Chapter 1

I was the most beloved youngest daughter of the Sun Palace.

When my father, Apollo, began arranging my wedding, my three brothers were certain the bride promised to Hephaestus, the Fire God of the Northern Realm, was Daphne, a mortal girl he had adopted from the human world.

They took my wedding gown, my red-gold crown, even the Sunset Cloud Sea, and used them all for Daphne's wedding.

I told them I was the bride.

My eldest brother Orion scoffed, "Father spoils you enough to pluck the stars for you. Why would he ever let you marry a crippled Fire God with a shattered divine core?"

My second brother Pyron looked at me with disappointment. "Daphne is about to get married. Are you really going to take her one and only wedding away from her?"

My third brother Zephyros stepped in front of her. "You have everything. All she has is us. If you keep fighting for attention, we'll make sure you can't even set foot in the wedding hall."

They thought I was just fighting for attention, and they believed that no matter how unfairly they treated me, I would always stay at the Sun Palace.

That certainty lasted until the wedding day, when Hephaestus descended from his molten-gold chariot and reached out his hand to me before all the gods.

"Helias, I've come to marry you."

Chapter 1

"Are you sure you want to marry Hephaestus?"

My father's brow was deeply furrowed.

"The Titan War three hundred years ago damaged his legs and his divine core. Everyone says he'll never recover or father divine heirs. If you change your mind, there's still time."

I lowered my gaze to the marriage contract in my hands.

On the parchment, a sun and a cluster of pale blue divine fire overlapped.

"I'm sure."

My voice was soft, but there was no hesitation.

The gods all looked down on Hephaestus for his injuries, but the Northern Realm controlled every mine and divine weapon in the realm.

Even confined to a wheelchair for life, he had enough power to defend his domain. More importantly, an alliance with him could strengthen the Sun Palace's position.

This marriage would bring the palace its strongest ally, and give me a way out of a family that had nothing left to offer but favoritism.

"Once the marriage contract is submitted to the Temple of Fate, it can't be changed until the ceremony is complete. Under the ancient laws, to prevent enemy ambushes, the bride's name can't be revealed beforehand.

"Aside from me, your mother, and Hephaestus, no one else knows who the bride is."

My father hesitated, then asked, "What about your three brothers? You've depended on them since you were little. You're not going to tell them beforehand?"

I traced my fingertips along the edge of the contract.

A long time ago, I truly believed I could never live without them.

I was born under the Celestial Fire Curse. Whenever my emotions surged, it felt as though flames were searing my heart again and again.

My father had to maintain the Solar Wheel, and my mother, Eos, spent most of her time in seclusion suppressing the curse. So my three brothers, who should have left for their own domains, were kept at the palace to watch over me.

When I was young, Orion would stay by my side through the night when the pain kept me awake. Pyron searched for a way to break the curse. Zephyros would roam the entire Sunset Cloud Sea picking golden roses for me.

That changed five hundred years ago, when my father brought Daphne back from a mortal battlefield.

She was a mortal girl with no parents, taken in as the Sun Palace's adopted daughter.

She was always saying she envied me for having parents, divine blood, and the love of the entire palace. Whenever my brothers returned from their domains, she would tear up and say, "You're finally back. While you were gone, it was awful living in someone else's home with no freedom of my own."

After that, the way my brothers looked at me slowly changed.

They started to believe that Father had kept them at the palace merely to make them my caretakers. Every bout of pain and every plea for help became proof, in their eyes, that I was using my status to keep them chained to the palace.

They were certain I already had the best of everything, so a little unfairness here and there didn't matter.

But I had run out of patience.

"There's no need to tell them."

I put the contract away. "After the wedding, I'll leave for the Northern Realm with Hephaestus."

A flash of surprise crossed my father's eyes.

He was about to say something when cheerful laughter drifted in from outside.

I stepped out of the main hall and saw my three brothers walking Daphne back from the Sunset Cloud Sea.

She held a large bouquet of golden roses in her arms.

Orion was shielding her from the glaring sunlight, Pyron was bending down to straighten the shawl the wind had mussed, and Zephyros was holding up the hem of her mud-stained dress.

The first time they took Daphne to the Cloud Sea, my curse had flared up.

But Zephyros said I was in pain every day, so a little delay wouldn't matter.

That night, I endured the pain alone.

The next day, they brought back a hall full of golden roses, but not a single one was for me.

Orion was the first to notice me.

The smile on his face faded.

"Was that private meeting Father scolding us again for spending all our time with Daphne instead of looking after you?"

Pyron spoke up next. "The wedding is coming up, and Daphne is already anxious enough. If you have a problem, take it up with us. Don't go running to Father to make things harder for her."

