.
“By the way,” she said loudly, “do you see her crutches? She’s broken, you know. Fell from the second floor when she was little. Permanently crippled. Isn’t it pitiful?”
She waited eagerly for Kael’s disgust, for the sneer that would finally shatter Seraphina’s fragile pride.
But it never came.
Kael only tilted his head slightly, his deep voice rumbling like thunder.
“I see. Then it is faster if I carry you.”
“Wha—ah!” Seraphina gasped as he swept her effortlessly into his arms, her crutches clattering to the floor. She instinctively clutched his shirt, her heart hammering wildly.
One crutch struck Lyria’s foot, making her yelp.
“Ow! Seraphina, you hurt me!”
“I-I’m sorry…” Seraphina whispered, though the apology sounded hollow even to her.
Lyria quickly straightened, forcing a sweet smile when Kael’s blindfolded gaze turned briefly toward her.
“It’s fine. I’ll forgive you, sister, even if you’ve always bullied me.”
Seraphina said nothing, only held tighter to Kael’s chest. Her hands trembled, not from fear of him, but from the cruel familiarity of Lyria’s constant torment.
Kael’s grip on her shifted slightly, protective in its firmness. His voice echoed coldly across the hall.
“Our deal is sealed. This woman will be the payment for your kingdom’s foolish invasion of my lands. I grant you this mercy only once. If there is another offense, I will not stop until your kingdom is ash.”
Queen Helena paled, her body trembling. She bowed deeply.
“We… we love our first princess. She knows her duty. Please, take her to your territory. Do with her as you wish.”
Her words cut like blades through Seraphina’s heart. Not love. Not farewell. Only a dismissal into the arms of the monster who had taken everything from her.
And yet, as Kael Draven turned and carried her away, Seraphina could not help but wonder—
Was he truly a monster?
Or something far more dangerous?
- Writer
