Chapter 5: Shadows of the Cursed Prince

A Glimpse Beyond Fate

The day should have ended in triumph.

I had shattered their expectations, rewritten the narrative they forced upon me.

And yet—

As I moved through the empty corridors of the Imperial Academy, the whispers clung to me like ghosts.

"The cursed prince... S-Rank?"

"This changes everything."

"What kind of monster is he?"

No matter how much I proved myself, their words never changed.

I clenched my fist, feeling the slow pulse beneath my sleeve. The Cursed Mark had stirred during the examination—a silent warning, a reminder etched into my flesh.

It would not let me forget.

No matter how far I walked forward, the curse would always pull me back.

---

An Unwelcome Encounter

"You're making quite the spectacle, little brother."

I halted.

I knew that voice.

Turning, I found myself face-to-face with Adrian Ardent.

The Crown Prince stood at ease, his golden eyes unreadable. Behind him, royal knights loomed like silent sentinels, their gazes locked on me.

Unspoken tension thickened the air.

"You should be celebrating," Adrian said lightly. "After all, you finally crawled out of the abyss you were rotting in."

I didn't flinch. "What do you want?"

A low chuckle.

"What do I want?" Adrian took a step closer. "Now, that's the real question, isn't it? What exactly should I do with a little brother who was supposed to be irrelevant but suddenly decides to shatter an enchanted pillar?"

I remained silent.

But I saw it.

That flicker in his gaze—not anger, but curiosity.

And that was worse.

Because curiosity meant attention.

And attention from Adrian Ardent was like catching the notice of a predator—calm, calculating, inevitable.

"You're hiding something," he mused. "That power—"

A pulse of energy crackled between us.

And then—

Another voice cut through the charged silence.

---

An Intervening Light

"Is there a reason you're cornering your brother, Your Highness?"

Calm. Firm. Undeterred.

I turned, already knowing who it was.

Eleanor Vael.

She stood at the corridor's entrance, bathed in the amber glow of the setting sun. The light wove through her silver hair, turning it to liquid gold.

Adrian's expression shifted.

Eleanor Vael—the High Priestess's daughter. One of the few in this empire who could speak to Adrian without immediate consequence.

She stepped forward, emerald eyes locked onto the Crown Prince with quiet confidence. "Surely, you have more pressing matters than interrogating your own blood."

A beat of silence.

Then—Adrian smiled.

"Lady Eleanor," he greeted smoothly. "You misunderstand. This isn't an interrogation. It's a brotherly conversation."

Her gaze didn't waver. "It didn't sound like one."

Another pause.

Then Adrian laughed, soft and contemplative. But when his gaze flickered back to me, there was something sharp beneath it.

"Very well." He turned, his parting words barely above a whisper. "I'll leave you to your... company."

With a final glance in my direction, he disappeared into the dimming halls.

Only when his presence fully faded did I release a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"You shouldn't provoke him," I murmured.

Eleanor tilted her head, smiling. "I didn't provoke him. I simply reminded him that he isn't the only one who knows how to play the game."

Her confidence was unsettling.

And yet—

I found myself grateful.

---

A Dangerous Dance

"Why?" I asked.

Eleanor blinked. "Why what?"

"Why are you involving yourself with me?"

She stepped closer.

There was something intoxicating about her presence—a light that refused to be dimmed, even when surrounded by shadows.

"Does it bother you?" she asked, voice soft.

I hesitated. "...I don't understand it."

She studied me for a moment, as if searching for something I couldn't see.

Then, she smiled.

"Because I see something in you, Kael Ardent." A whisper of intrigue laced her tone. "Something that even you don't fully understand yet."

The air between us shifted.

She was too close.

Too near.

The faint scent of sacred incense lingered around her, a stark contrast to the abyss that clung to me.

Light and dark.

Two forces that should never coexist.

And yet—

She wasn't afraid.

"Be careful, Eleanor." I forced myself to step back. "You don't know what you're playing with."

Her smile didn't fade.

"I think I do."

---

A Warning from the Shadows

Later that night, long after the academy halls had emptied, I stood before my mirror.

Slowly, I pulled back my sleeve.

The Cursed Mark pulsed beneath my skin.

Dark veins coiled around it, twisting like living shadows.

It had grown again.

Stronger.

Hungrier.

A silent reminder that no matter how much I fought—

No matter how much I proved myself—

The curse was always there.

Waiting.

Watching.

I exhaled slowly.

"What exactly should I do with a little brother who was supposed to be irrelevant?"

Adrian's words lingered like a threat.

He wouldn't let this go.

And neither would the others.

Lucian. Damien. Eleanor.

They had all noticed me now.

I had stepped onto the board.

And in this game—

There was no turning back.