The silence between them stretched like the edge of a knife. The dagger in Evelyne's grip pulsed with cold energy, as if it, too, was waiting—waiting for her to decide.
Kael stood in front of her, his expression unreadable, though the flicker of something close to fear lurked in his emerald eyes.
Behind her, the first bride's spirit remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the man who had once loved her, who had once chosen himself over all of them.
"If I die, the curse dies with me."
His words echoed in her mind.
If she ended him now, it would all be over. The haunting whispers, the tormented souls, the cycle of suffering that had claimed every woman before her.
But was it really that simple?
"You're lying," Evelyne said, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her.
Kael exhaled, slow and deliberate. "Am I?"
The first bride stepped forward, her ethereal form flickering as if caught between realms. "He's telling the truth—but only part of it."
Evelyne's grip on the dagger tightened. "Then tell me the rest."
A cold wind swept through the chamber, rattling the remains of the shattered mirror. The ground beneath them trembled, the castle itself reacting to the weight of history being unraveled.
Kael closed his eyes for a brief moment before speaking. "The priestess who cursed me—she wasn't just anyone." His voice was barely above a whisper. "She was my mother."
The words sent a shockwave through Evelyne.
She took an involuntary step back. "What?"
Kael's expression darkened. "She wasn't just a priestess. She was the guardian of the Veil—the keeper of forbidden magic. And she believed that my fate had already been written. That I would become the very thing she sought to destroy."
Evelyne's pulse thundered. "And did you?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze to the first bride.
"You tell her," he said bitterly. "Since you're so determined to make me the villain of this story."
The first bride met Evelyne's eyes, sorrow swimming in her ghostly depths. "He was never meant to rule. His mother saw darkness growing inside him, a hunger for power that could not be tamed. She tried to stop him before it was too late."
Evelyne felt her breath hitch. "So, she cursed him?"
The first bride nodded. "She sealed his fate with a spell that bound his soul to this castle. But he refused to accept it. He killed her before the curse could take hold completely. And in doing so…" She hesitated, then whispered, "…he ensured that it would never break."
Evelyne turned to Kael, her stomach twisting. "You could have ended this centuries ago."
Kael's jaw tightened. "I tried."
"Liar." The first bride's voice was sharp as ice. "You knew what needed to be done, but you were afraid. You let your fear of death condemn every woman who came after me."
Evelyne's hand trembled on the dagger's hilt. "You let them die," she whispered.
Kael's face twisted, pain flashing across his features. "You think I wanted this?" His voice cracked. "You think I wanted to watch each of them fade, to see their eyes fill with terror before they were swallowed by the curse?"
The first bride let out a bitter laugh. "And yet, you let it happen. Over and over again."
The walls groaned, the castle trembling as the curse reacted to their words. Shadows danced along the edges of the chamber, whispering, waiting.
Evelyne swallowed hard. "Then tell me this," she said, voice cold. "What happens if I kill you now?"
Kael hesitated.
For the first time, real, unguarded fear crossed his face.
"I don't know," he admitted.
The first bride's expression hardened. "Then we find out."
She lifted her hand, and the shadows surged forward, wrapping around Kael's wrists, binding him in place.
Evelyne gasped as Kael flinched, his body tensing against the unseen force. His gaze snapped to her, something desperate flashing in his eyes.
"Evelyne—"
"Do it," the first bride urged. "End this."
Evelyne raised the dagger, her pulse hammering.
Kael didn't struggle. He didn't beg. He just held her gaze, searching her face as if trying to read the answer before she spoke it aloud.
"Evelyne," he murmured, voice quieter now. "Are you sure?"
Her fingers clenched around the hilt.
She had come here to kill him. To end the curse.
But now, staring at him—at the man who had once been a prince, who had once been a son, who had once been human—she felt something deep, twisting inside her.
Doubt.
She turned to the first bride. "You said the curse binds itself to the living, right?"
The bride nodded.
"And if he dies, the curse might end… or it might just find someone else to cling to."
The realization sent a chill down her spine.
Killing Kael might not be the answer.
What if his death wasn't the end, but the beginning of something worse?
Kael watched her, his expression unreadable. "You don't have to do this," he said quietly.
But Evelyne knew the truth now.
The curse wasn't just his burden.
It was hers, too.
The dagger trembled in her grasp.
And then, slowly, she lowered it.
The first bride's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
Evelyne turned to her. "Finding another way."
The chamber shuddered violently, the air crackling with dark energy. The shadows recoiled, the castle itself reacting to her choice.
Kael let out a breath, his arms falling free as the invisible bonds dissolved. He didn't move, didn't speak—just watched her with an unreadable expression.
The first bride shook her head. "You're making a mistake."
"Maybe," Evelyne admitted. "But if this curse was built on betrayal, then maybe it can only be broken by something else."
A pause.
Kael's voice was barely above a whisper. "Trust."
Evelyne met his gaze.
And for the first time, she saw not just the monster, not just the prince, but the man beneath it all.
The chamber trembled again, and in the distance, the sound of something shattering—something ancient, something powerful—echoed through the castle.
The first crack in the curse.
Evelyne took a slow breath.
The fight wasn't over.
But for the first time, there was hope.