"Will you marry me?" Ryu asked, his voice soft but confident, eyes locked with Flare's.
Flare's heart skipped a beat. She had spent weeks hating him, dodging his flirtations, scorning his advances—but something about his recent sincerity... it felt different. She looked away for a moment, then back into his expectant eyes.
"…Fine," she whispered, cheeks flushing.
A burst of murmurs spread across the royal garden. The priest clapped his hands, signaling the sacred bond had been accepted. "From this moment forth, by the power vested in the kingdom of Drakheart, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Ryu's heart nearly exploded. It's happening! Finally! After all these years… this mouth drought ends here.
He leaned in, eyes closing, lips parting—
SMOOCH!
But instead of soft lips, he felt… a chubby cheek?
"BB! How could you marry someone other than me!?"
Standing between them was a tiny girl with lavender twin tails, clutching Ryu's face. It was Lolia, the 6th child of King Drakheart and his 6th wife, and Ryu's adorable (and possessive) 10-year-old stepsister.
"Lolia!?" Ryu shouted.
Flare blinked in confusion. "Wait—who is she?"
Before Ryu could explain, a lean figure landed beside them.
"Sorry, Ryu. She bolted from the Academy as soon as she heard about the wedding," said Leo, the 5th prince and Lolia's elder brother.
"BB, I love you! I don't want you to marry anyone but me," Lolia pouted.
Ryu sighed, caught between laughter and panic. He knelt down. "Lolia, I may have married Flare today… but you'll always be my favorite little sister."
"Really?" Her eyes sparkled. "Then it's okay!" She clung to him like a koala.
Flare stared, blinking in disbelief. This family is weirder than I thought.
---
That night, Ryu paced around his royal chamber, heart thudding with excitement and… something else.
This is it. The sacred night. Finally, I'll get what I was denied for YEARS. No milk as a baby. No maid cuddles. Always interrupted. But not tonight. Tonight... the heavens will reward me.
He paused in front of the mirror, fixing his hair and flexing a little. Ryu Drakheart. 4th Prince. Virgin no more.
With a confident smirk, he pushed open the bedroom door.
Flare was already sitting on the bed, wrapped in her bridal silk robe. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes nervous.
"You don't have to do anything… unless you want to," she whispered.
Ryu's brain short-circuited. Unless I want to? Girl, I've wanted this since the womb!
He slowly stepped forward, whispering, "Of course… I want to."
Just as he leaned closer—
BOOM!
The ceiling shattered above them.
"NOT TONIGHT!" Ryu screamed, instantly throwing up a magic barrier as massive stone chunks crashed around them.
Then—
CRACK!
The entire floor beneath the bed gave way.
"WHAAAT!?" both screamed as they plummeted into darkness.
They landed in a soft pile of hay… right in the royal stable.
Ryu groaned. "This is the 17th time something like this happened…"
Flare coughed, brushing off hay from her hair. "What… just happened?"
Before Ryu could reply, the royal guards barged in.
"Your Highness! The underground dungeon gate has been breached!"
"What!?" Ryu stood up instantly.
A deep rumble echoed from below. A purple light surged from the floor cracks.
A forgotten symbol lit up—the mark of The Binding Curse.
"Flare," Ryu said seriously, helping her up. "Looks like our honeymoon's delayed."
From the shadows, a cold voice echoed:
"Welcome, cursed prince. Did you really think you could escape your punishment so easily?"
Flare held Ryu's hand tightly.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
Ryu's eyes narrowed. "It means our wedding night just turned into a war."