Chapter 4: A Deal with the Devil

The scent of rain lingered in the air as Elara made her way through the dimly lit halls of the palace. The festivities had long ended, yet the weight of Vesper Moretti’s presence still clung to her skin like an invisible mark.

She should have gone to her chambers, pretended none of this had happened.

But something inside her refused to let it go.

She needed answers.

And there was only one place in the palace where secrets whispered louder than truths.

The restricted wing.

Her footsteps barely made a sound against the marble as she descended a narrow staircase, the torches along the stone walls flickering as if they, too, feared the shadows beyond.

Her father had forbidden her from venturing down here—too many things buried in these halls.

But if Vesper Moretti had broken the rules tonight, so would she.

Reaching the iron doors at the end of the corridor, Elara hesitated. A warding rune was etched into the frame, meant to deter intruders. It wouldn’t stop her—she had spent years memorizing the kingdom’s enchantments, learning how to unravel them when necessary.

She traced the rune with her fingertip, murmuring the counterspell under her breath. The iron glowed, then faded.

Unlocked.

She stepped inside.

Rows of ancient tomes and relics lined the stone shelves, untouched by time. At the far end of the chamber, beneath a veil of dust, lay the kingdom’s prophecies—scrolls and records written by seers long dead, their warnings sealed away by generations of kings who feared what they foretold.

Elara ran her fingers along the edges of the scrolls, searching—for what, she wasn’t sure.

Until she found it.

A prophecy marked with a sigil she had seen only once before.

The Moretti crest.

Her stomach twisted. She unrolled the parchment, her heart hammering as she read the faded words:

_“The heir of blood and the heir of shadow shall cross paths under a cursed moon. One must fall so the other may rise. Bound by fate, torn by prophecy—love will be their ruin.” _

A chill crept down her spine.

This was about her. And Vesper.

A presence stirred behind her.

“You move quietly for a princess.”

Elara spun, her pulse spiking—but she already knew who it was.

Vesper leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, the flickering torchlight casting shadows across his sharp features.

How had he followed her? How had he gotten past the wards?

“Are you in the habit of sneaking into royal archives, Lord Moretti?” she asked, masking her shock with icy composure.

He smirked. “Are you?”

Elara ignored the jab. “What do you want?”

Vesper stepped closer, his gaze flicking to the scroll in her hands. “That depends. Did you find what you were looking for?”

Her fingers tightened around the parchment. He knew.

She took a slow breath. “You knew about the prophecy.”

Vesper didn’t deny it. “I suspected.”

His voice was maddeningly calm, as if the revelation of their fates entwining—one of them destined to fall for the other to thrive—meant nothing to him.

But Elara saw the tension in his jaw, the way his fingers curled slightly at his sides.

“You don’t seem surprised,” she said, watching him closely.

Vesper met her gaze, something unreadable flickering behind his dark eyes. “Because I’ve spent my whole life preparing for it.”

Elara’s breath caught. He had known about this for years.

“Then tell me,” she said, stepping forward, refusing to be the one who cowered first. “Why are you really here, Vesper?”

A slow, dangerous smile curled on his lips.

“I think you already know, Princess.”

She did.

Because the prophecy was clear.

If they let this play out, if they followed the course fate had laid before them, one of them would die.

And Vesper Moretti had never been the kind of man to accept defeat.

Neither was she.

Which meant there was only one way forward.

A deal with the devil himself.

And Elara had never been more willing to take the risk.

Elara’s pulse thrummed in her ears.

Vesper stood before her, his dark eyes watching her like a predator who had just cornered his prey. But Elara refused to be prey. Not to him. Not to fate.

She tightened her grip on the prophecy scroll, as if holding onto it could give her control over a destiny that was already unraveling.

“If you’ve known about this prophecy your whole life,” she said, voice steady despite the storm brewing inside her, “then why show yourself now? Why provoke my father? Why risk exposure?”

Vesper tilted his head slightly, as if considering how much to reveal.

“Because, Princess,” he said, stepping closer, “I was tired of waiting.”

Her breath hitched.

For years, the Moretti heir had remained a shadow, his presence whispered about but never seen within the royal court. His family ruled the underworld—Avarath’s unseen force of power, feared but never openly acknowledged. He wasn’t supposed to exist in her world.

And yet, here he was.

Close enough that she could see the sharp angles of his face, the faint scar at the edge of his jaw—a mark of violence, of survival.

Close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him, a presence both dangerous and magnetic.

