Prologue

Camilla's voice reverberated through the room, laced with an unwavering determination.

Since she was brought to the kingdom, the man who she was supposed to marry, refused to see her, and she was already losing her mind.

"Step forth and confront me! Why cower behind that veil? I refuse to be intimidated by you or the fearsome legend that surrounds your name.

You enjoy scaring people, but you hide behind the curtains like a coward. Reveal yourself, let me bear witness to the monstrous figure you truly are!"

Her words hung heavy in the air, the silence punctuated only by the muffled murmurs of the king's trusted lieutenant, serving as his voice.

Why was he hiding from her? Was he nothing more than a trembling coward, hiding behind his loyal subordinates, reluctant to face the consequences of his actions?

"Princess Camilla," cautioned Lieutenant Frank, his tone laced with a restrained authority, "I advise against hurling insults in this manner. My king is presently not inclined towards pleasantries."

Camilla's voice carried an acerbic edge as she persisted, her words dripping with disdain. "Oh, I can well imagine his ample leisure time spent ruthlessly snuffing out human lives to sustain his.

But what significance does it hold? He is but a farcical figure, a walking calamity! Picture a world in which he and his kind persist— there'd be no room for humanity to exist.

And then what? Does he too meet his demise? Why not embrace it now and spare the human race?" She launched her verbal onslaught, believing she had struck a nerve, yet the man standing resolutely before her merely allowed a smirk to play upon his lips.

"Your father, Princess Camilla, propelled you towards us, suggesting that my king, King Ajax bestow upon you the honor of being his wife through marriage," Frank bellowed, his voice echoing with a mix of conviction and exasperation. "So, if I were in your shoes, I would embrace the very title that spared my life and bask in its glory! Just sit pretty."

His words, laden with fervor, struck a chord within Camilla, eliciting a scoff that carried a tinge of anger.

How dare he suggest she simply embrace her princess status and occupy a passive, decorative role? Princess Camilla had never been one to idly sit and adorn herself with pretty trinkets.

Her father and half-sisters hated her and she lived like an outsider.

She just turned eighteen and what did her father do? He gave her away to the man who was rumored to be immortal, a monster and had already lived for centuries.

He first wanted her to marry George; a man who wouldn't mind shooting to get his money back and when she refused, he used her as a scapegoat, marrying her off to King Ajax.

Even though George was more than twice her age, married more than she had been called into her father's chamber, and ugly, at least she believed he wouldn't kill her.

But Ajax was not human and couldn't care less about humanity. He would eventually kill her even if she married him.

Why would her father choose her to give her hand in marriage to such a man? Why did her father do that, when she wasn't even his favorite? Or was it the very thing she portrayed herself that got her into this mess?

"Your father was supposed to give his favorite daughter, yet he gave you. From the look of things, we can see why he did, you are the least of his favorites. He wanted to get rid of you, didn't he?" Frank mentioned with a smirk.

"My uncle would come for me." She claimed in defeat, realizing that her words would never be enough to change her situation.

"I don't think he'd risk his kingdom for a niece he hardly even spends time with." Frank taunted.

Camilla's eyes blazed with indignant fury as she walked a little further toward Frank, her voice laced with a simmering rage. "You and your king are bullies!"

Frank's face betrayed an unsettling delight as if a hostile spark had ignited within him.

"My heart already belongs to someone else. Your king should set me free from this bondage!" She yelled, feeling angrier that she would also never set eyes on the man whose single look stole her heart away.

Frank stifled a laugh.

'Does he also think I will never find anyone who would love me?' The thought crossed her mind. Then she looked over at him.

She stared back at him, just as much as he was also doing.

Tension descended upon the grand hall, thickening the very air that surrounded them.

The exchange of glares between the two adversaries radiated an unmistakable aura of threat, their eyes reflecting the anger coursing through their veins.

It was a silent confrontation, an unspoken understanding that, given the opportunity, each would unleash a lethal blow upon the other.

The room suddenly grew oppressively hot, as if engulfed in the scorching breath of a raging inferno.

The intense heat extended far beyond the confines of the chamber, permeating the entire Palace.

The air crackled with undeniable energy, leaving Frank and Ajax in awe and discomfort, except for Camilla herself, who remained oblivious to the extraordinary energy she had released.

It was as if the land itself quivered in response to her fiery temperament, mirroring the intensity of her anger.

Frank turned to where Ajax was and hoped he would do something to stop the heat.

He knew it wasn't Ajax. Since he had known him, he had never released such energy.

Was this the aura Ajax told him about?

He instinctively masked his surprise.

"Enough!" Immediately, the dominating voice, resonating from behind the veiled curtains, shattered the fragile balance.

'Ajax's voice,' she thought.

Its timbre, deep and sonorous tone, reverberated through the room, instantly capturing Camilla's attention.

Its force had an unmistakable draw, evoking an unfathomable attraction within her.

It evoked a haunting sensation as if she had encountered its echoes in some distant memory, an elusive connection that eluded her conscious grasp.

As tremors coursed through her shoulders, Camilla could scarcely contain her growing eagerness to lay eyes upon the King hidden behind the curtains.

Who was he, this mysterious presence that suddenly held her captive in breathless anticipation?

She braced herself for the unveiling of King Ajax's face.

Finally, the barrier was cast aside, revealing him in his masked splendor.

Camilla's gaze focused upon him, grappling with conflicting emotions, unsure of what words to utter in the presence of this enigmatic ruler and his loyal lieutenant.

Should she just laugh?

'Why did he let down the curtains when he was wearing a mask? What is wrong with his face that he doesn't want me to see?' She shook her head in bewildered disbelief.

"If I am to marry a man whose face remains hidden, I shall not set foot in that ceremony," Camilla declared with unwavering resolve, her hand gently touching the fabric of her gown, ready to withdraw from their presence.

That statement had worked on her father, she was sure it would work also on Ajax.

King Ajax, unfazed by her ultimatum, dared her with a bold retort. "Why don't you try and let's see?"

Even behind the mask, she could tell, he wasn't joking.

Camilla turned to look at the man whose face she could see; a subtle smirk on Frank's face.

'There's a reason I'm called crazy,' Camilla thought to herself as her fear got replaced with deviance, a smirk forming on her lips.