I’m silent as Felix leads me to a private room inside a small restaurant at the top of a tower. Thanks to the torches by the stalls, I’m actually able to see most of the marketplace, and it feels refreshing to have a view of some sort instead of just the endless pitch darkness, and to see so many people.Thankfully, we weren’t ambushed by more supernatural wonders that I can barely comprehend as we explored the surprisingly bustling town. How something as beautiful as a rosebush can be that terrifying astounds me. Eldiria is not what I expected. Everything here is deceptive—including my husband. He might be the cruel emperor that tore me away from everything I’ve ever known, but I’ve also come to see the man whose heart bleeds as he watches his people suffer.His eyes drop to the fireplace by our table, and the fire begins to blaze hotter just as I take off my brand-new gloves. It almost feels wrong to sit here, knowing that so many of the people I can see from the window would do anything to feel this kind of warmth.“Are you still cold?” Felix asks, concerned. His cloak disappears from his shoulders and reappears around mine, his gaze roaming over my face. How much of himself has he already given to his people? All I’ve thought of since we got married was all I lost. I never realized that he’s lost so much more than I have.I’m probably far from the kind of woman he would’ve wanted to marry, yet he’s trapped in this situation as much as I am. Perhaps more so. I was so absorbed in my own pain and loss that I inflicted upon him what I suffered from for years, never taking a moment to assess whether the rumors about him were true or not. I’ve been thinking of ways to deceive him, to trick him into believing I can break this curse when I’m powerless, useless—all so I could safeguard my own life at the expense of so many others.“I can’t help you,” I whisper, the truth escaping from my lips before I realize what I’m doing. “I wish I could, but I can’t.”He stares at the fire, quiet for a moment before he speaks. “I believe you can, Arabella. Long before you were born, a seer sought refuge at my palace, offering a prophecy that could save us in return for protection from the curse. She had seen different versions of the future, and there was one in which she not only survived but saw the curse broken, too. I offered her a binding spell that kept her safe, and she gave me her prophecy as well as a promise to show me the woman in the prophecy when the time was right. I’d begun to lose hope until a few months ago, when she showed me you.”I cannot deceive him after everything I just saw. I cannot give his people hope where there is none. My decision might put my life at risk, but all I’m doing is expediting the inevitable. “I want to believe that, Felix. I do. But I know myself better than anyone else. I cannot help you.”He tears his gaze away from the fire and looks at me with an expression I’ve never seen him carry before. It’s desperation. “Are you willing to try? I beg of you, Arabella. Help me save my people, and I will give you anything you want in return. Anything. If it is in my power, it’s yours.”I look into his eyes, startled by the conviction I see. “I’m willing to try,” I say, my voice soft. “On two conditions.”He nods, indicating for me to continue. My heart races as I gather my words, praying I won’t be punished for this.“I want you to ensure Nathaniel Orathis’s safety and well-being, meaning that he is free from any punishment and reinstated in his former occupation.” Since Althea is now one of Eldiria’s vassals, he can easily make that happen. My father cannot deny him.Felix’s eyes flash dangerously as he pulls a hand through his thick, dark hair. For a moment I wonder if he’ll punish me for thinking of Nathaniel, and an odd sense of longing rushes through me.He leans in over the table to brush my hair out of my face, the back of his fingers trailing over my cheek. His eyes are filled with such intense longing and loneliness that a hint of shame tugs at my conscience. I’m his wife, yet here I am, pleading for the safety of the man I’d rather be with instead. “Consider it done,” he whispers, his hand falling away. “Continue.”I swallow hard and look down at the ring he bought me. “Second, I want you to let me go. I don’t believe it possible, but if we manage to set your people free, then I want you to set me free, too.”He turns away to stare out the window, my heartbeat the only thing I hear in the silence that surrounds us. “Very well,” he says eventually, and I exhale in relief. “I’d like to work on undoing the curse’s effects. If we can find a way to make our grounds fertile again, then I’ll consider our deal done.”I nod, reading between the lines. “Undoing its effects? You don’t believe we can break this curse outright?”Felix smiles, his expression forlorn. “I’ve tried for nearly two hundred years. If there was a way to truly break the curse, I would have found it. My people seem to think that the answer lies in true love, but I don’t believe that to be the case. I am, however, willing to try anything, no matter how ridiculous. If I am to grant you these two conditions, I must insist that we try everything we can to break this curse, and with a bit of luck, we might mitigate its effects through one of our attempts.”