Chapter 26 The King Of My Kingdom

Chapter 26 The King Of My Kingdom
💦Seraphina💦

Huh! Who was that extremely tall person? He appeared at the door all of a sudden. The way he moved made it clear that he wasn't one of those assassins. He didn't make noise with his movement. His eyes were a pair of two dark coloured eyeballs yet it was very clear to me that he could see everything without straining.

He's not just anybody. His body is implanted with tattoos of different kinds, he doesn't look like a lover of tattoos. Instead it seemed to me like the tattoos were detached from someone and stapled on his body.

There was no place you wouldn't find the hint of a fading one or a newly placed one there.

Who is this man…thing? His aura was extremely demanding. His presence spoke a story of misfortune and ancient histories. He was tall and as I stared at him he smirked continuously. He didn't seem to be in a haste.

I glanced over at Elias, he still had his sword raised slightly. But the look in his eyes was one of mystery, confusion and irritation. I rolled back my eyes to him, wracking my brain for a possible idea of where I know him from.

I've never set my eyes on someone like him, yet he looked oddly familiar.

Wait! The tattoos , what if they weren't just tattoos ?

Huh? He's the Curse Bearer. I recognize him. He was the one who placed a curse on me in the first place. I shrink back a little realizing the dilemma we are in.

“Hello there the Fae princess…” he said stepping in and then his eyes went over to Elias, “and the cursed Human king.” Then he snarled and chuckled loudly.” Hehehehehe.”

His chuckle made the hair on my body rise instantly. I couldn't tell if it was of fear or just helplessness.

“You summoned me,” it started moving around the room like he was a host of it.

I fiddled with my skirt and bit down on my lower lip. I chanted internally until he dropped it on us that I summoned him. How? When? I haven't even had the perfect time to focus on myself, definitely I wouldn't want a new beast to show up.

I exhaled sharply through my nose, eyes narrowing for a brief second. While Elias let out a rough sigh and I saw a flicker of glare in his gaze. He's already thought the worst of me and now the beast showing up on my calling…?...

My lips parted slightly, as if the thought had just taken a shape. I went still--- a single heartbeat of silence as understanding dawned on me. I shut my eyes for a moment, the weight sinking in.

It wasn't me. It was him. He called the host and our curse itself.

My chest tightened as the realization hit me even harder. It was just like a thunderclap. The man standing before us—the one with eyes as dark as those starless nights we've witnessed as kids and while growing up. The man with tattoos crawling across his skin like living maps of forgotten histories—was the Curse Bearer.

I couldn't help reminiscing how bad of a thought he is to me. The one who had shackled my body and twisted my magic into pains, had left his mark on me that I was only finally beginning to understand its existence.

And Elias… my hand twitched, my jaw clenched, as the awareness dawned: it wasn’t my doing that he was in danger—it was his. He made me face my most haunted nightmares.

The anger burning within me was hotter than a firelight. I wish it could just explode and burn down every single soul…objects in the room. But no matter the length of my anger, it wouldn't burst out with fiery anger.

It just weakened my internal anger making it unable for my emotions to work well and place things the right way.

My gaze snapped to Elias, who still held his sword, his body was tense, his eyes sharp with confusion and irritation that was undeniable. The faint furrow in his brow failed to mask the storm brewing within him.

Elias was now like a plain sheet of paper that even if I don't want to see his thoughts exactly and read into him, his expression was just enough to tell him off.

“You,” I spat, venom dripping from my words, “you arrogant, insufferable fool! You’ve been strutting around thinking you’re untouchable, and now this mess—this chaos—is your doing!”

Elias’s eyes widened at my words, and I had the satisfaction of seeing his usual composure falter for a heartbeat. His lips parted as if to reply, but before he could utter a sound, the Curse Bearer’s low, mocking chuckle cut through the tension like a serrated blade.

“Hehehe… how delightful,” the man said, stepping closer, each movement precise, deliberate, yet it was somehow effortless. His hands rose slowly, the tattoos across his arms seeming to shimmer in the dim light, shifting like serpents under his skin. “The Fae princess, my dear, badmouthing the King of her kingdom. Truly… amusing.”

His smirk widened, and the air around him seemed to thrum with power. I could feel the weight of centuries pressing against my senses, a history of magic and malice swirling in the small room that was caused by The Curse Bearer's presence.

Elias’s jaw tightened. I saw it—the flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck, the tight clench of his fists, the flash of fury in his eyes. He wanted to speak, to command, to assert control,like he has always done, but his voice was caught somewhere between pride and disbelief, leaving only a tense silence in its place.

I didn’t let him recover. My voice, sharp and cutting, sliced through the charged air. “Where is the broken Sunstone, Elias? Tell me now!” The words came out more harshly than I intended, my pulse hammering in my ears as I stared at him, demanding answers.

Something flickered in Elias’s eyes—a momentary light of understanding. His rigid posture softened slightly, and I could see him piecing together the situation, his mind racing to assess the threat. The realization made me smirk just a little, even as fear twisted inside me.

Before I could dwell on it, a commotion at the door drew my attention. More assassins in the same colour—black-and-gold uniforms glinting in the dim light—stormed in, their expressions deadened, faces like carved stone. I tensed, instincts screaming to call on my magic, to twist reality and send them reeling.

Or perhaps fend off on the existence of the Curse Bearer.

“Not yet,” the Curse Bearer’s voice rang in the room, cutting through my frantic thoughts. He stepped forward, tattoos crawling along his arms like live fire, and his eyes bore into mine. “This is not the time for your magic, Princess. They were prepared for my arrival. Just as a kingdom anticipates its King, these pawns were laid in waiting for me.”