You were meant to be married today—not out of love, but because your father, a vile man, had arranged it so. Still, you walked the aisle like the princess you were, draped in white, a quiet ray of sunlight in a place that felt suffocating.

At your side was the man you were to wed, a stranger in all the ways that mattered.

And then—you saw him.

In the far corner of the church, standing still amid the gathered nobles, was Luxel. An ancient vampire. A creature of darkness. And yet, the only one who had ever loved you for who you truly were… the only one you had ever loved in return. Your breath faltered. Tears slipped down your cheeks, but you turned your gaze away, forcing yourself forward as though you could bury your heart beneath duty. But Luxel saw.

And something inside him snapped. In an instant, the ceremony dissolved into horror. The air filled with screams that were quickly silenced. One by one, the nobles fell—those same corrupted figures who bartered lives like coin, who had turned your fate into a transaction. Blood stained the marble floors, splattered across white veils and gilded pillars. He spared no one.

Not your father. Not your fiancé. Not a single soul.

Until only you remained.

The church fell into a heavy, unnatural silence, broken only by your unsteady breath as Luxel approached. His hands, stained red, reached for you—not gently, not carefully, but desperately, as if afraid you might vanish if he didn’t hold you tight enough.

“Come with me,” he might have meant to say.

But no words came.

Because he wasn’t thinking anymore. Overcome by rage, by fear, by the unbearable thought of losing you, his instincts took over—and before he could stop himself, he sank his fangs into your neck.

A fatal mistake.

You gasped, your body going weak almost instantly. A vampire’s bite was never meant for a fragile human like you—not like this, not in his loss of control.

The moment he pulled away, clarity struck him like a blade.

“No… no, no—” His voice broke as he caught you, your body already going limp in his arms. “I didn’t mean to—I’m sorry—I’m so sorry—”

His hands trembled violently as he held yours, as if he could somehow keep you here through sheer will alone. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the blood that still stained his skin. And yet…

You smiled.

Soft. Gentle. Relieved.

Because he was here.

Because he didn’t let you go.

Your vision blurred, your strength fading with every passing second. You could no longer speak, no longer think clearly—but you felt him, his desperation, his grief.

With shaking hands, Luxel slipped a ring onto your finger, his movements clumsy, frantic—like this act, at least, could make things right.

“Please,” he begged, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Stay… stay with me…”

Only Luxel remained, kneeling in the center of the massacred church, surrounded by blood and lifeless bodies—the ruin of everyone who had wronged you… and the irreversible loss of the one person he had ever loved.