saltedpepper

As a princess who could not wield magic, Princess Daphne’s only value to her kingdom was her arranged marriage. The task was simple, but when Daphne was kidnapped and brought to the cold mountains of Vramid, she realized that she was in over her head. 

She had heard of these cursed mountains before― rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, and the land was ruled by a man feared by many within the continent.

King Atticus Heinvres, the blood-thirsty ruler of the North.

Even though she had never met him before, tales were spread of King Atticus’s ruthlessness. Some said he was a monster, others claimed he was the devil himself, but whatever the story was, everyone knew of the man who had powers beyond anyone’s imagination. He could topple armies and crumble nations with just one wave of his hand, aided by what others rumored to be a cursed obsidian ring.

No one outside of Vramid had ever met the fearsome king before. Not until Daphne.

However, upon meeting the formidable man, Daphne found out that the king might not really be the monster others had claimed him to be.

In fact, what was hidden under that obsidian shield could just be a diamond in the rough.

―

[Excerpt]


“Now… where should I put you both?” he asked casually, not expecting a reply. “It’s regretful that I only have one chandelier.” 

“Underneath my bed? No, no, too dirty. My dust bunnies don’t deserve this,” Atticus mused to himself. “The mantlepiece? How about the vanity table? I suppose if I lop off one of your heads I could mount it over… Wife, which head do you want to stare at while you do your hair?” 

“Atticus!” Daphne screamed. “I don’t want any heads! Let them go.”  
 
“Fair enough.” Atticus shrugged, and flicked his fingers.

There were two identical cracks as both necks snapped at once. 

Daphne gasped, horrified. This man, her husband, had just killed two men with a flick of his finger, as though he was snuffing out candles. 

“I told you to let them go!” Daphne cried out. 

“Yes, I let them go,” Atticus said. Then, his eyes darkened. “To receive divine judgment from the heavens.”

―

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Stolen by the Rebel King

"What did you find?" Cordelia asked once they found a safe corner, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for Arne to reply. Everyone was back in the ballroom and other than Cordelia, Arne, and the quickly approaching Jonah, not another soul was in sight.

"This was found in the corridors by the contestants' wing just an hour ago, Your Highness," Arne reported, holding out a tiny red ruby.

Cordelia took hold of it, her eyebrows knitting tightly together as she examined the small jewel. It was oddly familiar, and it took her a second before she connected the dots. When she spun it around, she could see an odd mark at the butt of it, but with the naked eye, it was impossible to make out the pattern. Nevertheless, she already had a feeling about what it was.

"Jonah," she calmly said once he arrived at her side, handing him the ruby. "Have a look at this."

Carefully, he did as told, taking hold of the small gem before squinting his eyes at it.

Man Who Escaped Death