Chapter 2
Daryl's voice came from behind, his words trembling just a bit.
I froze in place, thinking, 'Crap, I really went overboard with those curses. I'm doomed. They're going to wipe out my whole family.'
"Edith," he said. There was no hint of anger in his voice, just an oddly gentle tone. "What did you just call me? Say it again."
Was I crazy? Or was he?
Clenching my teeth, I spun around and kept going. "I called you a coward, a walking disaster, and a piece of trash nobody would touch with a ten-foot pole."
As soon as the words left my mouth, the jewel pendant at Daryl's waist suddenly snapped.
It was a cheap thing, supposedly a "protective charm" from his arch-nemesis, the Prince Glen Gonzales. He couldn't get rid of it, as if it were cursed.
As soon as the pendant broke, a pool of black, stinking liquid oozed out onto the ground.
Daryl glanced at the black liquid on the ground, then looked at me.
He smiled.
That smile sent shivers down my spine.
He waved at the guards nearby. "Put your weapons away."
Then he stepped down from the carriage and walked right up to me, right in front of the whole city.
"Nice one, Lady Edith," he said.
He pulled a stack of promissory notes from his sleeve and shoved them into my hand, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.
He continued, "I've never heard such lovely insults in my life. Honestly, it was like music to my ears.
"From now on, swing by and roast me once a day. I'll pay you for every word you throw at me."
That very night, Daryl snuck in through my window.
I was practicing eye-rolling in front of the mirror. If I was gonna make a living this way, I needed to master my expressions.
The window creaked, and a shadow slipped inside.
Acting on pure instinct, I snatched up the vase by my side and chucked it right at him.
"What kind of creep sneaks in here? Get out, you bastard!" I yelled.
The vase flew in a gorgeous arc, zeroing in on Daryl's face.
He didn't even try to dodge.
With a loud bang, the vase shattered at his feet, shards flying everywhere. One piece grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood behind.
My heart skipped a beat. Assassinating the Crown Prince? That was a death sentence for sure.
But Daryl didn't even bat an eye. Instead, he casually pulled out a secret letter from inside his coat and glanced at it under the moonlight.
Daryl said, "Just now, my scheming little brother, Glen, got himself some nasty food poisoning and nearly emptied his guts.
"They had to rush him to the Royal Medical Bureau for emergency treatment in the middle of the night."
He looked up at me, blood still streaked across his cheek, his eyes burning into mine.
"Edith, you really are my lucky star," he said.
I took a step back, eyeing him warily. "Your Highness, you break into my house in the middle of the night just to give me an update on Prince Glen's toilet habits?"
Daryl made himself comfortable and poured a cup of coffee.
"I've got a curse on me too," he said. "It's called 'True Love Dooms All.'"
He took a sip of coffee, sounding so calm it was like he was talking about someone else's story.
He said, "Anyone I truly want to protect dies. And anyone I genuinely try to promote either betrays me or winds up dead.
"But if I truly hate someone and want them gone for good, they're like a cat with nine lives. They never meet their end; instead, they keep moving up in the world."
I finally got it.
It turned out that we were doomed to be the unlucky ones, always setting others up for glory while we got nothing ourselves.
I cursed people; they got wealthy. He hated people; they got promotions.
"So?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"So, I need you," Daryl replied.
Daryl set his cup down and tapped his cheek. "If you take a swing at me, my luck gets better. And if I hate you, you'll keep on living."
"Let's make a deal," he said.
He stood up and walked right up to me, towering over me, his presence overwhelming.
He said, "I'll marry you as my crown princess. After we're married, we'll do everything we can to torture and humiliate each other.
"You'll curse me to die a miserable death, and I'll genuinely wish you'd drop dead as soon as possible.
"That's the only way we'll survive in this damned world and come out on top, better than anyone else."
It sounded like a sweet deal, but I had a question.
"Hey, Your Highness, what if it's all just an act? What if I pretend to roast you, but deep down, I actually kind of respect you?" I asked.
Daryl sneered. "Try it if you dare."
I figured I'd give it a shot.
I took a deep breath, stared at that annoyingly gorgeous face, and tried to squeeze out a bit of genuine admiration.
Then, in my softest voice, I said, "Your Highness, your looks are truly unmatched. Just seeing you makes me happy."
The moment I finished speaking, the floor just split open right under me.
Caught totally off guard, I stumbled forward and fell flat on my face. My front tooth hit the leg of the stool, and I almost broke it.
The pain hit so hard, my eyes instantly watered up.
Daryl stood there, watching me make a fool of myself, a sarcastic grin tugging at his mouth.
"Guess your feelings for me aren't all that genuine, Lady Edith. That payback was way too soft," he said.
I scrambled up from the floor, my mouth tasting like blood, and rage flared up instantly.
I genuinely wanted to kill him.
"Daryl, screw you," I said.
I whipped my hand around and landed a brutal slap right across his face.
The crisp sound of the slap rang out in the dead of night.
Daryl's head snapped to the side from the force of the slap, but the cut on his cheek from the vase shard healed up in seconds. It didn't even leave a mark.
He rubbed his smooth cheek, turned back to me, and his eyes were practically sparkling with amusement.
"Good one," he said.
Grinning, I spat out a mouthful of blood.
I said, "I'll take the deal.
"But for the sake of your grand plans, Your Highness, starting tomorrow, I'll give you three lashes with the whip every morning and every night."
Daryl nodded, dead serious. "Approved. And in return, I'll curse you out in court every single day. Guarantee you live a long life."