Chapter 1
Aura was the only princess of the Kingdom of Xenia.
With silver-white platinum hair, teal eyes, intelligence and grace beyond that of princess, and a noble pride befitting her royal blood—
Everyone in the kingdom adored and cherished her.
Her life was warm and full. That was, until a marriage proposal came from the Empire of Casa.
A political marriage for a princess wasn’t uncommon.
But the king and queen were reluctant. Aura was their only precious daughter, just eighteen years old.
And the groom-to-be was the fourth prince, born to a commoner concubine.
It was Aura who persuaded her hesitant parents.
“I’ll marry him. If that’s my duty as royalty, I can do it.”
And so, Aura traveled alone to the Empire of Casa.
She saw her husband-to-be, Karl, for the first time at their wedding.
He was a slender, delicate-looking young man. Pale skin, jet-black hair and eyes, and a cold, blunt gaze.
All members of Casa’s royal family had golden hair. Karl looked like darkness buried among that brilliance.
‘…He’s beautiful. Like a beautiful shadow.’
Aura fell for him at first sight.
On the first night after the wedding, the young couple sat side by side on the bed.
Aura tightly gripped the blanket. Just having Karl beside her made her tremble with nerves.
After a long silence, Karl spoke.
“I can’t give you anything.”
Aura turned to look at him. Karl was staring into the air, looking bored.
“If you have someone you want to see, go see them. Or find someone new. I don’t care.”
With just that, Karl stood to leave the room.
“…!”
As he was stepping away, Karl froze.
A small hand had grabbed his sleeve.
That hand was pale and thin, but full of courage.
Karl spoke.
“You’re a foolish girl. Didn’t you hear what people say?”
She had heard.
That he looked like his low-born mother, who had died young.
That he was just a prince in name, with no real talent in study or swordsmanship.
“If you cling to me, you’ll only be miserable. Your happiness is something you have to find for yourself.”
“My name is Aura.”
Karl slowly raised his gaze at the trembling voice.
For the first time, he truly looked at his wife.
“They say we’re husband and wife now.”
“So?”
“To be honest… I’m a little scared. Getting married so suddenly, the strange atmosphere of this palace. But I’m not unhappy.”
Aura smiled. It was a shy but sincere smile.
“Because we’re together… I think we’ll be okay. Both of us.”
Karl stared at her with indifferent eyes.
But slowly, his throat moved as he swallowed. Then, without a word, he turned and left the bedroom.
Thud.
Aura’s hand dropped to the blanket.
That night, Aura cried a little.
She didn’t resent Karl. Maybe he hated the political marriage.
But she missed her family in Xenia terribly.
The next morning, Aura stepped out of the bedroom with puffy eyes.
“!”
A bundle of daffodils suddenly appeared in front of her.
It was awkwardly tied together, clearly clumsy handiwork. Behind the yellow flowers was Karl’s face.
“Call me Karl. No need to be formal. We’re the same age.”
Aura’s surprised face quickly lit up with a bright smile. As she reached out her hands—
“If you accept this, it means… you’re becoming my only destination.”
“…”
“If you’re okay with that, take it.”
Becoming someone’s only destination—it sounded a little scary.
But at the same time, it felt like a promise of sincere love.
She didn’t hesitate for long. Aura hugged the bouquet of daffodils.
“Thank you, Karl.”
Karl smiled faintly.
Aura liked Karl. His quiet, masculine nature. His sincerity and sharp mind, so different from the rumors.
Aura and Karl spent most of their time in the library.
They sat side by side against the bookshelves, sharing stories, opening up to each other, creating little secrets.
Aura touched Karl’s fingers as he turned a page.
Each day, his hands had more bandages. The signs of harsh sword training.
“Why do people think you’re lazy and indifferent?
You read a lot and you’re good with a sword.”
“I’m hiding it.”
“Why?”
Instead of answering, Karl stared at her. The look was unfamiliar, and Aura gave an awkward laugh.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Karl cupped her cheek. The bandage on his hand felt strange, and Aura flinched.
At that moment, Karl kissed her.
It was the first kiss. For both of them.
They instinctively sought warmth in each other.
They held each other tightly for a long time.
Aura realized—true sweetness was with Karl.
Karl whispered,
“I only need to protect you.”
Those were happy days.
Karl was by her side. She believed he always would be.
It was a naive thought.
A few months later, the emperor fell ill.
The crown prince grew anxious. He had nothing to boast of except being the legitimate son.
He needed to prove his ability and secure his hold on power.
His solution was war.
And his first target was the Kingdom of Xenia.
Xenia fell in just a few days.
The royal family was executed.
