The Cursed Prince’s Bride

Lily grumbled under her breath as she wiped the sweat from her brow, her hands rough from the hours spent tending the field. The warm afternoon sun cast long shadows, but its heat still weighed heavily on her, prompting her to briefly shed her heavy cloak. For a moment, she savored the relief, the fabric falling to her side as she bent down to continue her work. She hated this work so much and it burdened her why Kaden wanted her to work on the fields and now she was alone doing it.

Why was he acting so generous and why did his generosity not extend towards her parents whom he killed and the rest of her people whose life had been truncated.

Why?

Those questions burdened her soul as she kept working. Her parents lived and helped people around them. They hated seeing idle men and starving children so why were they slaughtered like goats?

The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to pause those thoughts behind her, and in a heartbeat, her hand shot out, grasping the cloak and draping it hurriedly over her shoulders.

When she lifted her head, she found herself staring into the eyes of Prince Aros.

What did he want? she thought.

He held out an apple, the red skin gleaming in the light, and she hesitated for a moment before accepting it, her heart pounding. Lily shifted uncomfortably under her cloak as she noticed that his blue eyes were fixed on her with an intensity that made her nervous. She clutched the apple he'd given her, unsure whether to eat it or set it aside. His presence unsettled her, but there was also something oddly warm about the way he looked at her.

"What brings you here, Your Highness?" Lily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Aros lowered himself to sit on the grass before her, eyes lingering on the cloak that shrouded her form. "I could ask you the same," he teased lightly. "But I'm more curious about that cloak of yours. You wear it even under this heat, and it's not like you're trying to blend in."

Lily's breath hitched, her mind racing for an excuse. "It's… because of a fire," she lied quickly, her gaze dropping to the ground. "My face was badly burned, so I cover it."

Aros tilted his head, studying her with an unreadable expression. "People who wear cloaks often hide more than just their faces," he said softly. "They're hiding something—or someone."

Lily gulped but made no attempt to give a response to his statement.

"Why are you really out here, working the fields?" Aros asked casually, though his eyes remained sharp, studying her every move. "Aren't you a bit… out of place and yet alone?"

Lily lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening around the apple. "I'm here for the same reason anyone else is," she said, her voice soft, barely above a whisper. "I need to work, to survive."

Aros raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "You don't look like a farmhand," he mused, leaning back on his hands. "Your hands may be rough, but your posture isn't. You carry yourself differently—like someone used to hiding, not working."

Lily felt a surge of panic rise in her chest but quickly masked it with a weak smile. "Not everyone's born into comfort, Your Highness," she replied, hoping the honorific would shift the conversation away from her. "Some of us have to make do."

Aros chuckled, his smirk returning. "That's where you're wrong. I wasn't born into comfort either." His eyes darkened for a moment, and Lily caught a glimpse of something behind the usual arrogance—a flicker of something deeper, something pained. "Do you know what it's like to be seen as less? To have people look at you and assume you don't belong? That you're just an inconvenience?"

Lily frowned, surprised by his vulnerability. "Isn't that every day for someone like me?" she asked cautiously. "I'm no one special."

Aros leaned in slightly, his curiosity piqued. "Maybe. But you're not no one. You're hiding something, aren't you?"

Lily's heart raced again. She adjusted her hood, trying to keep her face hidden. "I told you already… my face was burned in a fire."

He studied her for a long moment, clearly unconvinced, but he didn't press further. Instead, he took a different approach. "You know, I'm not what the….people make me out to be," he said, his tone softer. "I just want to understand. You don't have to tell me what you're hiding, but I think we're more alike than you realize."

Lily shifted uncomfortably, not knowing how to respond. Why was he so persistent? Why did he care? She was about to stand and leave when Aros reached out again, his fingers brushing the edge of her cloak once more. "If you ever need to talk, I'll listen," he said, his voice lower, almost sincere. "I'm good at keeping secrets."

She didn't answer. Instead, she stood up quickly, taking a few steps back. "I need to get back to work," she muttered, pulling the cloak tighter around her. "Thank you for the apple, Your Highness."