“I don’t believe in fate,” she said, lifting her chin. “And I don’t believe in prophecies. They’re stories designed to control people.”

Vesper let out a low chuckle, the sound dark and amused. “Spoken like someone who’s desperate to escape hers.”

Elara bristled. “Are you saying you accept yours? That you’re willing to let this prophecy dictate your life?”

His smile faded, his expression hardening into something unreadable. “No. But I don’t ignore threats, either.”

A heavy silence settled between them.

She understood now. He wasn’t here to surrender to fate.

He was here to rewrite it.

And she was the only one who could help him do that.

A flicker of realization coursed through her. “You came here tonight for me.”

Vesper didn’t deny it.

Something deep inside her twisted—fear, intrigue, something more dangerous.

Elara wasn’t naive. She knew how the Morettis worked. They didn’t form alliances out of goodwill. Every deal came with a price, and the only question that mattered was whether she was willing to pay it.

“You want to break the prophecy,” she said, her voice quieter now.

Vesper’s gaze darkened, something unreadable flickering in its depths. “I want to survive it.”

The words hung between them, heavy with unspoken meaning.

Her fingers curled around the edge of the scroll. “And if breaking it requires one of us to die?”

Vesper’s lips parted slightly, but this time, he didn’t have a ready answer.

A shiver crawled up her spine.

They both knew the truth.

Some prophecies couldn’t be broken.

Some fates were inevitable.

Unless…

Unless they were willing to destroy the very foundation their world was built on.

Elara took a slow breath, steadying herself. “What do you propose, Lord Moretti?”

Vesper’s smirk returned, but this time, it was laced with something more—a challenge, a warning, a promise.

“A deal, Princess,” he murmured, stepping so close she could feel the ghost of his breath against her skin.

“A deal that might just save us both.”

Elara’s heartbeat was a steady drum, loud against the silence between them. Vesper’s offer hung in the air, heavy with unspoken consequences.

A deal.

With him.

Everything in her should have resisted. He was the heir of Avarath’s most feared underworld empire. A man raised on blood and power, his hands stained with sins she couldn’t even begin to count.

And yet, he was the only one who understood the weight of this prophecy the way she did.

She inhaled slowly, measuring her words. “What kind of deal are you proposing?”

Vesper’s gaze didn’t waver. “One that ensures neither of us falls to this prophecy.”

Elara clenched her jaw. “You don’t believe in fate, but you believe it’s strong enough to destroy us?”

His expression darkened. “I believe in power. And I believe that whoever controls the prophecy controls the kingdom.”

A chill ran down her spine.

He was right.

The prophecy wasn’t just a death sentence. It was leverage.

If the court learned of it, they would see her as a liability. A cursed princess destined to be the ruin of the crown. Her father would lock her away, exile her—or worse.

And the Morettis? If the prophecy ever reached their enemies, Vesper would be marked for death before he could even fight back.

“You’re saying we don’t have to play by its rules,” she murmured, her mind racing. “That we can use it to our advantage.”

Vesper’s smirk was slow, calculated. “I knew you were smart, Princess.”

She hated the way his praise sent heat curling in her stomach. Hated the way his presence—so close, so sure—unnerved her more than the prophecy itself.

Elara turned her back to him, pacing toward the shelves, needing distance, needing to breathe.

“Let’s say I agree,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “How do I know I can trust you?”

Vesper chuckled, a low, amused sound. “You don’t.”

Infuriating.

She exhaled sharply, pivoting to face him. “Then why should I risk my life for a deal with you?”

Vesper stepped forward, his confidence unwavering. “Because, Princess, whether you admit it or not, we’re already bound together. The only question that matters now is whether we fight against fate…”

He reached out, slowly, deliberately, and brushed a gloved finger beneath her chin. The touch was barely there, yet it sent a dangerous thrill down her spine.

“Or we rewrite it before it destroys us.”

Elara swallowed hard, her breath unsteady.

This was madness.

But something deep inside her whispered: It was the only way.

Her fingers curled at her sides as she met his gaze, unflinching. “Fine,” she said, her voice softer now, but no less certain. “I’ll hear your terms.”

Vesper’s lips curled into a smirk—satisfaction, amusement… something more.

“Good girl.”

A fire ignited in her chest. If he thought she would be some obedient pawn in his schemes, he had no idea who he was dealing with.

This deal would change everything.

And in the end, either she or Vesper Moretti would be the one to break it first.