The kingdom known for its mighty sorcerers was no more.
The crown prince didn’t stop there.
He imprisoned Aura in the northern tower of the palace, claiming it was to “cut off the tail of rebellion.”
Her sentence was until death.
The tower was horrific. Cold, filthy, and eerie.
Terrified, Aura scratched at the locked door and cried out.
“Karl! Let me see Karl! Please…! Karl!”
Her only hope was Karl’s promise to protect her.
But Karl never came.
Her voice became hoarse, and her nails fell off.
One day, she heard the guards whispering outside.
“What? Prince Karl went on a conquest to Debla?”
Debla. A lawless land in the far north of Casa, crawling with monsters. Known as the “graveyard of knights.”
‘Karl… went to Debla?’
“Calling it a conquest is a joke. He’s running from the crown prince.”
“Too bad for the princess.”
“She’s more than just unlucky. Right before he left, Prince Karl gave an order: ‘Kill the princess with this.’”
Aura’s heart sank.
‘What… did I just hear?’
Even the guards seemed shocked.
“Seriously? He told them to kill his wife?”
“He doesn’t want to be tied down by her anymore. I guess it’s like a fresh start.”
Aura shook her head.
‘Me…? No. He wouldn’t. Karl wouldn’t…’
The guards spoke uncomfortably.
“I can’t do it. What if it comes back to bite me?”
“Same here. So… how about this?”
A moment later—
Clang!
The food slot at the bottom of the door opened.
Aura, frozen in fear, flinched.
Clink.
A dagger slid into the cell.
“Prince Karl orders you to take your own life. Better than living like this, don’t you think?”
Aura’s eyes darkened.
It was definitely Karl’s dagger.
That night, Aura tried to die.
She couldn’t imagine living another day.
Trembling, she cut her wrist with the dagger.
The pain burned like fire.
She had never felt anything so intense.
At that moment, she asked herself—
‘Why do I have to die?’
Clang—!
Aura threw the dagger aside.
She pressed her skirt tightly against the wound to stop the bleeding.
She cried so hard it felt like dying. But she didn’t die.
“…I’ll live. I’ll live… just to see that bastard’s face again.”
So began her hellish life in the tower.
Her food was rotting vegetables. The water was freezing and dirty.
Rats and bugs tormented her day and night.
But the worst pain was the despair of being abandoned.
And that despair turned into hatred for Karl.
Aura changed.into someone no one could have imagined.
Her once-radiant hair faded to ash, and her eyes grew dull.
Revenge and spite replaced her royal pride, dragging her into darkness.
Three years passed.
On a day of heavy snow, the emperor finally died after a long illness.
That night, during the funeral—
Chaos broke out in the palace.
Aura looked out the window. Smoke was rising everywhere, like a war had begun.
‘Is it a rebellion?’
Then—
Creak, screeeee…
The door, which had seemed like it would stay shut forever, opened.
Knights in black stormed in.
They knelt before her.
“Princess Aura. His Majesty the Emperor has summoned you.”
“Who’s your emperor now?”
The knights shivered.
Her voice carried anger as heavy as wet clay. It overwhelmed them.
“Emperor Karl.”
Silence fell. The knights slowly raised their heads to look at her.
Aura let out a bitter laugh.
“Ha… How shameless.”
It was almost funny. This entire situation.
Soon, the knights helped her out of the tower.
Outside was a scene from a nightmare.
Snow covering the ground, bodies covering the snow, blood covering the bodies—
And snow falling again on top of it all.
Aura walked barefoot across the snow.
She entered the palace, leaving behind bloody, snowy footprints.
The audience chamber doors opened.
The stench of blood poured out.
The entire royal guard had been slaughtered.
At the far end, Karl sat on the throne.
Three corpses lay at his feet—the crown prince and two other princes.
A perfect coup. A new emperor born in blood.
Aura slowly approached him.
The knights beside Karl were shocked at her appearance.
Her body was thin as a thorn, her eyes lifeless.
She looked like a ghost just risen from the grave.
Only Karl stared at her calmly.
He rose from the throne and walked to her.
Aura looked up at him.
He seemed a head taller. His shoulders broader, his body stronger.
His gaze now held both coldness and fire. And… the stench of blood.
The weak boy had become a warrior. No—a king, who took the world.
While Aura had lost everything.
Aura suddenly threw herself into his arms. Then whispered softly—
“You bastard.”
“!”
Karl stepped back.
A dagger was deeply buried in his side.
Dark red blood trickled out.
Aura looked at him and smiled.
Now she could die. Or so she thought.
This cruel life—finally, she could be free.
…But Karl had no intention of letting her go that easily.
