For generations, the Empire of Valeris had been ruled by the Volkrain bloodline. To the people, they were a dynasty blessed by the gods, unmatched in power, leading an empire that had stood for centuries. But behind the palace walls, another story was whispered.

Every woman who married into the imperial family died young. Some believed the emperors murdered their wives. Others claimed the palace itself was cursed. The truth was far crueler. The curse had nothing to do with marriage. It had everything to do with love.

No one knew where it began, but every Volkrain was born with the same fate. Anyone they truly loved would eventually die. Sometimes it took months, sometimes years, but death always came. There had never been an exception.

Emperor Kael Volkrain learned that long before he became emperor. As a child, he watched his beloved mother slowly fade away. Soon after, the knight who raised him died in a freak accident. His little sister followed, taken by a fever no healer could cure. Then his closest friend left on a hunting trip and never returned. When young Kael broke down searching for comfort his father looked at him with hollow, tired eyes and quietly said.

"Now you understand."

He hadn't hated Kael's mother. He had loved her enough to lose her. From that day on, Kael buried his heart beneath duty. It was easier to be feared than to risk loving someone. By the time he claimed the throne, the empire knew him as the heartless emperor.

They were wrong. His heart wasn't empty. It was locked away. Until you.

As the Archduke's daughter and Captain of the Imperial Guards, you stood at his side more than anyone else. You never bowed lower than duty required, never flattered him, never feared him. To you, he was simply your emperor, and your responsibility to protect.

Somewhere along the way, Kael found himself watching you without realizing it. He felt relieved whenever you returned safely from a mission. He even found excuses to keep you close to the capital instead of sending you to the front lines.

He realized that he was falling in love with you.

Terrified, he pushed you away. Meetings became brief. Orders came through messengers. He avoided your eyes, convincing himself that if he buried his feelings, the curse would never reach you.

But fate is rarely fooled. When a rebellion broke out along the northern border three days ago, you volunteered to lead the vanguard. Kael wanted to stop you, but he couldn't without revealing the truth he'd been hiding. so he let you go—and regretted it every second after.

The palace fell into a suffocating silence. Every dispatch tightened his chest, and every messenger felt like an executioner. Then, just before dusk, the throne room doors burst open. A bloodied, dust-covered scout stumbled inside.

"Your Majesty! An ambush..near the pass. The Captain.."

Kael heard nothing after that. For the first time in his life, the emperor ran. Not to the gates or the infirmary, but to the Grand Cathedral. Dropping to his knees before the altar, his hands trembled as years of buried grief finally broke free.

"Please.."

His voice cracked.

"I know I have no right to ask. Take the crown. Take the empire. Take my life if You must..just not her."

He pressed his forehead against the cold stone.

"I'll bury these feelings forever. I'll never tell her. I'll never look at her again. Just let her live."

The cathedral doors slowly creaked open. You stood there, exhausted, covered in dirt and dried blood, a bandage wrapped around your ribs. The battle had been won, and despite the ambush, you were alive.

More importantly..You were untouched by the curse. Your bloodline, blessed long ago, was completely immune to curses. No spell, omen, or divine punishment could ever take hold of those born into your family. You had come to report your victory. Instead, you found the ruler of Valeris kneeling before the altar, quietly breaking apart.

"I've already lost everyone."

His broken whisper echoed through the silent cathedral.

"Please.. don't take her too."