I frowned. "Whose wedding?"

Zephyros looked at me as if I'd asked something absurd.

"There are only two unmarried daughters in the Sun Palace, you and Daphne. Why would Father ever send you away to suffer in the Northern Realm?

"Hephaestus is crippled, and his temple sits in a volcano that erupts year-round. You've complained about the stone steps in the Sun Palace since you were a child. How long would you last there?"

Daphne said softly, "Please don't talk about her like that. Helias isn't that kind of person. And I'm already grateful enough to be marrying into a divine family."

She turned to me, her eyes full of delicate apology.

"Helias, I know Father's been busy with the wedding, and that must make you feel left out. Once I'm married, your brothers will all be yours again."

My father had only told the wedding officiant that a princess of the Sun Palace was to be wed. He hadn't revealed her name.

My three brothers were in charge of palace affairs, and they naturally assumed the bride was Daphne.

In their eyes, I was our parents' cherished daughter by blood, safe in the shelter of the Sun Palace.

Daphne was only a mortal adoptee who needed to be settled somewhere.

A broken, powerless Fire God was already a generous match for Daphne, but could never be my husband.

I said calmly, "The bride isn't her. It's me."

Orion shook his head in exasperation.

"You're still the same as when you were little. You can't stand us paying attention to anyone else."

Disappointment rose in Pyron's eyes.

"Daphne is about to leave the Sun Palace. There's only one month left. We spend a little time with her and you throw a fit? You can't even give her that?"

Zephyros stepped directly in front of Daphne.

"Behave yourself before the wedding. Don't even think about bullying her like you used to, or we'll seal your chambers."

I suddenly lost all desire to explain.

They didn't believe I was getting married, and they didn't believe I would actually leave.

Chapter 2

The next day, the wedding officiant arrived at my chambers with dozens of attendants.

They carried the wedding gown, the crown, and the wedding ring forged jointly by the Sun Palace and the Fire Temple.

The head officiant bowed respectfully.

"Your Highness, according to the contract's requirements, these ceremonial items must be placed in the bride's chambers and nourished by solar power for seven days."

Before I could respond, Orion appeared from the other end of the corridor.

He glanced at the items and ordered, "You've got the wrong place. Daphne's chambers are on the west side."

The officiant froze.

The contract was protected by the Temple of Fate. He couldn't reveal the bride's name.

I spoke evenly. "There's no mistake. These are mine."

Zephyros arrived right behind Orion, and his face darkened the moment he heard me.

"Helias, haven't you had enough of this game since yesterday?"

He picked up the red-gold wedding crown that our mother had crafted for me.

"Daphne grew up without parents. She doesn't even have a single decent piece of jewelry. Your vault is overflowing with crowns. Why do you have to take this one from her?"

"Because Mother made it to match my divine mark."

Zephyros's expression stiffened.

Daphne happened to step out of her chambers just then.

Her eyes lit up for a split second when she saw the crown, then quickly lowered.

"Something so precious. I don't deserve to wear it."

She turned to leave, but Pyron caught her arm.

"Father had this made for your wedding. Of course you deserve it."

He placed the crown on Daphne's head.

The crown didn't sense the solar bloodline and quickly dimmed, but Pyron acted as if he didn't notice.

"Once the marriage contract is sealed and you have a divine title, it'll accept you."

I said coldly, "Pyron, the crown isn't glowing because she doesn't have divine status yet. It's because she's not the bride."

Pyron whipped around.

"Enough.

"Father and Mother have given you the best of everything since the day you were born. Now that they've prepared a single crown for Daphne, you throw your bloodline in her face?"

Daphne's eyes reddened at just the right moment.

"I don't mind. If Helias likes it, she can keep the crown.

"I'm just the adopted daughter. I shouldn't expect too much."

Orion turned to the wedding officiant, his tone brooking no argument.

"As First Prince of the Sun Palace, I order you to deliver all the wedding items to Daphne's chambers.

"As for this place..."

He swept his gaze over the chambers where I had lived for a thousand years.

"It's closer to the main hall and better suited as the bride's quarters before the wedding. Helias, move to the east wing for a month."

Fury surged through me. "What did you just say? You're giving her my chambers too?"

Orion's frown deepened.

"It's only for a month. Why do you make it sound like we're taking everything from you?

"Once Daphne is married, we'll return everything exactly as it was."

They always thought I had too much. So my chambers could be lent, my crown could be given away, and my grievances could be ignored.

I would always have my parents to fall back on, but Daphne only had them.

How absurd.

The attendants didn't dare defy three princes and carried the ceremonial items toward the west side.

As the head officiant passed me, he lowered his voice.

