“The curse was meant to make him a weapon,” he said. “To bind his fate to his worst fear: loving something he was destined to destroy.”
I turned to Rheon, who was shaking now, silent, his fingers gripping the floor. My heart cracked open. This entire time… he'd been burning alive. And he never told me.
Love wasn’t supposed to hurt this much.But as I cradled Rheon in my arms… I realized something far worse:Loving him might mean watching him break — to keep me whole.
Jisoo
What Kings Deserve
She stood at the edge of the temple hall, arms crossed, her silhouette carved by torchlight. Her jaw was tight, but her eyes blazed—not with sorrow, not pity.
With purpose.
“Tell me,” Seori said, voice low. “Why is Rheon cursed?”
I stared at her for a long moment. No one asked for that story. Not even Taeyang. Not even Rheon.
“Why now?” I asked.
Her answer was simple:
“Because if I’m going to save him, I need to know what broke him.”
Something shifted in my chest.
So I told her.
“It wasn’t war or rebellion that cursed him,” I began. “It was love.”
She blinked.
“Rheon fell in love with a human,” I said. “Not a consort. Not a political pawn. A healer. Mortal, soft, fierce. She made him believe there was something worth burning for. He planned to renounce his title—become mortal for her.”
Seori inhaled sharply.
“But his father—the Demon King—refused. Claimed love was a weakness. Mortality was betrayal.”
I clenched my jaw.
“So the King did what demons do best. He slaughtered her in front of Rheon.”
Silence bloomed. Not fragile. Not soft. Rage-laced.
“The night she died,” I continued, “Rheon didn’t cry. He didn't beg. He set fire to the temple where the mating ritual was meant to happen.”
Seori’s brows rose, eyes wide.
“He burned the Demon Palace to the ground.”
The words tasted like ash in my mouth.
“He watched it burn with his crown still at his feet. And when the flames touched the throne, his father cursed him.”
Seori didn’t breathe.
“You will not age,” I quoted the King’s last words.
“You will not die. Not until the blood of your mate runs down your blade.”
