Kael

The mark appeared on your wrist like spilled ink.

Black.

Beautiful.

Deadly.

The court healers knew what it was immediately.

A death mark.

Ancient demon magic that slowly drained the life of its victim until nothing remained.

But there was one strange thing.

You had never seen who placed it on you.

The attack had happened at night.

A shadow.

A touch.

Then pain.

And by the time the guards arrived, your attacker was gone.

The kingdom panicked.

You were the fairy princess.

The future queen.

The heart of the realm itself.

Without you, there would be chaos.

Far away, in the Demon Kingdom, Prince Kael watched reports arrive from your land.

The mark had worked.

Soon, the fairy princess would die.

And when she did, a kingdom already weakened by grief would be easy to control.

It had been a perfect plan.

Cold.

Efficient.

Cruel.

Exactly the sort of thing a demon prince was expected to do.

So why did he feel so empty?

He decided to travel to your kingdom himself.

Officially, to discuss relations.

Unofficially…

To make sure the mark was progressing.

To ensure there had been no mistake.

The first time he saw you, he nearly forgot how to breathe.

You were in the palace gardens.

Barefoot.

Surrounded by flowers.

Laughing because a butterfly had landed on your nose.

You looked nothing like the spoiled, delicate princess he'd imagined.

You looked…

Alive.

The word haunted him.

Because he had come to watch you die.

And instead, you smiled at him.

"You must be the demon prince."

He nodded.

You held out your hand.

"I'm glad you came."

He should have left that very moment.

Instead, he took your hand.

And ruined himself.

—

You became friends quickly.

Then something far more dangerous.

You showed him the hidden parts of your kingdom.

The river where glowing fish swam at night.

The meadow where flowers sang softly in the wind.

The library tower where you spent hours reading.

And the stars.

Gods, you loved the stars.

You knew every constellation.

Every myth.

Every story.

Some nights you would drag him outside simply because the sky looked especially beautiful.

You'd lay in the grass, your head on his shoulder, pointing upward.

"That one looks like a rabbit."

"It absolutely does not."

"It does."

"It doesn't."

You'd laugh.

And he'd think it was the most beautiful sound in existence.

He became addicted to you.

To your scent.

To your warmth.

To the way your hand instinctively found his.

To your giggles.

To your smile.

To your enchanting voice.

To the feeling of holding you in his arms.

It became unbearable.

Because every day…

The mark grew darker.

Every day…

You became a little weaker.

And every day…

He loved you more.

—

You discovered the truth by accident.

A book.

An old text on demon magic.

A sketch of a death mark.

And beside it…

The royal seal of the Demon Kingdom.

Your hands trembled.

You remembered.

The scent from that night.

The magic.

The way Prince Kael always looked guilty whenever you were tired.

No.

No.

You confronted him beneath the stars.

The same stars you'd spent months showing him.

"Was it you?"

He didn't answer.

You felt your heart break.

"Kael."

Silence.

Then, quietly:

"Yes."

The world stopped.

You stared at him.

He couldn't even look at you.

"You…"

Your voice cracked.

"You did this to me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He laughed softly.

The sound was awful.

"To take your kingdom."

Silence.

Then:

"I didn't know you."

You looked at him as though you'd never seen him before.

Maybe you hadn't.

"I thought you were just… a princess."

Tears filled your eyes.

"And now?"

He finally looked up.

He looked destroyed.

"Now I know you're everything."

You cried.

He cried too.

But neither of you touched the other.

Because some heartbreaks are too deep for comfort.

—

For months, he searched for a cure.

Ancient books.

Forbidden magic.

Old demons who hadn't spoken in centuries.

Anything.

Everything.

Until finally…

He found it.

A way to remove the mark.

It would cost him a piece of his own magic.

Perhaps permanently.

He didn't hesitate.

When the ritual ended, the black mark vanished from your skin.

And before you woke…

He left.

No goodbye.

No explanation.

No letter.

Only silence.

Because he couldn't bear to see your face.

Couldn't bear to know whether you hated him.

So he returned home.

To his kingdom.

To his guilt.

To an empty palace that suddenly felt unbearably lonely.

—

Weeks passed.

Then months.

You recovered completely.

The color returned to your cheeks.

Your strength returned.

But your heart…

Didn't.

Because despite everything…

Despite the betrayal…

You missed him.

The stars didn't seem as bright.

The gardens felt too quiet.

And every beautiful thing reminded you of him.

Finally, you made a decision.

You crossed the border into the Demon Kingdom.

The city went silent.

Because fairies rarely came there.

And certainly not fairy princesses.

You looked like sunlight.

Like spring itself.

A little bulb of light and glitter walking through a world of shadows.

Every demon stared.

Every head turned.

Children followed you.

Merchants forgot what they were doing.

Soldiers nearly walked into walls.

Whispers spread like wildfire.

A fairy.

The fairy princess.

She's beautiful.

What's she doing here?

You ignored them all.

You only had one destination.

The palace.

When the guards announced that a fairy princess had come asking for him, Kael thought he'd misheard.

Then they repeated your name.

He stood so quickly that his chair fell over.

No.

It couldn't be.

You hated him.

Didn't you?

The doors opened.

And there you were.

Healthy.

Alive.

Glowing.

For a moment, neither of you moved.

Then he noticed something.

You looked nervous.

"Hi," you said softly.

He forgot every language he'd ever learned.

You smiled a little.

"I think…"

You looked down at your hands.

"I think I came to see if demons still have stars here."

Silence.

Then his eyes filled with tears.

Because after everything he had done…

After every terrible choice…

After breaking both your hearts…

You had still come back.

And for the first time in months, the Demon Kingdom saw its prince smile.