The Cursed Prince Chose Me

The night the cursed prince chose me, I was supposed to be invisible. I had spent seventeen years learning how to disappear in a room full of people. I kept my head low, my voice quiet, and my dreams hidden where nobody could reach them. In the kingdom of Valtheria, girls like me were not chosen for greatness. We were chosen for service, sacrifice, or shame. My name is Elara Moonveil, and until that night, I believed my life would end exactly as it had begun—with nothing belonging to me. The royal palace glittered beneath the silver moon. Golden lanterns illuminated the enormous courtyard, while nobles in embroidered gowns and jeweled coats gathered for the annual Selection Ceremony. Music floated through the air, mixed with laughter and the clinking of crystal glasses. I stood at the very back of the crowd, wearing a borrowed blue dress that was too large around the waist. "Keep your eyes down," Aunt Mirabel whispered beside me. "And whatever happens, do not draw attention to yourself." I nodded. Drawing attention was dangerous, especially for someone with my bloodline. My mother had died when I was five, leaving me with nothing except a silver pendant she had pressed into my palm before her final breath. She had made me promise never to remove it. I had never understood why. The pendant was shaped like a crescent moon, with a tiny black stone embedded in its center. Sometimes, when I held it too tightly, it became strangely warm. Tonight, it burned against my skin. I slipped it beneath my dress. "Why are we even here?" I whispered. Aunt Mirabel gave me a sharp look. "Because every unmarried woman of noble or common birth must attend when the Crown summons them. You should be grateful. Perhaps someone will choose you to work in their household." That was the closest thing to hope she had ever offered me. Across the courtyard, a trumpet sounded. The conversations stopped instantly. The royal family had arrived. King Aldric walked down the marble staircase, his silver crown resting upon his head. Beside him stood Queen Seraphina, beautiful and cold, her emerald gown sweeping across the steps. But neither of them held my attention for long. Because the prince appeared. Prince Kael Draven. The kingdom's only heir. The cursed prince. Rumors about him traveled farther than the kingdom's borders. Some said he had been born beneath a blood moon. Others claimed he had murdered his own brother before taking his first breath. The oldest servants whispered that an ancient witch had placed a curse upon his family, one that would destroy the kingdom if the prince ever gave his heart to the wrong woman. Nobody knew the truth. Nobody dared to ask. Kael descended the staircase dressed entirely in black. His dark hair fell across his forehead, and his expression was so cold that even the boldest nobles lowered their eyes as he passed. He was seventeen years old when the curse first appeared, according to the rumors. Now, at twenty-two, he had become a man feared even by those who served him. There was something unsettling about his eyes. They were a strange shade of silver, almost colorless beneath the moonlight. As he approached the throne, the crowd bowed. I bowed too. Then something happened. The pendant beneath my dress pulsed with heat. I gasped and pressed my hand against it. At the same moment, Prince Kael stopped walking. The silence that followed was so complete that I could hear my own heartbeat. Slowly, he turned his head. His silver eyes swept across the courtyard. Then they found me. I froze. For one impossible moment, the prince stared directly at me as though the hundreds of people surrounding us did not exist. His expression changed. It was subtle, but I saw it—a flicker of surprise, followed by something darker. Recognition. Impossible. I had never met him. The king cleared his throat. "My son, tonight you will begin the ancient Selection. One woman will be chosen to stand beside you at the Royal Moon Festival. It is time the kingdom saw its future queen." Whispers rippled through the crowd. Every noblewoman straightened. Some smiled nervously. Others adjusted their jewelry, hoping to attract the prince's attention. Kael didn't look at any of them. "Do I have a choice?" he asked. His voice was deep and calm, but something in it made the king's expression tighten. "You have the right to choose," the king replied. "And the responsibility to obey the traditions of our ancestors." Kael's jaw clenched. An elderly royal adviser stepped forward, holding a golden tray containing a ceremonial