"Your Highness, shall I report this to His Majesty?"

I watched my three brothers hovering around Daphne, adjusting the crown on her head.

"No."

If my father found out, a single decree would make them return everything.

But fairness forced by authority wasn't what I wanted.

I was leaving soon anyway. Let them have their way.

I turned and walked toward the east wing.

"If only she'd done this from the start. She knew perfectly well you're about to get married, but she still had to make a scene first."

Daphne said gently, "Helias just can't bear to let you go.

"She'll come around. After the wedding, you'll still be her brothers."

None of them noticed that before the officiant left, he had quietly slipped the real wedding ring into my palm.

Chapter 3

For the next two weeks, I stayed in the east wing.

My three brothers were busy preparing the wedding for Daphne. They never came to see me.

Occasionally, I would pass them in the corridors.

Orion had the guest list in hand. Pyron was personally preparing the wedding circle. Zephyros was scouring every corner of the realm for flowers Daphne liked.

Exhaustion lined their faces, but they smiled in a way I hadn't seen in a long time.

Yet everything they were preparing should have been mine.

Seven days before the wedding, I went to the Sunset Cloud Sea to check on my dowry.

That sea of golden clouds was a gift from my father on the day I was born, and my mother had filled it with golden roses.

On the day of the wedding, it would become part of my dowry.

When I arrived, Daphne was standing in the center of the Cloud Sea.

My three brothers were directing servants to take down my solar crest and replace it with laurel patterns common in the mortal world.

Zephyros spotted me, and his expression turned guarded immediately.

"What are you doing here?"

"This is my Sunset Cloud Sea."

"We know."

"Once Daphne marries into the Northern Realm, she'll probably never come back to the divine realm. We're just borrowing this place for her wedding. After she's gone, the Cloud Sea will still be yours."

I warned them.

"You'd better not touch it. Father already put it on my dowry list."

Pyron sneered.

"There you go again.

"Father gives you so much that you can't even keep track of it all. Now the moment you see us setting up for Daphne, you claim it's your dowry."

Daphne came over, batting those wide eyes of hers, and took my hand.

"Helias, I didn't know this place meant so much to you.

"I don't need any dowry. Just please don't be mad at our brothers because of me."

She tugged at me, and on her wrist was the Dawn Light pendant I had given her.

As a mortal, she could only endure the gentlest trace of sunlight through the pendant.

My gaze settled on the pendant.

"The solar power in the wedding circle is too intense. You shouldn't be near it. You should leave."

Daphne's eyes filled with hurt.

"But I just wanted to see my own wedding."

Zephyros immediately stepped into my line of sight.

"She's been careful enough. Do you have to scare her?"

"I'm not trying to scare her!" I snapped.

The words had barely left my mouth when Daphne suddenly reached out and touched the unsealed core of the circle.

Scorching sunlight blazed up her arm in an instant, and she screamed as she fell to the ground.

Pyron quickly sealed the circle's core, Orion carried her to safety, and Zephyros whipped around to face me.

"You knew she didn't have divine blood. Why didn't you shut down the circle beforehand?"

"I already told her to leave."

"You just said she shouldn't be near it!"

Zephyros shouted, "You were deliberately vague, waiting to watch her make a fool of herself!"

Daphne held her burned arm, tears brimming, and spoke up for me.

"Don't blame Helias. I just wanted to see the wedding circle so badly that I touched it by accident.

"She did warn me. I just didn't understand."

Orion's expression only grew darker.

"See? Even now, she's still defending you.

"Helias, you've known every divine art since you were a child. You couldn't possibly not know that a mortal can't tell the circle's core from ordinary divine power.

"If you didn't want to give her the Sunset Cloud Sea, you could've just said so. Why did you have to drive her away like this?"

I looked at them and didn't bother defending myself.

It had been like this for five hundred years.

Whenever Daphne made a mistake, they found excuses for her first.

Whenever I tried to explain, they accused me of using my powers to bully a mortal.

Pyron took out a healing salve and carefully applied it to Daphne's arm.

Zephyros still wasn't satisfied.

He even issued a decree without Father's authority. "To keep you from causing any more trouble, from today onward, the Sunset Cloud Sea is sealed off by all three of us. You are not to set foot here again before the wedding."

I asked, "Let me ask you one more time. What if I told you that I'm the sister being sent far away?"

The anger in Zephyros's eyes turned to disbelief, as if I were beyond all reason.

"Stop being ridiculous! There's no way Father and Mother would let you marry Hephaestus!

"You've been pampered for a thousand years. The Northern Realm has no palace servants, no Mother to suppress your curse. Just a volcano and a husband who can't stand on his own two feet.

