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Chapter 3: The Beast Within
The moon hung low in the sky, casting its silver glow across the darkened castle walls. Inside, the air was thick with the weight of unspoken words. Elara stood at the edge of the grand dining hall, her gaze fixed on the imposing figure at the far end of the room—Ravak, the so-called "Evil Beast," his presence enough to make the torches flicker with unease.
"You've done well, Elara," Ravak's voice echoed through the room, deep and menacing. "But your task has only just begun."
She didn't flinch, though her heart raced. Her marriage to the beast was supposed to be a political alliance, a means to secure peace between their two warring lands. But it had become something much more complicated.
"You think I can be tamed?" Elara asked, her tone steady but laced with uncertainty.
Ravak's eyes glinted with something far darker than mere irritation. He rose from his throne, his massive form filling the space as he approached her. Every step he took seemed to rattle the air itself.
"You'll find out soon enough," he said, his voice a whisper that sent a shiver down her spine.
Elara felt the weight of his gaze on her as she turned to leave, but her thoughts were muddled. The beast was powerful, dangerous, yet there was something—something beneath the surface. A flicker of humanity she wasn't sure was real, or if it was just a part of her growing fear.
As she stepped into the hallway, she couldn't shake the feeling that her fate had already been sealed the moment she stepped into this cursed castle.