Cursed to Love You

A Feast

I was glad I had worn a dark green long dress beneath my heavy, suffocating down coat—something both casual and formal at the same time. If you thought I was overdressed, you would change your mind the moment you saw the Veldon family.

They were waiting for me on the front steps. My first thought was—God, there are so many of them! At least a dozen. That house must be far too small for them all. There were around ten young men and women, most of them tall, with sun-kissed skin. Only the two children at the farthest edge had a paler complexion. Being quite pale myself, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for them.

Everyone was dressed in black—either suits or elegant gowns. A sharp-looking woman approached me without hesitation, taking my arm in a warm, enthusiastic grip.

"Hey, you must be Lilian! You're just as beautiful as I imagined!"

She pulled me inside before I could respond. From the triumphant, mischievous smile on Elias's face, I suddenly realized something—this woman must be his mother.

Beautiful? I wasn’t sure I deserved that word. I was on the slender side and certainly lacked a healthy complexion, but I had inherited my mother’s green eyes and my grandmother’s long, jet-black hair. The surname Ravensdale came from them, too.

As we stepped into the dining room, the rich aroma of food filled my senses. Venison simmered in a pot, bubbling with warmth, while the vegetables on the table were arranged in an elegant display, their scent mingling with the sharpness of melted cheese. The fragrance of roasted beef lingered in the air. The feast was grand—though perhaps that was just because there were so many of them. A large pack.

The word, usually used to describe a group of beasts, popped into my mind. I found myself chuckling at the thought—how rude of me.

When everyone was seated, I noticed something odd. Elias’s father, James Veldon, took the head seat, with his wife, Katherine, beside him. Elias sat next to them—and I had been placed at his side.

But there were plenty of others in this family who were likely older than Elias—his brothers, sisters, maybe even uncles.

I hesitated, confused and uneasy, attempting to rise from my seat. But Elias’s hand pressed down on my shoulder with surprising weight, keeping me in place.

“Lilian, sit next to me.”

His tone was playful, almost coaxing, and I gave in. His gaze flicked subtly to the side, and suddenly, I realized—the other family members had been staring at me. But the moment he looked their way, they averted their eyes.

Dinner began smoothly. I introduced myself, trying my best to appear cheerful. Katherine and James welcomed me warmly, though there was something almost too eager in Katherine’s gaze, a kind of excitement I couldn't quite understand.

The small girl I had noticed before, who had short hair and a mischievous energy, caught my attention. Her name was Alice—Elias’s cousin. After dinner, I took her hand and wandered outside for a stroll.

The night had swallowed the forest in darkness, leaving only a hushed silence. I took a deep breath, relishing the crisp air.

“The food was amazing! Every dish was perfect,” I sighed contentedly. “The forest air is cold, but every breath makes me feel clear-headed.”

Alice laughed softly. “Of course. It was all made just for you.”

I playfully shook her arm. “There’s no way all of you actually live together in that house, right?”

Alice winked. “You mean that house? Oh, definitely not. But we live close. Almost together.”

Close? There were no other buildings around here. She must have meant the town—it wasn’t that far by car.

Then, in a voice almost too light, too dreamy, Alice said, “It’s good that Lilian is back. The Ravensdales have been gone for far too long.”

I felt a twinge of guilt, as if I needed to defend my ancestors.

“They must have had their reasons for leaving. We moved to the southern coast, where the climate is warmer. Our family always had frail children—like me.”

She took my hand and examined it, her touch light and curious. Though she seemed healthy, there was something delicate about her, something that made me want to protect her instead.

“Are there any totemic symbols around here?” I found myself asking, the words slipping out before I could think. “Like... something related to the moon?”

For a moment, Alice’s expression changed.

Her once-clear eyes darkened, shifting into something unreadable—something terrifying. A chill crawled up my spine. Though she still held my hand, her skin had suddenly turned burning hot.

Panic flared inside me—until a voice called out from the distance.

"Alice!"

Elias.

Had he been nearby all along?

The moment he approached, Alice’s strange intensity faded. The heat of her touch dissipated.

Elias slid an arm around my shoulder—a gesture that left no room for argument. “That’s enough for tonight. I’ll walk Lilian home.”

I was quiet on the way back, hesitant to break the silence. Eventually, Elias spoke first.

“Are you going back to university soon?”

I blinked. He must have thought I was attending the local university.

I explained my situation. He frowned slightly, shaking his head. “I thought I could go to school with you.”

My heart thumped hard against my ribs. If I hadn’t taken a break from school, we would have been classmates.

I told him about Alice’s strange reaction. He only chuckled.

“Teenagers go through weird phases, you know.”

When we reached my house, I turned on the steps to face him. He stood below, looking up at me, his amber eyes deep and unreadable.

For a long moment, he simply stared at me, lost in thought. The warmth in his gaze made me feel like I was sinking into something—something soft, something endless.

And then, out of nowhere, he murmured, “You shouldn’t be here.”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

I thought he was scolding me for moving to the forest’s edge, calling me reckless. So I answered, “I have nowhere else to go. I told you that.”

He exhaled, barely nodding. “Then stay safe. Sleep well, Lilian.”

It took me a long time to realize the true, terrible weight behind his words.



That very night, I had a strange dream.