"After all… you are my bride."
The words hit me like a physical blow. A bride. Not to a prince, not to a beastman lord, and not to a country.
I was a bride to the darkness itself?
"You are currently saving nothing, my bride," he whispered, his grip on my jaw tightening until it sent a thrill of raw, villainous power rushing down my spine. "You are simply claiming what has always been ours. The Spire is yours. The Abyss is yours. And the world is yours. It is time to wake up and take the first bite."
I tilted my head back against the bruising grip of his hand, my lips curving into a slow, defiant smirk despite the sheer weight of his presence crushing down on me.
I didn't pull away from his touch. Instead, I let my own golden eyes flash with a sharp, needle-like intensity that mirrored his own.