dagger. "Your Highness, the selection must be made according to the ancient law. Place your hand upon the blade and allow the Moon Goddess to guide you." I watched nervously as Kael took the dagger. A strange feeling crawled through my chest. I wanted to leave. I wanted to run far away from the palace and never look back. But my feet refused to move. The prince pressed his palm against the blade. A thin line of blood appeared. The lanterns flickered. A sudden gust of wind swept through the courtyard, extinguishing several flames. The musicians stopped playing, and the horses near the palace gates began to panic. Then the prince's eyes turned completely black. Someone screamed. The curse. I had heard stories about it, but seeing it happen was different. Dark veins spread briefly across Kael's hand before disappearing beneath his sleeve. The king stepped forward. "Kael!" But the prince was staring at me again. My pendant burned so fiercely that I nearly cried out. A strange whisper filled my ears. *Find her.* I couldn't tell whether the voice came from the wind, the pendant, or somewhere deep inside my mind. Kael dropped the dagger. It struck the marble floor with a sharp metallic sound. Then he began walking toward me. The crowd parted before him. "No," Aunt Mirabel whispered. "No, no, no." I grabbed her arm. "What's happening?" She didn't answer. The prince stopped directly in front of me. Up close, he seemed even more intimidating. His face was pale, his expression unreadable, and his silver eyes held a storm I couldn't understand. He extended his hand. "Your name," he demanded. My throat felt painfully dry. "Elara, Your Highness." "Elara what?" "Moonveil." At the sound of my surname, the queen rose abruptly from her seat. The king's face lost its color. And for the first time, Prince Kael looked genuinely shaken. "Moonveil?" he repeated. I nodded, barely breathing. He studied my face as though searching for an answer to a question he had carried his entire life. Then he turned toward the royal court. "This is the woman I choose." The courtyard erupted. Noblewomen cried out in disbelief. Men exchanged horrified glances. Aunt Mirabel released my arm as though my skin had suddenly become poisonous. The king struck his staff against the marble. "Impossible!" Kael didn't move. "You heard me." "She is a nobody!" the king thundered. "She has no title, no wealth, and no respectable family name. You cannot choose her!" The prince's expression hardened. "I can. The ancient law gives me that right." The adviser looked terrified. "Your Majesty, the prince has spoken the words of selection. Before the Moon Goddess and the entire court, his choice is binding." The king stared at his son with undisguised fury. Then he looked at me. I had never seen a man look at another person with so much hatred. "Take her to the eastern tower," he ordered. "She will remain there until we determine what this means." Two guards stepped forward. I backed away instinctively, but Kael caught my wrist before I could escape. His hand was cold. The moment our skin touched, a flash of silver light burst between us. The crowd screamed. A symbol appeared on the inside of my wrist: a crescent moon surrounded by a ring of tiny stars. Kael stared at it. For the first time, his composure shattered completely. "No," he whispered. I looked from the mark to his face. "What is this? What have you done to me?" He released my wrist as though the sight of the mark frightened him. Then he leaned closer, lowering his voice so that only I could hear. "You have no idea what you are, do you?" I shook my head. His silver eyes darkened. "Then pray that the curse is kinder to you than it has been to me." Before I could ask what he meant, the guards seized my arms. They dragged me toward the palace doors while the crowd watched in stunned silence. I twisted around to look at the prince one last time. He stood beneath the moonlight, staring at the mark on his own hand. A matching crescent had appeared there. And beneath it, something black was spreading across his skin. The curse had awakened. As the palace doors slammed shut behind me, I heard the king's voice echo through the courtyard. "Find out who she is. And if she carries what I fear she carries, make certain she never leaves this palace alive." My blood turned to ice. I had come to the royal palace expecting nothing more than another miserable evening. Instead, I had been chosen by the most dangerous man in the kingdom. And judging by the look on the king's face, my selection had just begun a war that could destroy us all.