CHAPTER 1: THE PRINCESS NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO SEE
The moment Princess Elina was born, the celebration throughout the kingdom lasted for seven days.
The king finally had an heir.
Bells rang from every tower. Streets were decorated with flowers. The people believed the kingdom had been blessed.
But only six years later, everything changed.
No one knew exactly what happened inside the royal palace that night.
One evening, the king entered his daughter's room carrying a strange object wrapped in black cloth.
Servants later whispered that screams echoed through the castle walls.
The next morning, Princess Elina appeared wearing an enormous iron-and-wood helmet that completely covered her head.
A heavy lock secured it shut.
And from that day forward, the king made a terrifying decree.
"No one shall ever remove this helmet."
The kingdom was shocked.
At first, people believed the princess had suffered a terrible injury.
Then rumors became darker.
Some claimed she had been cursed by a witch.
Others believed she was possessed by an ancient demon.
A few swore they had heard the king crying outside her room late at night.
The queen never explained anything.
Then she died suddenly from a mysterious illness.
The secret died with her.
Years passed.
The little princess became a young woman hidden behind cold iron bars.
Children ran away whenever they saw her.
Servants crossed themselves for protection.
Even the guards avoided looking directly at her.
But behind the terrifying helmet was not a monster.
It was a lonely girl.
Every night, Elina sat beside an old piano in an abandoned ballroom.
She played beautiful melodies that drifted through the palace windows.
The music was so heartbreaking that servants sometimes cried without knowing why.
One elderly maid secretly left flowers outside Elina's room every week.
No words.
No notes.
Just flowers.
One morning the maid found a single silver rose placed beside them.
The princess's silent thank-you.
Despite the fear surrounding her, Elina grew into a kind and intelligent young woman.
She spent her days reading books.
Learning languages.
Studying medicine.
Writing poems she never showed anyone.
Yet nobody cared about who she was.
Everyone cared only about what was hidden beneath the helmet.
As years passed, princes came from distant lands.
But whenever they learned about the iron helmet, they immediately left.
No one wanted to marry a mystery.
No one wanted to risk marrying a monster.
The king aged rapidly.
Gray hair covered his head.
His hands trembled more each year.
One night he stood alone outside Elina's room.
"I have failed you," he whispered through tears.
For the first time in years, Elina spoke.
"Father... why won't you tell me the truth?"
The king froze.
For several moments he said nothing.
Then he quietly answered:
"Because if I do... you will hate me forever."
And he walked away.
Those words haunted Elina for years.
What terrible secret could make a father fear his own daughter?
Then one autumn morning, a young prince arrived.
His name was Richard.
Unlike the others, he did not leave.
When asked why he wished to marry a woman whose face he had never seen, his answer shocked everyone.
"Because I am tired of people judging appearances."
The kingdom laughed.
Most assumed he simply wanted the throne.
But when Richard first met Elina in the palace garden, something unexpected happened.
He didn't ask about the helmet.
He didn't ask about the curse.
Instead, he asked:
"Was it you playing piano last night?"
Elina stood motionless.
Nobody had ever asked her that before.
And for the first time in her life...
She smiled beneath the iron mask.
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Neither of them knew it yet.
But their wedding would soon reveal a secret so horrifying that it would shake the kingdom forever.
