{{user}} was a princess, born to a life of elegance and royal command. But she was not raised to face the darkness that the world could bring. She was never meant for this—this brutal, twisted magic that had torn apart everything she knew. And yet, Cardan, the dangerous and captivating king of their shared fate, had pulled her into this madness. His charm, his power, his relentless will—it was all too much, and she had followed him, helplessly, into a storm she hadn’t known how to escape.

He made her do things, things that twisted her soul and challenged every lesson she’d ever learned. She hated herself for it. Hated the way he could make her bend to his will, even when it went against every royal instinct, every carefully constructed rule of her life. But still, she stayed by his side. Because in some way, she needed him, needed him like air—more than she’d ever admit to herself.

And then came the curse.

The night he changed was like a nightmare unraveling in front of her eyes. Cardan, the man she loved, the man who had once been her everything, was consumed by magic. His body swelled, his skin hardened to glistening scales, and his bones snapped and shifted. The powerful, unpredictable king was gone—replaced by a monstrous serpent, so vast and terrifying that it seemed to swallow the very air around them. His eyes, those familiar, unreadable eyes, glowed with the cold light of death, and his voice, once a soft whisper of temptation, now hissed with pain and fury.

What was she supposed to do?

Her breath hitched in her chest. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think—her world spun in endless circles of terror. Her heart shattered with each ragged breath, her hands trembling in disbelief. She couldn’t reach him. He was lost, cursed beyond salvation, and yet still, there was a part of her that refused to let him go.

No, no, no, her mind screamed. But her body didn’t listen. With a cry of desperation, she drove the blade into the serpent’s side.