One
Meeting the Devil
The carriage moved nonstop for hours, and Ella was already tired from sitting too long.
At this point, she had no idea where she was.
Her family had sold her to an unknown man as a wife, and she was now on her way to the unknown kingdom of that unknown husband.
She desperately wished for a stop somewhere, anywhere, just to rest for a while.
But according to the so-called knight escorting her, the journey was nonstop and she simply had to endure it.
The maids accompanying her were already fast asleep.
They were supposed to take care of her, yet she was the one watching over them in boredom.
To distract herself, Ella picked up a book to read while eating a slice of cake, though it had already gone cold.
Rain fell.
The sun rose and shone brightly.
Yet the carriage never stopped moving.
Were the horses not tired?
Did they not need water?
Did their feet not ache?
Something about those horses felt strange.
Then again, magical powers existed in their world, so perhaps they were feeding the horses while the carriage moved.
Or maybe they were magical horses.
Not long after, sleep finally claimed her.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
The door opened, and the knight extended a hand to help her down.
The moment Ella stepped out, she was greeted by the breathtaking sight of a dark crimson crystal castle standing before her.
So her unknown husband was a prince?
Or rather…
a king?
Did that mean she was going to become a queen?
She was led into the castle and toward the throne room, where she was told her so-called husband awaited her.
The first thing Ella noticed about him was that he was far from friendly.
He was cold.
Intimidating.
His aura alone was powerful enough to send chills down her spine.
He looked less like a man and more like a demon wearing human skin.
He had wine-red hair and deep ocean-blue eyes.
His gaze was dark and emotionless.
Broad shoulders, a slim waist, long perfect legs, flawless pale skin—he was dangerously attractive.
Not handsome in the gentle way princes were usually described in stories.
No.
This man was terrifyingly beautiful.
Ella also noticed something else.
She was not his only bride.
Another woman stood beside him, slim and stunning beyond words.
Together, they looked like the perfect royal couple.
There was no way Ella could ever compete with someone like her for the king’s affection.
But if he already had a woman like that, why marry her too?
Was she meant to be a second wife?
Or was this marriage simply out of pity because she was unwanted by her family?
What exactly was the purpose of bringing her here?
“Greetings, Your Highness. This is the bride from Florida Vile Village,” the knight announced with a bow.
The king sat lazily upon a black-and-gold throne, his eyes closed while his left hand supported his head gracefully.
“Take her to the courtyard near the pine garden and assign maids to her,” he ordered coldly.
“Y-Yes, Your Highness.”
The knight bowed immediately and led her away.
Questions flooded Ella’s mind.
What exactly was she supposed to do here?
If she never became queen, would her future children become illegitimate like her?
If that were to happen, then she would rather the king marry her off to someone else.
Perhaps one of his knights.
She refused to let her children suffer the same rejection she had endured.
Which meant she needed to find a way to convince the cold-hearted king to let her go.
The courtyard she was taken to was filthy, abandoned, and covered in dust.
Was this truly how they welcomed a guest after such a long journey?
When Ella entered her room, she was greeted by cobwebs and layers of dirt.
There was no way she could wait all night for the maids to finish cleaning before sleeping.
So instead, she walked to the pine garden and slept on a bench beneath the night sky.
King Lockwood stood beside the window, staring silently at the moon.
His assistant, Leo, entered the room carrying a cup of hot tea and placed it carefully on the reading table.
“My lord, your tea,” he said with a respectful bow.
“She arrived tonight,” the king said coldly, “but she is not the woman I told you to bring.”
Leo’s heart pounded in fear.
“I apologize, my lord. The old man refused to send away his beloved daughter to marry an unknown man. So he offered this one instead. I discovered she is illegitimate and rejected by her own family.”
King Lockwood’s expression darkened.
“I will not marry an illegitimate child. Never.”
Leo lowered his head carefully.
“Then… what do you intend to do with her, my lord?”
“She will decide that for herself,” the king replied before turning his gaze back toward the moon.
Ella was awakened the next morning by a maid cleaning the garden.
Carrying her blanket, she returned to the courtyard, only to meet the beautiful woman she had seen beside the king the previous night.
She was just as flawless in daylight.
Perhaps even more.
Her curves were elegant and queen-like, perfectly suited for the throne beside the king.
“Didn’t you sleep in your room last night?” the woman asked with amusement dancing in her eyes.
Then she laughed softly.
“Oh, I forgot. Illegitimate children are used to sleeping in gardens and stables. It was probably your first time seeing such a luxurious room.”
Ella’s eyes narrowed.
“Excuse me?”
“Didn’t you sleep outside?” the woman mocked.
“Or was I mistaken?”
“Is this supposed to be your welcome?” Ella snapped, already losing patience.
“Did you expect a grand celebration?” the woman replied with a smirk.
“I doubt you even know where you are.”
She stepped closer and lowered her voice.
“You should know your place from the beginning. You will never steal the king from me. He would never choose an illegitimate girl with no magical powers.”
She laughed cruelly.
In their world, everyone born from royal blood possessed magical abilities.
Ella had powers too.
But she had always been told they were weak and useless—too insignificant to even awaken properly.
“And why exactly does that bother you so much?” Ella shot back coldly.
“You had enough strength to walk all the way here just to insult me to my face. Or do you honestly think I care?”
At that moment, Ella was truly angry.