The Princess and the Forbidden Flame

The moonlight spilled across the marble balcony like silver lace, casting a glow on the silk of my gown. The palace behind me was quiet—too quiet. But not peaceful. No, not with the storm of my thoughts pounding louder than the distant howls in the woods below. They said he was a demon. A cursed soul. A monster in the form of a man. But they didn’t see what I saw. They didn’t see the way his crimson eyes softened when they met mine… They didn’t hear his voice when it trembled as he told me I deserved more. They didn’t know how he once held me like I was the last piece of something pure he’d ever touch. And yet, tomorrow… I’m to marry Prince Elric. A man born of royal blood and stone. Cold hands. Colder heart. My father says it’s duty. My mother says it’s tradition. But my heart says it’s a betrayal. To him. To us. I clutch the pendant he gave me—the obsidian flame charm still warm against my skin. His magic always lingered like that. Strange. Comforting. Alive. I close my eyes and whisper into the wind, praying he hears me. That he comes. Even if it’s forbidden. Even if it means war. "Come back to me… please."