Chapter 2: Chapter 2: A Love Story

Chapter 2: A Love Story

Long ago, within the grand halls of the Inner Castle, a young prince—still uncrowned—stood beside his stoic father. That night, the king sought a beautiful slave for his pleasure, his eyes scanning a line of freshly captured souls. But the silence broke with the sound of a child crying.

Annoyed, the king ordered the girl—who clutched a crying baby sister tightly to her chest—to be taken away. Before the guards could drag her off, the young prince stepped forward and calmly declared that he wanted her brought to his chambers instead.

In the quiet of his room, the prince offered her food and treated her with unexpected kindness. She ate in silence, her face still streaked with tears. No matter how gently he spoke, the sadness in her eyes would not lift.

When he asked what she longed for, her answer was simple:

“To see my family again.”

That night, the prince fled the castle with her under the cover of darkness. The wind whispered through their hair as they rode toward the horizon, his heart full of hope. But when they arrived, they found only ruins. Smoke still clung to the air, and the acrid scent of burning wood choked their lungs. Her home—her entire world—was nothing but ash.

Overwhelmed by guilt and fear, the prince made the painful choice to return to the castle. He left her behind, though her face would haunt his dreams for years to come.

Now, that prince is King Aldric Castellanos, ruler of a fractured kingdom. Despite his crown, his heart remains restless—a sea of regret. Often, he gazes out across the land, still searching for the woman whose sorrow had once mirrored his own.

And fate, it seems, answers.

One day, Seraphina finds herself standing once more amid the ruins of her childhood village. She visits often—drawn by grief—but today is different. A shadow moves through the broken stones. Her breath catches as a familiar figure emerges from the dust.

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Her eyes widen in shock and hope. The prince.

The boy who once saved her.

Now a man, King Aldric falls to one knee in the ashes of her past. Tears stream down his face as he reaches out with trembling hands.

“Seraphina,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “I am Aldric Castellanos—the prince you knew, now king of this troubled land. I cannot undo the sins of my bloodline, but I beg you… forgive them. Let me build a future with you. Not just as my queen, but as my equal. My partner. My hope.”

His words hang in the air.

Seraphina’s body trembles as she drops to her knees beside him. For a moment, she sees only the face of a royal—a reminder of everything she’s lost. But when she looks into his eyes, she sees something else: the boy who wept with her beneath the stars.

“Your Highness,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “I am... I was... just a slave. A ghost of a girl who once believed in dreams.” She pauses, hand clutching the beam of a ruined house, her fingers shaking.

But something stirs in her heart—a warmth she hasn’t felt in years.

“If your intentions are true… if you truly want to reshape this kingdom… then yes. I will stand beside you.”

With reverent hands, King Aldric removes his crown, letting his hair fall to the ashen earth. “Will you marry me, Seraphina?” he asks softly. “Forgive the past. Help me build something new. Something worthy of you.”

Then—for the first time in history—a king prostrates to a slave. His words pour from him like rain after a drought:

“Together, we can shatter these walls. I lay my heart, my soul, and my throne at your feet. Not just for love… but for justice.”

Seraphina stares, stunned. “Your… Highness, I… I am not worthy…” she begins, but her voice falters. Her legs give out.

Before she can fall, Aldric catches her.

She looks up, and sees not a king… but a man willing to defy the world for her.

“If this is truly your wish,” she whispers, “then… I will become your queen. For the sake of a new dawn, I will stand by your side.”

As they travel back to the castle in a bulletproof car that feels more like a fortress than a carriage, the weight of her condition becomes clear. Upon arrival, Seraphina collapses into a coma.

For two days, Aldric doesn’t leave her bedside.

Despite his power, the royal doctors hesitate. To treat a former slave? Their silence speaks volumes about the kingdom's deep divisions. But Aldric’s love is louder. It roars in the halls of power like thunder, unshakable.

He holds her hand. He waits.

Because this love—this rebellion—has only just begun.