The first thing I saw when I arrived at the Demon King's Castle was a black rose.
It was growing beside the road.
Not painted on a banner.
Not carved into stone.
A real rose, its petals so dark that they almost looked like they had swallowed the evening light.
I stared at it through the carriage window.
“That is a Black Rose,” the royal escort beside me said quietly.
“I know.”
The man cleared his throat.
“Of course, Your Holiness.”
There was something strange in his voice.
Fear, perhaps.
Or disgust.
I looked away from the flower and toward the castle rising in the distance.
The Demon King's Castle stood on top of a dark hill, surrounded by jagged cliffs and an endless forest.
Its towers were black.
Its walls were covered in strange silver carvings.
Red lights burned behind some of the windows.
From this distance, it looked exactly like the place from the stories.
The home of monsters.
The fortress of the Demon Queen.
The place where countless human soldiers had supposedly disappeared without a trace.
I had heard those stories since childhood.
Everyone in the Holy Kingdom had.
The Demon Queen was said to be cruel.
Ruthless.
Cold-blooded.
A monster wearing a crown.
And today, I was going to marry her.
The carriage slowed.
My fingers tightened around the white rose resting in my lap.
Its petals were soft beneath my fingertips.
A White Rose.
The sacred flower of the Holy Kingdom.
The symbol of the Saint.
The symbol of everything the Demon Kingdom supposedly hated.
I wondered if the Demon Queen would hate me for carrying it.
Then I smiled faintly.
That would make two of us.
I had no intention of pretending this marriage was something it wasn't.
It was a political agreement.
Nothing more.
For a hundred years, humans and demons had fought.
Villages had burned.
Cities had fallen.
Children had grown up learning the names of enemies they had never met.
And now the two kingdoms had finally reached the same conclusion.
If war could not end with swords, perhaps it could end with a wedding.
The Saint of the Holy Kingdom would marry the Demon Queen.
Me.
To her.
It was almost absurd.
The carriage stopped.
The escort opened the door.
Cold air rushed inside.
“Your Holiness.”
I stepped down.
The first thing I noticed was that no one attacked me.
The second thing I noticed was that the Demon Queen was waiting for me.
She stood at the top of the castle steps.
She wore a long black dress beneath a dark crimson cloak.
Her hair was black, with faint red highlights catching the light.
A crown rested upon her head.
Not a monstrous crown.
Not something made of horns and bones, as the children's stories had claimed.
It was elegant.
Almost delicate.
Her eyes were crimson.
They watched me without blinking.
The people gathered around her were silent.
Demons stood on either side of the stairs.
Some looked curious.
Some suspicious.
A few looked openly unhappy.
I could not blame them.
If a human Saint suddenly appeared at my home and announced that she was going to marry my queen, I probably would not be thrilled either.
I walked toward her.
One step.
Then another.
The distance between us slowly disappeared.
The Demon Queen did not move.
Neither did I.
When I finally stood before her, she looked down at me.
For several seconds, neither of us said anything.
Then she spoke.
“Welcome to the Demon Kingdom, Saint.”
Her voice was lower than I expected.
Calm.
Beautiful.
And unexpectedly gentle.
I raised my eyes.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“You don't have to call me that.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“Your Majesty.”
She looked slightly uncomfortable.
“You will be my wife soon.”
A few demons behind her immediately looked away.
One of them coughed.
Another suddenly became extremely interested in the sky.
I stared at the Demon Queen.
She stared back.
Then, very quietly, she added,
“You can call me Ravenna.”
So that was her name.
Ravenna.
It suited her.
Dark and elegant.
Like the roses growing along the road.
“Then you may call me Elara.”
“I know.”
She said it so quickly that I almost laughed.
“You know?”
“I read the reports.”
“Of course.”
There was another silence.
Ravenna glanced toward the white rose in my hands.
Her expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
“You brought a White Rose.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I looked down at it.
“It is a symbol of my kingdom.”
“I see.”
She did not sound angry.
Only thoughtful.
Then she reached into her cloak.
For a moment, I wondered what she was doing.
She pulled out a black rose.
It was fresh.
Its petals were dark enough to appear almost blue beneath the afternoon light.
She held it toward me.
I hesitated.
“What is that?”
“A Black Rose.”