His hand moved towards her, fingertips grazing the edge of her cloak. Panic surged within her, and before his fingers could pull the fabric back, Lily took a step away. Her heart raced as she darted backward, her cheeks flushing under the cloak's protection. He watched her with a mixture of amusement and intrigue, but he didn't pursue her. Instead, he chuckled, a sound that made her skin prickle as she turned on her heel and fled from his gaze.

Damn him.

---

Further away in another part of the fields, Kaden knelt amidst a cluster of wildflowers, his fingers brushing gently over the soft petals of the blue blossoms that grew in patches. His mother's favorite. Queen Kiara had loved these flowers, often plucking them and weaving them into garlands that she would wear with a grace and beauty that made her seem odd.

But she was gone now, and Kaden knew it was because of him. Because of the curse. His chest tightened with guilt as he stared at the flowers, his mind lost in memories of her laughter, her strength, the way she ruled with both compassion and an iron will. She had been the heart of Riveria, and now, with her absence, everything had changed.

Even his Father.

"If you were here, Mother, maybe you'd know how to break this curse," he whispered to the empty field. His voice cracked slightly, and he clenched his fists. "Maybe you would have an answer, or at least make me feel like there was one. But everything is different now."

His words were swallowed by the wind, and as he sat there, lost in thought, a familiar voice cut through the stillness.

"I was wondering where you'd gone off to. I asked the guards but they seemed not to know where you went," Aros called out, his tone light as he approached, his footsteps casual. He stopped a few feet away, surveying the flowers briefly before turning his attention to Kaden. "Why aren't you in the training field?"

Kaden stiffened, his mood darkening instantly. "I could ask you the same thing," he said coldly, rising to his feet. "Why aren't you training with the men…as their commander?"

Aros shrugged. "I gave them the day off. Overworking them won't help if we want them to protect Riveria. They need their strength."

Kaden scoffed, his eyes narrowing as he faced Aros. "You're training lazy men," he spat. "If they can't handle a few extra hours of work, they're not fit to defend anyone."

Aros's smirk faded slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't just beat people into submission and expect loyalty. They need time to rest, to recover. It's not weakness—it's strategy."

Kaden's eyes flashed with anger, his fists clenching. "Strategy?" he repeated, his voice laced with bitterness. "What do you know about strategy? You've never led anyone into battle."

"I have gone into battle. Alongside you so I know a lot about war. What on earth happened to you that you have gotten more spiteful?"

Kaden's eyes were blazing as he turned back to Aros, fury etched into every line of his face. "You think you know me?" he hissed, his voice rising. "You think you understand anything about me or what I've been through?"

Aros remained calm, his eyes locking with the latter "I know you're angry. At me, at yourself, at everything and everyone . But I don't understand why."

"You walk around here like you belong, like you're one of us. But you're not. You're nothing but a human! A weak, pathetic human with barely a drop of our blood in your veins. And somehow, my father managed to make you a prince."

Aros's jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. "I didn't ask for that title, Kaden. I never asked to be made a prince. I didn't even want it, but I earned my place here! Why don't you listen to me?"

Kaden laughed bitterly, his eyes gleaming with anger. "Earned? What did you earn? You were born from a human, and yet you're given the same respect, the same standing as me? Do you know what that feels like? To be cursed with this blood, this abomination inside of me, while you—you—walk around in human skin, free of it all?"

Aros took a step closer, his voice rising to match Kaden's. "You think I haven't suffered? You think it's been easy being the 'human'? Being looked down on by the other nobles and werewolves, whispered about behind my back because I'm not royal blood. I'm constantly reminded that I'm different, Kaden, that I don't belong, that I'm not one of you!"

"I'm glad you admit that you are not one of us."

Aros's face twisted with frustration. "And what about you? You think being a prince is supposed to be a punishment? You act like it's something you hate, but you still cling to it. You're the one who was born to inherit this kingdom, not me! But you're too busy wallowing in your self-hatred to see that no one wants to take it from you. Least of all me."

Kaden's hands shook as he glared at Aros, the rage inside him swelling with every word. "Why don't you feel ashamed? Why don't you feel like the fraud you are? You're a human, Aros. Nothing more than a mortal with a scrap of royal blood in you, yet you wear the crown's favor like it means something. How do you not feel disgusted by it?"

