Bound by Curse

Sold Like a Worthless Thing

Rebecca’s POV

I stayed in my room all day.

I did not go to breakfast. I did not go to lunch.

I did not go to dinner. I layed on my bed staring into space.

William. His name kept coming back to me. His voice. His promise.

He had lied.

The door opened softly.

"Princess?" It was Mira, my maid. She held a tray with warm bread and soup. "Please. You must eat something."

"Take it away."

"You have not eaten since yesterday." She sat on the edge of my bed. Her eyes were red. "Your lips are dry. Let me help you dress, at least."

"Why?" My voice sounded like paper. "Who will look at me, Mira? Everyone runs from me."

"I do not run."

"Then you are a fool."

She flinched, but she didn't leave. She put her hand on mine. I pulled it away, and I hated myself for it.

"Go. Please."

She stood up slowly, her shoulders low. Two other maids came in and tried to brush my hair and lift me from the bed. I pushed them away. I cried until they left.

Why me? I pressed my face into the pillow. What did I do? Maybe I was born wrong.

How would I break a curse when I don’t even know how it began? My chest felt heavy, like a stone was sitting on it, the pain was unbearable.

A small, ugly voice whispered in my thoughts. What if they are right? What if you really are cursed?

I laughed, and the laugh turned into a sob. My eyes closed. I was almost asleep when the door opened again.

"Princess." Mira's voice shook. "The King calls for you. Right now."

My stomach dropped.

***

I got to the dining hall. It was warm and bright.It smelled of fresh bread and honey. It felt like another world from my room.

My father sat at the head of the table with his goblet in his hand. My Stepmother was sitting at his right side, she sat straight and calm, Isabella was sitted beside her, peeling the fruit in her hands slowly, her eyes already smiling.

"Father." I bowed. My knees almost gave way.

"Look at you." His voice was low, and it was worse than shouting. "You look like a corpse."

"Father, I am sorry. I..."

His goblet hit the table so hard the wine jumped out. "Do not speak!"

I jumped. My hands went cold.

"Do you know what I have lost?" He stood up. "Four kingdoms have cancelled their deals. Four! The Duke of Marlow will not even answer my letters. My own lords laugh at me behind my back. And why? Because of you."

"Father, please, I did not..."

"You are a curse!" He pointed his hands at me, His hand shook with rage. "You had been a curse since the day you were born.. Your mother died giving birth to you. Did you ever thought about that? She looked at you once, and then she died."

The room went silent. Those words went through my chest like a knife. I knew he hated me, but he had never said this so plainly.

"Father..." Tears ran down my face. I could not stop them. I couldn’t breathe. "I loved her too. I never asked..."

"Weak." He spat the word. "You cry like a child. That is all you do."

I covered my mouth with my hands, but the sobs still came out anyway. My shoulders shook. I wished the floor would open and take me right away.

At the table, my stepmother lifted her cup, taking a sip calmly, like she was watching a play. Isabella slowly rested her back in her chair. Her eyes were bright. When our eyes met, she gave me a tiny smile and mouthed two words.

Poor sister.

My nails dug into my palms.

"Father," Isabella said sweetly, "Didn’t I tell you this would happen." She sighed, dusting a tiny fruit dropped on her dress. "You should have listened to me when I said I wanted William. None of this would have happened."

My heart twisted. Hearing his name from her mouth felt like being cut open.

"He was never yours," I whispered.

Isabella's smile did not move. But something dark flashed in her eyes. "Neither is he yours now, dear. Is he?"

I had no answer. She knew it.

"Enough of that boy," my father said. He wiped his hands with a cloth, as if the air around me had made him dirty. "I have made a decision."

I wiped the tears on my cheek. My heart was beating so loud, i could barely hear him.

"I can no longer keep you in this palace."

For a moment, I did not understand. "What?"

"You are of no use to me. Every day you stay here, I lose more." He looked at me like I was a broken chair. "You will leave."

"Father, no." I dropped down to my knees. The floor was cold under my legs. "Please. Don’t send me away, i have nowhere to go. I have no one. I will stay in my room. You will never see me. Please."

"Get up."

"Please!" I grabbed the edge of his robe. My fingers shook. "I will do anything. Anything. Do not throw me out."

He pulled his robe from my hand and stepped back. For a second, I saw something strange in his face. It was not pity. It was tight and nervous, like fear.

"I am not throwing you out," he said slowly. "I am sending you to be married."

Married.

The word hung in the air.

"To whom?" My voice cracked. "No prince will have me. Everyone knows..."

"Not a prince." He gave a short, bitter laugh. "A king."

My stepmother's cup stopped halfway to her lips. Isabella went very still.

"A king your curse cannot touch," my father said. "A king who fears nothing. They say he has killed men for less than a bad look. He has agreed to take you."

My mouth went dry. "Who is he?"

"King Draven Ravenmoor. A powerful man." He turned his back to me. "Cold. Ruthless. Feared in every kingdom from here to the northern sea. They say even his own guards will not look at him when he is angry."

"Father, I cannot. Not Draven, Not him..."

"You will." His voice was like iron. "You will marry him, and you will pray he does not break you."

I stared at his back. The room tilted. When I finally turned my head, Isabella was smiling at me properly now. It was a real smile. Deep, satisfied, and cruel.

"Congratulations, sister," she said softly. "I hear he is very... demanding."

My father turned around slowly. He looked at me the way a man looks at a bad deal he must finish.

"Don’t be afraid," he said. "The curse will never touch him. He can lay with you every night, and nothing will happen. You should be grateful someone is willing to marry you at all."

Lay with you. My stomach turned.

"Grateful?" The word came out before I could control it. My hands were shaking, but my voice was not. "You are selling me, Father."

His eyes went hard. "Careful."

"I will not marry him." I took one step back. "I have heard what they say about King Draven. Beasts and mortals are afraid of him. Men pray when his name is spoken. I will not be given to a monster so you can fix your trade deals."

The room went silent. Isabella stopped smiling.

My father's face turned red. He slammed his hand on the table, and the plates jumped