BOOK OF TRUTH

Sophia had spent the entire day analyzing every little detail about Darian. After seeing his hands last night, it was clear to her that there was something much deeper than the mere coldness and cruelty people attributed to him. She had spent the night awake, her mind refusing to rest.

The next morning, while Darian was occupied with business in the castle, Sophia decided to do what she did best—meddling in other people's affairs.She concluded that the answers had to be in his chambers.

Careful not to be seen, she crept through the dim hallway. The guards, luckily, were elsewhere, and the servants were too busy to pay attention to her. Reaching the heavy doors of his quarters, she noticed they were slightly ajar.

"Oh, fate, you know I love open doors," she whispered and slipped inside.

His room was exactly as she had imagined—neat, cold, with minimal personal belongings. But what immediately drew her attention was an old, dusty wardrobe in the corner of the room.

She tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Of course, it's locked. But what kind of person would I be if I didn't know how to deal with such things?"

She rummaged through the room and found a small key under the pillow on his bed.

"Darian, you're really too predictable."

Opening the wardrobe, she discovered old books, documents, and… a journal.

She took it and began flipping through the pages.

The further she read, the faster her heart pounded. Every year, on the exact same date, Darian's body would gradually start to change. It would begin with his hands, then spread to his shoulders, then his neck… until he completely turned into a monster.

And the worst part—To stop this transformation, he had to take one young girl every year.

What happened to them? That was the part of the story that sent chills down her spine. Each one had disappeared. Not a single one had left the castle.

"No…" she whispered, feeling her whole body tremble.

The realization struck her like lightning.

And then, she sensed someone behind her.

"What are you doing?"

Darian's cold voice echoed through the room, and Sophia almost dropped the journal from her hands.

She spun around abruptly, her heart pounding like a drum. He stood at the doorway, tall and merciless, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were dark, like a storm on the verge of breaking.

Caught.

But she couldn't afford to show fear.

"Oh, nothing special. Just exploring my future options. You know, I need an escape plan in case you decide to eat me."

She tried to sound calm, but her hands trembled as she clutched the book.

Darian took a step closer. "You weren't supposed to see that."

"Oh, forgive me for not being thrilled to read how you take young girls every year and they… disappear."

She tried to keep her voice steady, but her words dripped with venom.

Darian held his breath for a moment, as if her words had struck him in the gut.

"You know nothing."

"Then tell me! If you're not a monster, if you're not a killer, explain to me why this is written here?!" She lifted the journal, shaking it in front of him.

Darian snatched the book from her hands and threw it to the floor. His gaze was dark, but there was pain hidden in it.

Sophia stared straight into his eyes. This time, she didn't back down.

"I won't let you hurt me. And I won't let this happen again."

Darian sighed, rubbed his face with his hands, and then whispered something she hadn't expected.

"I don't want this either."

Silence filled the room. Sophia blinked, unable to believe what she had just heard.

"What?"

"You think I'm happy doing this? You think I want to, every year…" He trailed off, clenching his jaw.

"Then why do you do it?"

Darian shrugged, bitterness in his voice. "Because if I don't, I become a complete monster. Forever."

Sophia leaned against the wall, her mind racing. This wasn't what she had expected.

"Then we'll find a way to stop it."

Darian shook his head. "It can't be stopped."

"You don't seriously think I'll just sit around and wait for you to eat me? If I have to be here, then I'll find a way to save both myself and you."

Darian stared at her for several long moments. Then he simply said:

"You're unbearable."

Sophia shrugged. "And yet, you've only just started to get to know me."

Sophia crossed her arms and paced back and forth in Darian's chambers, mumbling something under her breath. Every now and then, she glanced at him, as if checking whether he was still listening.

Darian sat on the edge of the bed, leaning on one hand, while the other still burned from her last spontaneous touch. He wasn't sure if he liked or was irritated by the fact that she had completely lost her fear of him.

"Alright, listen," Sophia stopped and pointed a finger at him. "If you have to take one girl every year to delay the curse, that means there's a pattern to it. There has to be a way to break it."

Darian shook his head. "I've tried."

"Did I say I care about what you tried?" she asked boldly, stepping closer. "Maybe you're just not as smart as I am."

He laughed—for the first time that day—so unexpectedly that even she looked surprised.

"Oh, forgive me, please, the smartest girl in the entire kingdom," he said sarcastically.

Sophia shot him a sharp look and, without thinking, patted him on the head as if he were a puppy.

"That's right, good to see you understand."

Darian froze, unsure how to react. He was powerful, cold, the ruthless master of this castle… and she had just PATTED him on the head?!

Sophia strolled across the room again while he was still trying to process what had just happened.

"So," she continued, "if there's magic involved, there must be counter-magic. Every curse has a way to be broken."

"It can't be broken," Darian repeated, now already exhausted by the topic. "Trust me, I've searched for a way longer than you've been alive."

"But you haven't searched with me. And I'm persistent."

She turned and leaned against the table beside him. Her eyes were serious, but there was also that stubborn spark in them that had already driven him mad.

"What if there's another way? What if you don't have to take a girl to survive?"

"And what else should I do?" he asked ironically. "Sit and wait until I fully turn into a monster?"

Sophia shrugged and took his hand in hers.

"Maybe."

Darian felt the warmth of her palms and instinctively clenched his fist, but she didn't let go.

"There's something we haven't considered," she said thoughtfully.

"What?"

She leaned in closer and whispered:

"Love."

Darian froze. He looked at her as if she had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Love?" he repeated in disbelief.

"Well, yeah!" she exclaimed, smacking his shoulder. "Maybe that's the key! Maybe instead of taking young girls every year, you need to… I don't know, love one?"

Darian ran a hand over his face and sighed.

"You really don't give up, do you?"

"Not a chance."

He looked at her, and that's when he noticed—she wasn't afraid. Despite everything she had learned, she wasn't running away.

Sophia slowly released his hand, but just before pulling away completely, she patted him on the head once more.

"Good monster. Now you just need to learn how to be a man."

Darian just stared at her.

Maybe she really was unbearable.

But she was also the only one who looked at him as something more than the curse he carried.