Roosevolt Kingdom
"You did what?!" Julie snapped, her voice sharp enough to slice through the heavy silence of the grand chamber.
She stared at Alexander as if she had seen a ghost or worse, a fool.
"You forced a marriage for my son?" she repeated, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Have you lost your mind, Alexander? Do I need to remind you how sensitive he is about the idea of a mate"
"Did you forget he is cursed?" Alexander roared, cutting her off. "Or did you forget that prophecy"
Julie flinched. The memory struck her like lightning.
Three Decades Ago
The throne room glittered with gold, but the air was cold with tension.
A younger King Alexander sat on his ornate throne, a crooked smile playing at the corners of his lips. His eyes bore into the man standing before him, the famed seer Reez, waiting for an answer that would shape his legacy.
But Reez stood unaffected. The prophet's calm, unreadable face did not waver beneath the King's intense scrutiny.
To Alexander's right sat Lazarus, regal and silent, his eyes betraying a glimmer of hope, a hope he desperately tried to suppress. Behind him stood his loyal companion Drew, hands folded, heart racing. He prayed silently that the prophecy today would finally give Lazarus what he longed for, a mate.
Reez, of course, knew the truth long before he arrived at the palace. As a servant of Goddess Agnes, he had witnessed her internal war, the divine conflict between duty and affection, before she granted Lazarus something no ordinary soul was allowed, an extraordinary bond. A mate that was anything but ordinary.
Still, Reez had never revealed his true identity. To all others in Roosevolt, he was just a mysterious seer whose predictions were unfailingly accurate.
"Welcome, Master Reez," Alexander began, his voice dripping with artificial warmth. "We offer our deepest gratitude for your presence today, summoned on my personal request."
Several servants entered, their arms balancing silver trays cloaked in silk. With a flourish, the cloth was removed to reveal dazzling treasures, gems, coins, and rare artifacts glinting under the chandelier light.
But Reez did not flinch. With a subtle gesture, he declined the offering.
"I came because it was the Goddess's will," he said quietly. "Not yours, Your Majesty. So I must decline your generosity. I am not deserving of these treasuries."
Alexander's jaw tightened. The warm smile on his face disappeared, replaced with a flicker of rage. How dare a mere prophet insult the King of Roosevolt in his own court?
Julie, seated on Alexander's left, had had enough of royal theatrics. She was here for one reason only, to secure her son's happiness.
"Let us skip the formalities," she interrupted, her voice curt but composed. "Master Reez, how long until my son finds his mate?"
The air in the throne room stilled. Even the guards held their breath.
Reez turned toward her slowly, his expression unreadable, as if peering through layers of time. With a respectful nod, he began, his voice low and deliberate, almost mournful.
"Your son, my queen, he is cursed."
The chamber fell into complete silence.
The marble floor beneath the queen's feet felt colder. A faint gasp was heard from one of the ministers, swiftly followed by the muffled rustle of silks as the courtiers leaned in.
Julie's face paled, but she stood straight, her jaw clenched.
"Cursed?" she repeated, her voice a mere whisper. "What do you mean?"
Reez folded his hands behind his back. "His destiny was tampered with long ago. A mark, not born of him but placed upon him. But-" he continued before the weight of his own words could crush the air from the room, "three decades from now, he-"
"Yes, yes!" Alexander cut in eagerly, rising slightly from his throne, his jeweled ring glinting as he gestured. "Tell us, Reez! Tell us what kind of mate our son will receive! Is she powerful? Is she of noble lineage? Is she brave- like him?"
Reez blinked, his expression tightening. A flicker of something ancient moved behind his eyes. He looked directly at the king.
"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but Lazarus has no such mate."
A hush fell again, deeper than before.
Then, a sharp voice- no one could say whose- rang out in disbelief.
"He doesn't deserve one like that!"
The words echoed like a slap in the hall. Gasps spilled from every corner.
"What?!" Alexander bellowed, rising to his full height. The opulence of his robes barely concealed his fury. "Are you saying my son does not have a mate? That is absurd! How is that possib-"
"Enough."
The voice that cut through the chaos was neither loud nor angry. Yet it halted every breath in the chamber.
Lazarus.
He stood abruptly, the heavy dark cloak trailing behind him like a shadow come alive. His eyes, darker than storm clouds, revealed nothing but exhaustion.
"That is enough for today," he said quietly, his voice brimming with finality. "Come, Drew."
Drew, ever loyal and watchful, stepped forward from the shadows. He didn't question, only followed.
The click of Lazarus's boots on the marble echoed like gunshots in the chamber. No one dared speak.
As the heavy double doors closed behind him, whispers erupted like wildfire.
"He is cursed..."
"He will never have a mate..."
"The poor thing, always so alone..."
"Do you think it's true?"
Behind the murmurs lay a cruel undertone of mockery and pity.
Lazarus heard it all.
His eyes remained fixed forward, but his fists clenched beneath the folds of his cloak. His jaw locked. Rage throbbed just beneath his skin. He wanted to tear the walls apart. He wanted to scream. He wanted silence.
He wanted... peace.
Instead, he walked.
Toward solitude.
Drew followed, watching his master with quiet unease. There was something Reez had begun to say- three decades from now... What was it? Why was he cut off?
But now was not the time to ask.
Back in the hall, Alexander exhaled sharply and looked toward Reez with a mocking smile curled at the edge of his mouth.
"Such a shame," he drawled, though his tone lacked genuine sorrow. "If he is cursed to be alone, then so be it."
He turned to the assembled court.
"From this moment on, by royal decree, no one is permitted to speak of my son's mate, or lack thereof. This matter is closed. Any soul who dares to utter a word, any whisper of prophecy or pairing shall be punished accordingly."
Gasps were swallowed.
Guards stiffened.
The scribes froze, quills hovering above parchment.
The silence that followed was not hollow, it was suffocating.
Reez bowed his head, eyes closed for a moment. He said no more.
But deep within the silence, a spark had been lit.
One day, that spark would become a flame.
A girl would appear.
Not of royal blood.
Not of power.
But of something far more dangerous..
Fate.
Present Day
Julie still remembered that day with a bitter taste in her mouth. The way Lazarus had clenched his fists. The dull ache in his eyes. The silence that haunted their home for weeks.
The pain of watching her son slowly withdraw into himself, it never left her.
Alexander leaned closer now, sensing her hesitation and playing his next card.
"Julie," he said softly, feigning compassion, "just think of how much he has needed companionship all these years. He has never known love, never even allowed himself to dream of it. And now, he has a chance."
His voice was low, persuasive.
"Maybe the girl could give him what he has missed all his life. Why would you deny him that chance?"
Julie faltered. She remembered her own loveless marriage, a cold alliance stitched together by strategy, not affection. She had never wished the same for her son.
But this?
A marriage born out of manipulation?
Her thoughts warred within her, but finally, Julie spoke.
"We will talk to Lazarus. But the decision is his. If he says no, then this will not happen. He will not be forced into anything."
Alexander beamed. "I am sure he will say yes," he said with unwavering confidence. "Then you will see how much he longs for a partner. Even a stranger would be better than solitude."
In his mind, Alexander laughed.
'My dear son, finally ready to meet your mate.'
The thought rang loud, twisted and triumphant.
But Julie saw through him. She knew this was not about Lazarus's happiness.
It was about control. About legacy.
About keeping the kingdom under Alexander's iron grip even after he was long gone.