1. Midnight Before the Storm
The ballroom was deadly quiet.
Crimson chandeliers flickered above like bleeding stars. Gilded mirrors lined the walls, reflecting hundreds of shadowy figures in cloaks and crowns. The Summoning Ball wasn't just a royal event — it was a battlefield dressed in velvet.
And I, apparently, was the main course.
"Don't trip," Yeonjun whispered beside me, lips barely moving.
I scoffed. "I wore heels for this. If I go down, I'm taking at least three demon lords with me."
He grinned. "That's my girl."
My heart stuttered. He'd said it so easily — like it was fact. Like we weren't standing at the edge of war.
2. The Blood Trial Begins
The ground pulsed beneath us as a stone altar rose from the center of the room. Floating above it was the Crimson Sigil — the mark of the true heir to the throne.
It shimmered in sync with the curse mark on my neck.
"The final Blood Trial," Prince Kael announced to the crowd, "will determine whether Amelia Nightshade is worthy… or just a cursed pretender."
"Charming," I muttered.
Yeonjun didn't laugh. He looked tense. Too still.
Then the altar split open with a shriek, and a column of blood-red mist spiraled upward.
A voice — not mine — echoed from inside me.
"Face your past. Or be devoured by it."
And then the world went dark.
3. A World of Memories
I wasn't in the ballroom anymore.
I was inside my own memories — twisted, sharpened versions of them.
My mother holding me with teary eyes.
My father's shadow burned into flame.
A crib. A scream.
Yeonjun, reaching for me across time.
But then—
The last vision hit harder than anything.
Yeonjun, kneeling in blood.
A younger version of him, bound in chains, fangs broken.
And Kael standing over him, laughing.
Yeonjun had once been a royal. A protector. A traitor to the throne.
That's why he hated Kael.
That's why he feared me becoming queen.
4. Rise or Die
I gasped awake on the altar. My blood mark pulsed with heat.
"You've seen," Kael said. "Now decide. Accept your throne, and erase Yeonjun's existence. Or walk away, and burn this kingdom down."
Easy choice.
"I choose," I said, stepping forward, "to break the system."
I drove my hand into the altar and let the curse mark erupt. Magic whipped through the room like wildfire.
The throne cracked.
The sigil shattered.
The old magic broke.
And the entire underworld screamed.
5. Lovers & Monsters
Yeonjun caught me as I stumbled back.
"You okay?" he asked, voice hoarse, worried.
"No," I said honestly, "but we're free."
Then Kael lunged.
"You ruined centuries of bloodlines!" he snarled.
Yeonjun stepped in front of me without hesitation.
"I told you," he said, eyes glowing, "I'd burn the world down for her."
Fangs. Claws. Magic.
They fought like ancient gods.
But in the end — Kael vanished in a blast of red fire, howling vengeance.
The room was silent.
And then — cheers. From the monsters. From the nobles. Even the statue clapped (again).
Turns out, the Underworld liked drama.
6. One Final Choice
Later, Yeonjun and I stood at the ruins of the throne room.
"You could rule now," he said softly. "They'd follow you."
I looked at the broken crown in my hand.
"I don't want to rule," I whispered. "I want to live. With you. Out of the shadows."
He smiled — bittersweet. "Then let's leave."
"Now?"
"Now."