07

The castle was a labyrinth of winding corridors, forgotten rooms, and passages that seemed to stretch endlessly. Since I had arrived, I’d never had enough freedom to truly explore it. There were always guards watching, or Maela rushing me to another obligation. But that morning, after the tense dinner the night before, something changed. The hallways were strangely empty, as if the entire castle were holding its breath.

The opportunity was too tempting to resist.

I slipped down the first passage I found, letting my eyes guide my steps. Every corner revealed something new—ancient tapestries, rusted suits of armor, and windows that opened to mountainous landscapes so vast they momentarily made me forget where I was.

After some time, I stumbled upon something unusual. An old tapestry, its edges frayed, was barely hanging from one corner. Behind it, there was a poorly maintained wooden door, almost invisible. I glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before carefully pushing the door open.

It creaked lowly as it swung, revealing a narrow staircase that led down to a lower floor. The air was thick with the scent of dust and old books as I descended slowly, the faint light of old torches illuminating the path.

At the bottom of the stairs, I found an abandoned room. Books and papers were scattered across tables and shelves. The space looked as though it had been forgotten for years, but it wasn’t an ordinary place. The walls were carved with ancient symbols, and in the center of the room stood a stone pedestal with an open book resting on it.

My eyes immediately locked onto it. The cover was made of black leather, worn by time, and the pages were filled with handwritten notes—some illegible, others detailed enough to make my stomach twist.

I began reading, my fingers sliding over the yellowed pages. The text spoke of the curse that plagued Kaelor’s bloodline. I learned that centuries ago, one of his ancestors had betrayed a sacred pact with an unknown force. In exchange for power, he had sworn loyalty but broke his promise. As punishment, his lineage was cursed, doomed to lose everything unless they could find a way to mend the broken pact.

What froze me in place was the mention of “the sacrifice of a true bond.” The words were underlined several times, as if they were the key to everything.

“The bond is the key, and the sacrifice, the answer. Without it, the curse will not be broken.”

My fingers gripped the edges of the book. What sacrifice? And why did it seem so directly connected to what Kaelor expected of me?

I was so lost in the words that I didn’t hear the footsteps until it was too late. Maela’s voice broke the silence, making me jump.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

I turned quickly, my heart racing. Maela stood at the entrance of the room, her face sterner than I had ever seen it. She didn’t look surprised, but there was something in her expression—a mix of disapproval and, perhaps, concern.

“What is this?” I asked, pointing to the book. “Why are there records about the curse hidden here?”

She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “This place was sealed because the truths it contains are dangerous,” she replied. “But you, as always, seem to find trouble wherever you go.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” I shot back, my voice firmer than I expected. “Does Kaelor know about this? About the bond? About the sacrifice?”

For a moment, I thought she might ignore me, but then she sighed, running a hand through her hair—a rare gesture of frustration. “The king knows more than you think, Elara. But there are things even he isn’t ready to face.”

Her answer unsettled me. “Then why me? Why does everything seem to revolve around me?”

Maela’s gaze softened slightly, her eyes filled with something closer to sadness than her usual sternness. “Because fate is cruel, Elara. And yours is intrinsically tied to his.”

When I returned to my chambers, my mind was a storm of thoughts. The words in the book, Maela’s reaction, all pointed to the fact that I was at the center of something far larger than I had imagined. The “true bond” wasn’t just a metaphor—it was real, something that might already exist between Kaelor and me, even if he didn’t realize it.

And the sacrifice? I couldn’t stop wondering if he was willing to sacrifice me to save his kingdom.

But one thing was certain: I needed answers. And if Kaelor wouldn’t give them to me, I would find a way to uncover the truth on my own.