Chapter 2

Long before the Demon King rejected yet another betrothed in the palace courtyard, Elinor Avelaine’s fate had already been decided—without her ever being consulted.

The news came on a gray afternoon, when the sky seemed to hang heavy over the Avelaine estate. Elinor was embroidering by the window, absently watching the wind shake the trees in the garden, when her maid entered without announcement, pale.

“My lady… your father awaits you in the main hall.”

It was not an invitation.

It was an order.

Elinor set the needle down. Her chest tightened with a bitter intuition. She walked through the stone corridors, her heart pounding against her ribs, aware of the stiffness in the air, of the servants’ uneasy silence as they avoided her gaze.

The hall was lit by the fire in the hearth. Her father, Lord Avelaine, stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He was an imposing figure—broad shoulders, well-kept beard, a hard gaze. The gaze of a man who had learned to survive by obeying those more powerful than himself.

Seated nearby, her mother twisted a handkerchief between her fingers. She was not crying. But her sorrow was evident in the way she refused to look at her daughter.

“Father,” Elinor greeted, lowering her head.

“Come closer,” he ordered.

She obeyed. The fire crackled sharply, as if celebrating what was about to happen.

“You have been chosen,” Lord Avelaine said without preamble. “You will be taken to the palace as a candidate to become His Majesty King Edrion’s wife.”

The world stopped.

Elinor felt the air leave her lungs. For a moment, she thought she had misheard.

“W-wife…?” she whispered.

“Candidate,” he corrected. “Like so many other noble ladies.”

She looked up. Her eyes filled with disbelief… and then anger.

“No,” she said, with a firmness that surprised even herself. “I will not go.”

Silence fell like stone.

“I refuse to become a tyrant’s concubine,” she continued, her voice trembling but resolute. “I will not be one of the women he discards. I will not be offered like merchandise.”

Her father’s hand slammed against the table.

“Watch your words!” he roared. “You speak of the king.”

“I speak of a man who destroys women’s lives,” she shot back, tears gathering in her eyes. “Everyone knows what he does. Everyone.”

Her mother closed her eyes. She said nothing.

Lord Avelaine drew a slow breath, as if gathering patience before crushing an illusion.

“To be the king’s woman is a fate filled with glory,” he said, controlled. “It is honorable. Worthy. Your name will be tied to the crown.”

“At what cost?” Elinor demanded. “My life? My freedom?”

“At whatever cost is necessary,” he answered.

She shook her head.

“I can’t… I won’t…”

“You have no choice,” her father cut in. “The king has granted me his favor. He has sent his men to protect our lands. Because of him, I still hold my title. And now…” his gaze hardened, “now it is my turn to repay.”

The words pierced her like a blade.

“Repay…?” she whispered.

“I will give you to the king,” he said without hesitation. “As is proper.”

Elinor stepped back, as if the ground had turned unstable beneath her feet.

“You’re selling me.”

Her mother’s silence was the cruelest answer.

Lord Avelaine did not apologize.

“It is a daughter’s duty,” he said. “And a father’s duty is to ensure the survival of his house.”

In that moment, Elinor understood that everything was lost.

She was dismissed without comfort. Without promises. Without time to grieve.

She climbed to her chamber with a shattered heart, feeling each step carry her farther from the life she had dreamed of.

That was when she found him.

He stood by the window, dressed in the dark uniform of the Avelaine household guards. Her beloved. The only man to whom she had secretly given her heart. The only one who looked at her as if she were free.

“I know,” he said the moment he saw her. “They told me.”

Elinor could no longer hold back her tears. She ran to him and, for the first time, allowed herself to collapse in his arms.

“I don’t want to go,” she sobbed. “I don’t want to belong to that man.”

He held her tightly, as if he could shield her from the entire world.

“If I could run away with you…” he murmured.

They both knew it was impossible.

They sat on the edge of the bed, hands entwined, sharing a silence heavy with fear.

“Once you are taken to the palace,” he said, his voice low, “loving each other will be treason.”

“I know,” she replied. “And they will kill us both.”

They looked at each other as if it were the last time.

“I will love you until my last breath,” he swore.

“And I you,” Elinor whispered.

They kissed with desperation, knowing the love they shared was doomed.

That same night, the guard left the estate with a shattered soul.

The town was awake.

Taverns overflowed with men drinking to forget. Forced laughter. Sad songs. The air smelled of cheap wine and despair.

He sat alone, staring into his drink. He would lose the woman he loved. He would become nothing more than another guard serving a king who deserved nothing.

When he stepped outside, deep into the night, he saw him.

An old man, drunk, staggering through the shadows.

“Sir…” the old man slurred, pretending to fall.

The guard approached on instinct.

A grave mistake.

The man lunged for his coin pouch.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” the guard growled, grabbing him.

The old man tried to flee, but the guard chased him through dark streets until cornering him in an alley.

“Mercy,” the drunk begged, dropping to his knees.

The guard drew his sword, blinded by rage.

“Thieves don’t deserve it.”

“I’ll give you my daughter!” the man suddenly shouted. “In exchange for my life!”

The guard let out a bitter laugh.

“Your daughter? You think you can buy me?”

“She’s the most beautiful woman in the kingdom,” the old man swore. “More beautiful than any noble lady.”

The guard hesitated. Not out of desire… but cruel curiosity.

He bound the man and forced him to lead the way.

They walked to the outskirts of town, where the houses were crumbling.

The old man pushed open a door.

And fell to his knees.

Before them stood a young woman.

When the guard saw her… the world stopped once more.

She was identical.

The same face.

The same eyes.

The same shape of lips.

The only difference… was the rags she wore.

And in that moment, without knowing it, the fate of a king… and of two women… was sealed.