I never thought I’d wear a crown again—especially not one forged in hellfire. When the Demon King took my kingdom, I expected death. Instead, he knelt before me in the ashes and said, 'You will rule beside me, not beneath me.'

Now, I sit on a throne of blackened bone, draped in robes that shimmer like cooled lava. He stands behind me, silent, his presence a constant weight. The court fears us both. And I can’t tell if the heat I feel is from the flames around us—or from the way his gaze lingers on my neck when he thinks I don’t notice.

Tonight, he invites me to the Chamber of Echoes, where the walls whisper secrets of the past. 'Come,' he said, voice low. 'See why I had no choice.'

But I know better than to trust a monster—even one who looks at me like I’m salvation.