Chapter 3: The Family Secret

The dream stayed with Seraphina.

Even after she woke.

Even after the morning sun broke through the clouds and illuminated her small bedroom.

She could still remember the stranger's voice.

"I missed you."

The words echoed endlessly in her thoughts.

Strangely, they didn't frighten her.

They should have.

A mysterious man appearing in her dreams should have been unsettling.

Instead, she felt a strange longing.

As though she had forgotten something important.

Someone important.

Seraphina shook her head.

"You're imagining things."

Dreams were just dreams.

Nothing more.

Yet deep inside, she wasn't convinced.

The following days passed strangely.

The atmosphere inside Ashwood Manor grew increasingly tense.

Servants whispered more than usual.

Doors remained closed.

Meetings were held late into the night.

Whenever Seraphina entered a room, conversations abruptly stopped.

Nobody explained anything.

Nobody answered her questions.

It was as though an invisible wall separated her from everyone else.

A wall built from secrets.

One afternoon she wandered into the gardens.

The estate's rose garden had once been magnificent.

Now it had fallen into neglect.

Weeds grew between stone pathways.

Dead leaves covered flowerbeds.

Few people bothered maintaining it anymore.

Which made it the perfect place for Seraphina.

She sat beneath an ancient oak tree and opened a book.

The peace lasted only a few minutes.

Then she heard voices.

Two maids stood nearby.

Neither noticed her.

"...only three weeks left."

"I know."

"What if she discovers the truth?"

The second maid shuddered.

"Don't say things like that."

Seraphina slowly lowered her book.

The maids continued whispering.

"My grandmother told me stories."

"What stories?"

"About the Blood Moon Bride."

A cold sensation crept through Seraphina.

Again.

The same strange topics.

The same mysteries.

The first maid crossed herself nervously.

"They say every hundred years a bride is offered."

"Stop."

"It's true."

"I said stop."

The older maid lowered her voice further.

"They say the Devil comes personally."

The younger maid turned pale.

"Enough."

"What if it's her?"

The question hung in the air.

Silence followed.

Then the younger maid spoke.

Very softly.

"Of course it's her."

Seraphina's heart stopped.

The older maid sighed.

"Poor thing."

The younger maid nodded.

"She doesn't deserve it."

Neither maid noticed Seraphina rise from her bench.

Or flee.

For the first time in years, Seraphina cried.

Not because someone insulted her.

Not because her family ignored her.

Not because she felt lonely.

But because she was afraid.

Terrified.

Everyone seemed to know something.

Everyone except her.

She locked herself inside her room and paced endlessly.

Blood Moon Bride.

Offering.

Sacrifice.

Devil.

Bride.

The pieces refused to fit together.

Yet she couldn't ignore them anymore.

Not after what she'd heard.

Someone had to tell her the truth.

And if nobody would tell her—

She would find it herself.

That evening she returned to the library.

Unlike before, she wasn't searching for stories.

She was searching for answers.

The library contained thousands of books.

Many were older than the kingdom itself.

Dust coated forgotten shelves.

Ancient volumes filled hidden corners.

Hours passed.

Nothing.

Then she discovered a locked cabinet.

Curiosity stirred.

The cabinet stood alone in a dark corner.

Unlike everything else, it appeared well maintained.

As though someone still used it.

Seraphina knelt before it.

A small keyhole gleamed beneath the candlelight.

Locked.

Of course.

She should leave.

She knew that.

Yet something compelled her to stay.

Then she noticed something unusual.

A tiny silver key rested atop the cabinet.

Almost hidden.

Almost as though someone had forgotten it.

Or wanted it found.

Her fingers trembled.

Slowly, she inserted the key.

Click.

The lock opened.

Silence filled the library.

Seraphina hesitated.

Then she opened the cabinet.

Inside rested dozens of old journals.

Family records.

Letters.

Documents.

Most appeared ancient.

One book immediately caught her attention.

Its cover was black.

The Ashwood family crest adorned the front.

And beneath it, written in faded silver ink, were the words:

"The Covenant."

A chill raced down her spine.

She opened the book.

The first pages contained names.

Dates.

Signatures.

Then she reached a section written nearly one hundred years earlier.

And her blood ran cold.

"On this night, the covenant between House Ashwood and the Lord of Darkness is renewed."

Seraphina stared.

Unable to breathe.

"The Devil grants prosperity, wealth, protection, and power."

Her hands shook.

"In exchange, the first daughter born beneath the Crimson Star shall become his bride."

The room seemed to spin.

No.

No.

No.

This couldn't be real.

She continued reading.

Desperate.

Horrified.

"The child shall remain unaware until the Blood Moon Ceremony."

"The sacrifice must be willing in body, regardless of knowledge."

"The Devil's claim cannot be denied."

Her vision blurred.

There was more.

Much more.

Generations of signatures.

Generations of agreements.

Every Ashwood head had renewed the covenant.

Every generation had accepted the bargain.

And then—

She found her name.

Written before her birth.

SERAPHINA ASHWOOD

Her heart shattered.

The date was nineteen years old.

Nineteen years.

The exact year she had been born.

Beneath her name appeared another sentence.

A sentence written in crimson ink.

"The promised bride has arrived."

The book slipped from her hands.

Thud.

The sound echoed through the library.

Seraphina stumbled backward.

Her breathing became ragged.

Everything suddenly made sense.

The hatred.

The neglect.

The isolation.

Her family never loved her.

Never wanted her.

Because she wasn't their daughter.

Not truly.

To them she was merely a future sacrifice.

A payment.

A debt.

A bride destined for a monster.

Tears streamed down her face.

Years of loneliness suddenly transformed into something far worse.

Betrayal.

Her entire life had been a lie.

Meanwhile—

Far beneath the mortal realm.

Lucien stood alone on a balcony overlooking an endless sea of darkness.

The Underworld stretched beyond the horizon.

Beautiful.

Deadly.

Eternal.

A cold wind stirred his black hair.

For centuries he had waited.

Watched.

Protected.

Countless times he could have claimed Seraphina.

Yet he never did.

Because he wanted her choice.

Her happiness.

Her trust.

Even if the ancient covenant granted him ownership.

A shadow appeared beside him.

One of his oldest advisors.

"My King."

Lucien remained silent.

The demon hesitated.

Then spoke carefully.

"She discovered the covenant."

For the first time, Lucien's expression changed.

His golden eyes narrowed.

Not in anger.

In concern.

"How did she react?"

"Badly."

Pain flickered across his face.

The demon nearly stumbled from shock.

Very few beings had ever seen the Devil look wounded.

Yet at this moment—

He looked heartbroken.

Lucien gazed toward the mortal world.

Toward the girl crying alone inside a library.

Toward the girl who believed she had been abandoned.

"You should have had a family," he murmured.

The wind carried his words away.

"You deserved better."

The shadows around him trembled.

Responding to his emotions.

A dangerous sign.

The demon lowered his head immediately.

Everyone knew what happened when the Devil lost control.

Kingdoms vanished.

Empires collapsed.

Entire species disappeared.

But Lucien merely closed his eyes.

When he spoke again, his voice was soft.

"Prepare everything."

"My King?"

"The ceremony approaches."

The demon nodded.

"Yes."

Lucien opened his eyes.

Ancient golden fire burned within them.

"Once she enters my realm..."

His gaze softened.

"...nobody will ever hurt her again."

Far away, in a lonely library, Seraphina sat on the floor clutching the covenant book against her chest.

For the first time in her life—

She knew the truth.

And the truth was far more terrifying than any nightmare.

Because in less than three weeks...

The Devil was coming for his bride.

To be continued...

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