“I can see that.”
For the first time, something almost like amusement appeared in her crimson eyes.
“It means protection.”
I looked at the flower.
“Protection?”
“Yes.”
She extended her hand a little farther.
“If you are going to live in my castle, you will be under my protection.”
I accepted the rose.
Our fingers touched.
The contact lasted barely a second.
Yet Ravenna immediately pulled her hand back.
Her ears were slightly red.
I pretended not to notice.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
Another silence.
This was going to be a very strange marriage.
Behind Ravenna, an older demon with gray hair whispered to another servant.
“She gave her the Black Rose.”
The other servant whispered back.
“She actually gave it to her.”
“I know.”
“Do you think the queen—”
Ravenna turned around.
The two demons immediately stood straight.
“Is there something you would like to say?”
“No, Your Majesty!”
“Nothing at all!”
Ravenna stared at them for a moment.
Then she sighed.
“Good.”
I covered my mouth.
Too late.
She saw me smiling.
“You're laughing.”
“No.”
“You are.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
I lowered my hand.
“All right. Perhaps a little.”
For some reason, Ravenna looked surprised.
Then she looked away.
“I see.”
The corner of her mouth moved.
It was not quite a smile.
But it was close.
Very close.
Before I could say anything, a priest from my kingdom stepped forward.
“Your Majesty. The ceremony is prepared.”
Ravenna's expression became serious again.
“Yes.”
She looked at me.
“Are you ready?”
I looked at the castle.
Then at the demons.
Then at the Black Rose in my hand.
Finally, I looked back at her.
“No.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“I see.”
“But I am coming anyway.”
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she offered me her hand.
“Then come with me.”
I placed my hand in hers.
Her fingers were warm.
The Demon Queen led me into the castle.
The wedding ceremony was surprisingly simple.
There were no grand celebrations.
No cheering crowds.
No flowers covering the entire hall.
Only two thrones at the front, a priest from each kingdom, and the representatives who had spent the past month negotiating the terms of our marriage.
The humans stood on one side.
The demons stood on the other.
And Ravenna and I stood between them.
It was almost as though the entire world had been reduced to a single line.
Human.
Demon.
And us.
The priest began reading the marriage agreement.
The words were formal.
Political.
Peace.
Borders.
Trade.
Military withdrawal.
Mutual protection.
Neither kingdom would attack the other while the marriage remained valid.
I listened quietly.
Then came the final clause.
“The Saint Elara of the Holy Kingdom and Ravenna, Demon Queen of the Demon Kingdom, shall enter this marriage as symbols of peace between their peoples.”
Symbols.
That was what we were.
Not lovers.
Not even friends.
Symbols.
I glanced at Ravenna.
She was staring straight ahead.
Her expression revealed nothing.
Perhaps she was thinking the same thing.
The priest turned toward me.
“Do you accept?”
“I do.”
Then he turned toward Ravenna.
“Do you accept?”
“I do.”
Two simple words.
And a century of war suddenly had a new ending.
The priest raised his hands.
“Then, before both kingdoms, I declare you married.”
Silence.
No applause.
No celebration.
For several heartbeats, nobody seemed to know what they were supposed to do.
Then someone at the back started clapping.
Once.
Twice.
A few more people joined.
The applause slowly spread through the hall.
I looked at Ravenna.
She looked back.
“We're married,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“You don't look very happy.”
Her eyes widened.
“I am not unhappy.”
“That wasn't what I said.”
She looked away.
“I am simply not accustomed to showing happiness.”
I smiled.
“I noticed.”
She frowned.
“You are enjoying this.”
“A little.”
For some reason, she looked even more embarrassed.
The Demon Queen who had supposedly terrified an entire kingdom was standing beside me, looking like she had forgotten what to do with her hands.
It was almost cute.
I immediately decided not to tell her that.
After the ceremony, the human delegation left.
I watched their carriage disappear down the mountain road.
For the first time in my life, I realized something.
I was alone.
The people I had known since childhood were gone.
My kingdom was behind me.
My home was behind me.
And ahead of me was the Demon Queen.
Ravenna stood beside me.
“You can still change your mind.”
I turned toward her.
“What?”
“The marriage has been completed, but if you regret coming here…”
Her voice became quieter.
“I will not force you to stay.”
