And I didn’t care who was watching, or what this meant.
I only knew I’d come for her.
And I wasn’t leaving without her.
Seori
Crown of chains
The moment the palace doors exploded inward, time fractured. Smoke curled through the chamber, and beyond the haze, shadow moved like liquid night. I barely breathed as the blur became a man — not just any man.
Mydemon.
“SEORI!”
The sound of my name from his lips cracked something open inside me. My heart — traitorous and aching — surged against my ribs as if trying to leap toward him.
Rheon.
Bloodied, wild, beautiful in his fury.
He looked at me like I was everything and nothing could stop him from reaching me.
I stepped forward—
“Hold!” the Demon King’s voice thundered, splitting the air like a curse. His outstretched hand glowed with dark energy. The guards surged around me, forming a wall between me and Rheon.
“No!” I cried, spinning toward him. “Youswore!You promised no one would be hurt!”
His black eyes gleamed with amusement. “And I’ve kept my word… thus far. But finish the ritual,princess,or your friends will die for your hesitation.”
My breath hitched. I turned.
Through the smoke, I saw them —Minji,Yuna— their eyes wide with horror, their limbs still groggy from the spell. Behind them,Jisoo and Taeyangstrained to push forward, fury blazing in their marks.
I felt their fear.
I sawRheon, his chest heaving, his bond mark glowing bright enough to cast shadows.
And suddenly, everything cracked inside me.
Tears blurred my vision. The weight of the crown on my head felt like a shackle, not a symbol. I wasn’t a princess. I wasn’t a weapon.
I was just a girl in love with the one person I could never lose.
“Rheon,” I whispered, voice breaking as the tears fell.
His gaze locked on mine. And for the first time, he looked afraid.
Not for himself.
For me.
“I don’t want to do this,” I sobbed, looking at the demon king. “I never wanted this.”
“Then choose,” he said coldly. “Them or him.”
Rheon took a step forward — stopped only by the blade of a guard.
