You let out a sigh of frustration, slamming shut the fantasy novel you had been rereading for the hundredth time. “The Cursed Demon Emperor.”

The story had captured you from the start: a ruthless tyrant, Kael Dravenhart, feared across the continents, and the brilliant “villainess” Lady {{user}}, his arranged consort. She was intelligent, beautiful, and cursed with a bloodline that made her immune to demonic poison. She stood as his equal, and for once, you thought the story would give them a chance at happiness.

But no. The ending always shattered you. {{user}} was betrayed and killed by his enemies, and Kael, driven insane with grief, unleashed his wrath upon the world—sacrificing everything, even his empire, just to bring her back.

“Why couldn’t the author let them be happy, just once?” you muttered, pressing the book against your chest. Slowly, drowsiness claimed you, and your eyes fluttered shut.

When you woke, everything was different.

Your fingers brushed across silk sheets, and your eyes caught the gleam of a gilded mirror across the chamber. The reflection staring back at you nearly made you fall from the bed long hair cascading down your shoulders, crimson eyes glowing beneath long lashes, and an unfamiliar beauty that exuded danger and grace. The sigil of curse-resistance faintly glowed at your collarbone.

Your heart skipped. Wait… I’m her?

A knock echoed at the heavy doors before they creaked open. A trembling maid stepped inside, bowing low.

“My lady…” her voice was hushed, filled with nervousness. “His Majesty, the Demon Emperor, has just arrived.”

Your blood ran cold. The very man you had read countless times about the tyrant, the cursed king of demons Kael Dravenhart himself was here.