“True love?” I ask, confused.“There were two main components to the curse, and based on my research on curses, if we could undo just one of them, the curse might come undone,” Felix explains. “The first part was about the kingdom being cast in shadows, which has resulted in eternal winter and infertile grounds. The second part, however, was about a true union. I was cursed never to be loved, never to be chosen.”I bite down on my lip, a shiver running down my spine. “I… what do you need me to do?”Felix’s eyes roam over my face, his expression unreadable. “You must give our marriage an honest chance. My people aren’t wrong to assume love could break the curse. Based on all the research I have done, it is possible for that to be the solution. It isn’t likely, but it’s possible. On the other hand, it could mean that we merely need to unite our bodies physically.”Give our marriage a chance? “You want me to—” I whisper.Felix shakes his head. “I won’t force you, Arabella. I won’t take you against your will, but I’d like you to give this a chance. I can make you feel pleasure unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. In due time, perhaps it truly will lead to love. We must try.”I recoil from him and wrap my arms around myself. The mere thought of ever being with him makes me feel like I’m betraying Nathaniel and ruining every chance of ever being with him. “I can’t,” I whisper, even though a small part of me wants to.Felix’s expression hardens. “Then I’ll see to it that the boy hangs.”“Don’t!” I swallow hard, panic awakening something fiery within me, something that I’ve felt before, just before I’m involved in one of the many incidents that resulted in me being called cursed.“Then what will it be? His future is in your hands.”I clench my hands and nod, my shoulders drooping in defeat. “If you guarantee Nathaniel’s safety, I’m willing to give you a chance, Felix… whatever that entails.”Relief flashes through his eyes, and he nods. “Very well. However, I’m not used to sharing anything, Arabella. If you commit to giving us a chance, I will not have you thinking of him. Until the day I let you go, every single part of you is mine. Do you understand?”I stare at him, at the thick slithering veins that completely obscure his face, his dark hair, and the fire in his eyes. My heart is filled with regret as I nod. “I understand,” I whisper.Felix looks into my eyes, seemingly satisfied with what he finds, and he leans back. “The other part of the curse might be easier to unravel. I suspect the key lies in the magic you hold within. You were prophesied because you’re special somehow. What is it you can do?”I flinch, panic seizing me instantly as memories fill my mind. Every punishment I’ve been through, the pain in my back, my sister’s tears.“Arabella,” he says, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Magic is not banned here. It’s celebrated. You will never be punished for being powerful. Never. I swear it.”noveldramaI nod, knowing that it’s true, yet I struggle to put my faith in him.“Will you tell me what type of magic you have? I promise that no harm will come to you. You are my wife, Arabella. No one would dare touch you.”He speaks to me with kindness I didn’t expect of him, and my panic deflates. He’s right. I’m married to the Shadow Emperor himself. He’s the most famous alchemist ever to have lived. Right by his side is the safest place I can be.“This is why I don’t think I can help you,” I admit, my voice so soft it’s barely above a whisper. “I don’t have any powers, Felix. My mother was a sorceress, and I’ve always hoped I inherited some of her magic, but I didn’t.”He reaches for my hand over the table and squeezes gently. “I know for a fact that you do have powers, Arabella. I’ve seen the way your eyes linger when spells or alchemy are performed. I know you can see energy trails, and that is a rare talent.”I stare at him in disbelief. “It’s not normal to see magic?”He grins and shakes his head. “It’s an indication of immense power, beloved. We’ll figure this out, okay? Together.”