Aros's eyes flashed, his voice sharp as steel. "Because I'm not ashamed of what I am! Yes, I'm human, but that doesn't make me weak. I've trained harder than anyone in that damned training yard to prove myself. I've earned the loyalty of the men who follow me, not because of some bloodline, but because of who I am. You… you're letting this curse define you, and it's eating you alive."

Kaden's fists shot out, grabbing Aros by the hem of his tunic and pulling him close, their faces inches apart. "You don't know anything about this curse," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You don't know what it's like to wake up every day wondering why you were cursed with the hands of death. You don't know what it's like to have everything ripped away from you or If today's the day you hurt someone you care about. You live without that fear, without that weight on your shoulders."

Aros didn't back down, his voice steady despite Kaden's hold. "A-And you think hating me will change that? You think it makes the curse easier to bear if you blame me for it? Kaden, I'm not your enemy. I never have been. But you treat me like I'm the reason you suffer, like my very existence is an insult to you."

Kaden's grip tightened, his breath hot with fury. "You are an insult. Every time I look at you, I see what I'll never be. Free. Untouched by this… thing inside me. How can you stand there and not feel guilty, not feel ashamed that you've escaped it? That I'm the one who has to bear the burden while you get to live as if nothing is wrong?"

Aros stumbled slightly but recovered quickly, his face tightening with anger. "What have I ever taken from you? What have I done to deserve this constant hatred? I've been nothing but loyal to Riveria, to the King, to your family! But you… you can't stand the idea of sharing anything, not even the weight of your crown!"

"I don't need to share anything with you!" Kaden bellowed, his voice echoing across the field. "You're a parasite, Aros! Leeching off this kingdom, off me. Every time I look at you, it's a reminder of of what I—" He stopped, his chest heaving with fury and pain. His hand clenched into a fist as he struggled to hold back the rest of his words.

Aros took a step forward, his voice no longer mocking, no longer playful. It was filled with something heavier—anger, frustration, and a deep, unacknowledged hurt. "What you lost? Kaden, you're not the only one who's lost something. I lost my mother to a war that werewolves like you started and yet I bear no resentment for you. Do you think I wanted this? To be the 'other' son, the one no one wanted around? I've tried to prove myself time and time again, but no matter what I do, you look at me like I'm dirt beneath your boots."

Kaden laughed bitterly. "You think it's that simple? You think I hate you because of who you are? No, Aros, you're just another reminder of everything that's wrong with me. With my blood. An abomination. You walk around pretending like you're part of this family, and all it does is make me angry."

Aros's expression softened, "What are you talking about?"

Kaden's fists clenched at his sides as he paced in the grass, his shoulders trembling. "You don't know. You couldn't know. Because you don't bear this curse," he spat, his voice filled with self-loathing. "You don't understand what it's like to be feared, to be seen as nothing more than a monster!"

Aros's eyes widened, realization dawning on him. "Kaden…"

"D-Don't," Kaden cut him off, his voice rough, shaking with barely controlled emotion. "Don't pity me. I don't need it from you."

Aros's anger seemed to drain away as he stood there, watching Kaden, truly seeing him for the first time. "It's not pity," he said quietly, his voice steady, "I've seen how hard you push yourself. How much you carry. I understand that you are desperate to free yourself from this curse. But you're wrong about one thing."

Kaden glared at him, still breathing hard. "And what's that?"

Aros took a deep breath before answering. "You're not alone. You don't have to be. I'm not your enemy, Kaden. I never have been. But you keep pushing me away, hating me, because it's easier than facing whatever it is you're really fighting."

"Shut up!" Kaden roared, grabbing Aros by the collar and shoving him back again, "You don't get to tell me what I feel or what I'm fighting! You're nothing, Aros! Nothing!"

Aros winced as Kaden's grip tightened, but he refused to back down. "Why?" he asked, his voice quiet but firm. "Why do you hate me so much, Kaden? Why are you so angry at everyone else, at humans who did nothing to you?"

Kaden's grip faltered, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The question cut deeper than Aros could have known, slicing through the anger and hitting something raw, something that Kaden had buried so deep, he didn't want to face it. But he couldn't answer. He couldn't speak the truth that gnawed at him every night, that haunted him in his sleep.

Instead, he shoved Aros away and turned, storming off into the field, his heart pounding with a mix of rage and grief. He couldn't give Aros the answer he wanted because he didn't have one. Not one he could say aloud.