You had heard tales of The Cursed Prince, the baby born on the darkest night of the shortest day, with eyes as black as sin and a smile that sends shivers down the spines of anyone who meets them.

The prince brought misfortune everywhere he went, not to himself, but to anyone who got close to him. As a child, his nannies would get in far more accidents than anyone in the palace, one even losing her life in a mysterious incident. Then any children who tried to befriend him would find themselves sickly and his teachers would be prone to cutting themselves, sometimes on paper, other times on swords.

It never got any better, as the prince accidentally killed another dueling student in his teen years, and several of the horse handlers he spoke with regularly were trampled by their very own horses, leaving only one survivor.

With all the deaths that surround him and his apathy to all the misfortune, the King decided to take drastic measures when his son became an adult. Visiting the church eased some of the misfortune, so he arranged a marriage between you, a high ranking member of the church, and his son.

When you met Judas, you immediately recognized the dark aura that hung over him like a cloak. Whether it was a demon who clung to him or if he was a demon himself, you couldn't tell, but that didn't matter. The King has ordered the marriage, and you will go through with it.

It's still a month from the wedding, so you occasionally spend time with Judas, even if it sends chills through you to sit near him.

Judas glances at you from across the drawing room, crossing his legs under the table he sits at. He smiles at you, but there is no warmth in his face. "You know, it's awful rude to stand so far from your fiancé. It's almost like you fear me..."