"Could you really bear that?"

I was silent for a moment.

"...I could."

Daphne suddenly gasped in pain.

They rushed to her side. No one looked at me.

I turned and left the Sunset Cloud Sea.

Behind me, the barrier slowly closed, shutting me out from my own dowry.

Chapter 4

On the day of the wedding, the Sun Palace blazed with golden light that illuminated all three realms.

Gods from every corner arrived one after another, and the Sunset Cloud Sea was adorned with obsidian and fire lilies sent from the Northern Realm.

Apollo had gone to the Temple of Fate to receive the marriage contract. Eos was still in seclusion. The wedding hall was temporarily run by my three brothers.

I put on the wedding gown Hephaestus had sent in advance and prepared to head for the Sunset Cloud Sea.

The hem bore no elaborate divine patterns of the Sun Palace, only clusters of tiny golden flowers that divine fire could never burn.

I had barely reached the corridor when divine guards brought by Orion blocked my path.

His face darkened the moment he saw what I was wearing.

"Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"

"To my wedding."

Pyron held up a strip of shredded sun-gold gauze.

"Daphne's wedding veil was just destroyed."

Zephyros stared hard at me.

"A handmaiden said that half an hour ago, someone summoned Daphne to the east wing under your name. After she came back, the veil was like this."

"I didn't summon her."

"Who else could it be?" Zephyros said, barely containing his anger. "Everyone in the palace knows you resent Daphne. You'd humiliate her at her own wedding.

"First you said you were the bride. Then you claimed the Sunset Cloud Sea was your dowry. Now Daphne is about to walk down the aisle, and you show up in a wedding gown to take her place."

My voice went cold.

"Did you check the message sigil?"

Pyron, who was an expert in rune-craft, froze.

But Daphne's sobbing drifted over from nearby.

"Don't check."

She shook her head, eyes red.

"Helias just can't bear to lose you. After today, I'll be gone. She couldn't accept it, so she tried to stop the wedding."

"I don't blame her."

"You always do this."

Orion looked at me, not with hatred, but with weariness.

"Since we were children, whenever we so much as looked at someone else, you'd use your curse, Father, and your title to pull us back.

"You have the entire Sun Palace. Daphne is about to be sent to a realm of searing heat. Why can't you give her this one last day?"

The familiar pain twisted in my chest.

Not from the ancient curse.

But because my brother had never believed me.

He thought he was being fair.

I swallowed the pain and asked him, "If you keep me here and the wedding falls apart, can you bear that responsibility?"

Orion said coldly, "Don't worry. The wedding will go on as planned."

"You're the only one in this family who causes trouble for no reason."

With that, he ordered the guards to open the east wing.

Then he shoved me inside.

"Stay here and calm down. Once the marriage contract is sealed, I'll come get you myself.

"Then you'll apologize to Daphne, and this whole thing will be behind us."

Zephyros said, "Helias, we're not trying to hurt you. We just can't let you ruin her wedding."

Before sealing the east wing behind me, Zephyros lowered his voice.

"Stop this. A spoiled girl like you could never really marry Hephaestus."

The barrier closed before my eyes.

They took Daphne to the Sunset Cloud Sea and locked the real bride in the east wing.

I didn't resist.

The marriage contract was already branded into my divine soul. Once Hephaestus arrived, no barrier could stop him from finding me.

Above the Sunset Cloud Sea, the guests had all gathered.

Daphne put on a backup veil and walked into the hall, flanked by my three brothers.

"The Sun Palace is marrying off a mortal adoptee?"

"No wonder she's being given to Hephaestus and his shattered divine core. If it were Princess Helias, the Sun God would never allow it."

Orion straightened Daphne's veil and murmured, "Don't worry about them. Mortal or not, you are a daughter of the Sun Palace."

Pyron glanced toward the entrance, and his brow slowly creased.

"Why isn't Father back yet?"

At that moment, the entire Sunset Cloud Sea began to shake violently.

Twelve lava beasts pulled a black-gold chariot through the dark golden clouds.

The man in the wheelchair wore black divine robes, pale blue fire burning between his brows.

The entire hall fell silent.

My three brothers stepped forward with Daphne, but Hephaestus looked past them to the empty bride's seat.

His gaze turned cold in an instant.

"Where is my bride?"

Zephyros blinked in surprise, then hurried to push Daphne forward.

"She's right here."

Hephaestus didn't even glance at Daphne.

He tapped one finger, and every flame across the Sunset Cloud Sea tilted toward the east wing.

A second later, the divine barrier trapping me shattered.

The black-gold chariot swept through the corridor and stopped before me.

He reached out his hand to me.

"I've come to marry you. My bride, Helias."