I stared at her.
“You would let me go?”
“Yes.”
“Even though the treaty depends on us?”
“The treaty is not worth imprisoning you.”
There was no hesitation in her answer.
I looked at her for a long moment.
“You really are strange.”
She blinked.
“I have been called many things.”
“I imagine so.”
I looked toward the castle.
Then back at her.
“I won't leave.”
“You don't have to decide now.”
“I already decided.”
“Why?”
I thought about it.
Because the war needed to end.
Because thousands of people were waiting for peace.
Because I had been raised to carry the hopes of my kingdom.
Those were all true.
But there was another reason.
I had seen her give me a Black Rose.
I had seen the way she spoke to her servants.
I had seen the way she offered me a choice.
And I was curious.
Very curious.
“I want to know what kind of person you really are.”
Ravenna froze.
Then she looked away.
“You may regret that.”
“Perhaps.”
I smiled.
“But I think I'll take the risk.”
For a few seconds, she said nothing.
Then she started walking.
“Come.”
“Where?”
“Your room.”
“My room?”
“Yes.”
She stopped.
Then, after a brief pause, she added,
“Our room.”
I nearly tripped.
“Our?”
Ravenna's face turned bright red.
“The marriage agreement states that we are to reside together.”
“I see.”
“It is only for appearances.”
“Of course.”
“There will be no pressure.”
“I understand.”
“I will sleep on the sofa.”
I stared at her.
“The sofa?”
“Yes.”
“That's rather unfair.”
“To whom?”
“To you.”
She looked genuinely confused.
“I don't mind.”
“You're the Demon Queen.”
“Yes.”
“You should have the bed.”
“No.”
“Why?”
She looked at me with complete seriousness.
“Because you are my wife.”
My heart skipped.
Just once.
A very small, very inconvenient beat.
I quickly looked away.
“That is not a very convincing reason.”
“It is the only reason I need.”
We continued walking.
Neither of us spoke for a while.
Then I noticed something.
The hallway was warm.
There were lamps hanging from the walls.
The floor was covered with dark red carpets.
Small paintings decorated the walls.
And the further we walked, the more I noticed things that did not belong in the terrifying castle from human stories.
A vase filled with flowers.
A sleeping cat on a cushion.
A tiny dragon curled around a fireplace.
A maid carrying a tray of freshly baked bread.
The maid saw me.
She stopped.
Her eyes widened.
Then she bowed so quickly that the tray nearly fell from her hands.
“Welcome, Your Holiness!”
“Thank you.”
The maid looked at Ravenna.
Then at me.
Then at Ravenna again.
A tiny smile appeared on her face.
Ravenna narrowed her eyes.
“Don't.”
“I didn't say anything, Your Majesty.”
“You were thinking something.”
“I would never.”
The maid hurried away.
I watched her go.
Then I looked at Ravenna.
“Does everyone here know about us?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Unfortunately?”
“They enjoy gossip.”
“I see.”
We reached the end of the hallway.
Ravenna opened the door.
A large bedroom waited beyond it.
There was a fireplace.
A balcony overlooking the black rose garden.
Two wardrobes.
Two desks.
And one enormous bed.
I looked at it.
Then at Ravenna.
She looked at it too.
“This is going to be a problem.”
“I agree.”
Neither of us moved.
Then, from somewhere outside the room, a tiny dragon chirped.
Ravenna closed her eyes.
“I already regret letting the servants decorate this room.”
I laughed.
For the first time that day, it felt natural.
Not like a Saint.
Not like a symbol of peace.
Just like a woman who had married a stranger and walked into an unfamiliar home.
Ravenna looked at me.
Her expression softened.
“You should rest.”
“All right.”
She turned toward the balcony.
I watched her walk away.
Then I looked down at the Black Rose still resting in my hand.
Its petals were dark.
Beautiful.
And strangely warm.
I had come to the Demon Kingdom expecting a monster.
Instead, I had found a woman who had offered me protection before asking for love.
I didn't know it yet.
But this castle would become my home.
And the Demon Queen I had married for the sake of peace would one day become the person I chose for myself.
For now, however, we were only two strangers sharing a room.
Two women from two enemy kingdoms.
Two roses that should never have bloomed together.
And neither of us knew what would happen when black met white.