CHAPTER 2: THE SECRET BENEATH THE HELMET
Preparations for the royal wedding lasted six months.
The entire kingdom became obsessed.
Merchants sold paintings imagining what the princess looked like.
Street performers created songs about the cursed bride.
Even foreign rulers sent spies hoping to uncover the truth.
Everyone wanted answers.
Only Elina remained calm.
For the first time in her life, someone treated her like a human being.
Richard visited every day.
They walked through the gardens.
Read books together.
Talked for hours.
Sometimes they sat in silence simply watching sunsets.
And slowly, Elina fell in love.
But there was one thing she could never stop thinking about.
What would happen when Richard finally saw her face?
One night she gathered the courage to ask.
"Are you afraid?"
Richard looked at her.
"Of what?"
"Of what is beneath the helmet."
He was quiet for several moments.
Then he answered honestly.
"Yes."
The words hurt.
But he continued.
"I am afraid. But not because I think you're a monster."
"Then why?"
"Because I think you've been suffering your entire life."
For the first time, Elina cried.
Not because she was sad.
Because someone finally understood.
Meanwhile, the king became increasingly unstable.
He barely slept.
He locked himself inside his chambers.
Servants reported hearing arguments even when nobody else was inside the room.
Then, three nights before the wedding, something terrifying happened.
An old royal physician appeared at the palace gates.
The man had disappeared nearly twenty years earlier.
He demanded to see the king immediately.
The guards brought him inside.
Nobody knew what was discussed.
But witnesses saw the old physician leave pale as death.
The next morning, the king ordered twice as many guards around Elina.
No explanation.
No reason.
Only fear.
The wedding day finally arrived.
Thousands gathered outside the cathedral.
People climbed rooftops.
Windows overflowed with spectators.
The entire kingdom held its breath.
At the altar stood Prince Richard.
Nervous.
Sweating.
Trying not to stare at the iron helmet.
Then the cathedral doors opened.
Elina entered.
Her white gown sparkled beneath hundreds of candles.
The king escorted her forward.
Step by step.
Closer to the altar.
Closer to the truth.
The ceremony began.
Vows were exchanged.
The priest spoke sacred words.
Then came the moment everyone had waited eighteen years to witness.
The king slowly removed the key from around his neck.
A deathly silence fell over the cathedral.
The lock clicked open.
The sound echoed like thunder.
The king lifted the helmet.
Gasps filled the room.
Several guests screamed.
One noblewoman fainted instantly.
Prince Richard stumbled backward.
The king fell to his knees.
Because beneath the helmet...
Was not Elina's face.
It was another iron mask.
A thinner mask.
Fused directly into her skin.
Bolted into her skull.
Blood-stained scars surrounded its edges.
The entire cathedral stared in horror.
Elina herself looked confused.
"What is this?" she whispered.
The king began sobbing.
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And then, before everyone, he revealed the truth.
A truth far darker than anyone had imagined.
