Chapter 4 – The Prince’s Temper
543 Words
The great hall of Veloria Palace was lit by hundreds of golden candles suspended from crystal chandeliers. Their flickering light bathed the polished marble floors in a warm glow, yet the air around Prince Kael was far from warm.
Selena walked beside him, still clutching the hem of her heavy gown as they exited the throne room. She could feel the curious—and judgmental—stares from the court’s nobles boring into her back. Whispers followed them like shadows.
> She’s not from here.
Why would the prince marry a stranger?
The curse… it must be true.
Her cheeks burned, but she kept her head high. Back in Manila, she could handle angry customers and supervisors barking in her ear—how different could a palace full of gossiping aristocrats be?
…Apparently, very different.
Once they reached the end of the long corridor, Kael stopped abruptly and turned to her. His voice was calm, but his eyes were like ice.
“From now on,” he said, “you will speak only when spoken to in public. You will not wander the palace grounds without an escort. And you will not, under any circumstances, ask questions about the mark on my body. Do you understand?”
Selena blinked, taken aback. “Excuse me? I didn’t even—”
“I am not asking,” Kael cut her off, his tone dangerously low.
The prince’s posture was flawless—shoulders squared, chin lifted—but there was a tautness in his jaw that betrayed tension. Selena wanted to snap back, to remind him she hadn’t asked to be here, much less marry him. But something in his gaze… something dark and fleeting… made her bite her tongue.
Instead, she offered a sarcastic curtsy. “Your Highness, I’ll try not to get lost in your palace. But if I do, I’ll be sure to blame the lack of signboards.”
A muscle twitched at the corner of Kael’s mouth. Was that… amusement? It was gone before she could be sure.
“Your chambers are this way,” he said curtly, leading her toward a towering set of carved double doors. Two guards opened them, revealing a bedroom larger than her entire apartment back in Manila. A canopy bed draped in velvet dominated the space, with silver-embroidered curtains that shimmered in the candlelight.
Selena’s breath caught—not from the luxury, but from the sight of the balcony doors swinging open, letting in the cool night breeze. She stepped forward, drawn to the moonlit view of the palace gardens… and froze.
In the reflection of the glass, she saw him.
Not Kael as he stood behind her—but Kael with eyes glowing faintly red, and that strange, pulsing mark crawling across the side of his neck like living fire. His reflection tilted its head toward her, lips moving soundlessly.
Selena’s pulse spiked. The whisper she’d heard in the throne room earlier returned, low and guttural.
> Mine…
She spun around. Kael was standing exactly where he’d been, the mark invisible, his expression unreadable.
“What is it?” he asked.
Selena swallowed hard. “…Nothing.”
But deep down, she knew. This marriage wasn’t just political. It wasn’t even just cursed.
It was dangerous.
- Writer
