The Crown Upon Darkness
- Reads 23
- Votes 0
- Parts 7
Complete Sun, Nov 23, 202523m
In a kingdom cloaked in shadows, Princess Erwin is bound by duty to marry King Peyton-the feared ruler of the dark lands. Whispers of his cruelty and blood-stained past echo through the halls of her palace, and though her heart is kind, her trust is hard-earned. Peyton is everything she was warned about: cold, calculating, and merciless. Yet, to her-and only her-he shows a flicker of warmth.
Despite his icy demeanor, Peyton's eyes soften when they meet hers, his voice gentler in her presence. For a time, Erwin cannot understand it-his loyalty, his quiet gestures, his rare, fragile smiles. Love blooms in one heart while the other remains guarded, watching, doubting.
But the longer she stands beside him, the more she sees past the shadows. In the cracks of his armor, Erwin discovers a man burdened by power but guided by something deeper: a hidden kindness, a loyalty unshaken, and a fierce devotion to her alone.
As danger looms and secrets unravel, Erwin must decide whether to fear the man the world hates-or to love the man only she truly knows.
All Rights Reserved
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
The Thorn Court
A dark fantasy romance novel In a realm where kingdoms are held together by ancient blood pacts and magic older than the gods, the Thorn Court rots in silence. Once a radiant elven kingdom, it is now a cursed land ruled by a heartless fae king, Vaelen-a creature both beautiful and cruel, who commands shadows and wears a crown of thorns. Every hundred years, he demands a mortal bride to renew the pact that keeps his realm from collapsing into the Void. None have ever returned. This time, the bride is not chosen. She volunteers. Selene Caerwyn is a mortal healer with a terrible secret-her soul is bound to an ancient, dark spirit she cannot control. When her village is ravaged by cursed beasts, she offers herself to the Thorn King in exchange for her people's protection, hoping to barter her cursed soul for their salvation. But the court is not what it seems. Nor is the king. As Selene navigates the haunted halls of a kingdom built on broken promises and dead queens, she finds herself drawn to the shadows Vaelen commands-and to the broken, beautiful man beneath the crown. But the spirit within her is waking. And the Void is watching. When love begins to bloom where only death was meant to grow, Selene must choose: surrender to the monster within her, or burn the curse to the ground. And Vaelen must decide whether he is willing to feel again-even if it kills them both.Complete
Shadows of Ember and Thorn
A young woman whose mother was murdered by her father-a crime for which he was never punished. Now trapped in his household, she endures his ongoing abuse while growing up in a society plagued by corruption, violence, and despair. Despite her pain, she channels her trauma into action, secretly taking to the streets to protect the vulnerable. Though many see her as a dangerous vigilante, others believe she is the only one brave enough to challenge the darkness consuming their world. In time, she encounters another masked figure fighting for justice in his own way-a mysterious man whose path intertwines with hers. Their alliance is charged with tension, secrecy, and forbidden attraction, blurring the line between vengeance and love. The heroine is Ash Flame, and the enigmatic man she meets is Ryas Thorn. Neither truly knows the other, yet both are bound by scars, shadows, and a shared hunger for redemption. This will be written as a spicy dark romance, exploring themes of trauma, power, desire, and survival in a world where morality is never black and white.
𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑
"Afraid of me? Why are you so afraid, princess?" He placed his hand on the wall next to her head, effectively trapping her between his body and the cold stone. "I'm not afraid of you," she lied, her voice steady despite the tremble in her hands. "I'm not afraid of anything." He chuckled darkly. "You should be." His lips barely brushed against hers in a tantalizingly soft touch. She froze on the spot, her legs refusing to move. He took advantage of her daze, closing the remaining gap and crushing his lips against hers.Complete
The Velvet Shadow: The Silent King 👑yoonminff
A kingdom ruled by a king with a heart of stone. A girl with fire in her soul. King Min Yoongi is powerful, silent, and feared - but one rule governs him above all: respect women, or face death. When fate leads him to Kim Jimin, a clever, spirited girl from the countryside, everything changes. Hidden waterfalls, secret bonds, and stolen moments... But enemies are everywhere, secrets threaten their love, and a past neither can escape comes crashing down. Will love survive the shadows of betrayal, lies, and danger? Or will the king and the girl who stole his heart be torn apart forever? Dark romance, emotional healing, forbidden love, and a journey of courage, laughter, and family.Complete
Crown of Shadows
She is elegant, strong, and carries a past no one knows-a childhood shadowed by loss, heartbreak, and sacrifices that shaped her into a woman both graceful and guarded. He is a prince, cold and untouchable to the world, carrying secrets of his own, a life dictated by duty, rules, and the crown he never chose. When their paths cross, the world outside stops making sense. She doesn't know he's royalty, and he hides behind a mask of distance, but neither can ignore the pull growing between them. In a palace of whispers, hidden agendas, and family intrigues, every glance, every touch, and every unspoken word becomes a battlefield of desire and restraint. As past wounds resurface, old secrets threaten to destroy them, and everyone around them seems to have an opinion about what love should be, can two hearts that have known pain and sacrifice find their way to each other? Or will the shadows of their pasts keep them apart forever? A story of slow-burning romance, royal intrigue, hidden identities, and love that fights its way through every obstacle.
Betrothed
In the kingdom of Silver thorn , Princess Irene is bound by duty and tragedy. Her father, the king, is dead, and her mother has vanished, leaving behind whispers of despair and grief. As the weight of the crown looms over her, Irene's nights are plagued by mysterious disturbances-shattered vases, fleeting shadows, and an eerie sense of being watched. But one night, Irene confronts the mystery head-on, only to find herself face-to-face with a stranger whose beauty is as unsettling as his presence. Dangerous and magnetic, he teases her with his touch, whispers promises laced with warning, and vanishes into the night. As these nightly encounters grow more intense, Irene is drawn into a perilous game of passion and power, unraveling secrets about her kingdom, her family, and the stranger who haunts her dreams. With love and death entwined in a deadly dance, Irene must decide how far she's willing to go for answers-and for a love that could cost her everything. In this gripping tale of longing, betrayal, and sacrifice, betrothed explores the boundaries of devotion and the choices we make in the name of love. Will Irene rise to claim her throne, or will the whispers of the night claim her heart forever? In this gripping tale of longing, betrayal, and sacrifice, betrothed explores the boundaries of devotion and the choices we make in the name of love. Will Irene rise to claim her throne, or will the whispers of the night claim her heart forever?Complete
Til Death Do We Part
In death, she waited. In love, she was betrayed. In vengeance, she rises. In the decaying city of Graven Hollow, where the living rot behind masks of civility and wealth, young Lucain Graves is chained to a loveless engagement and a crumbling family legacy. Haunted by visions of the dead and disillusioned by the coldness of the world above, he flees into the ancient woods on the eve of his wedding. There, beneath a twisted weeping tree, he speaks a vow never meant to be heard - and awakens something long forgotten. She was once Lilth Everlight, a beautiful bride betrayed on the night of her wedding and buried in her gown beneath cursed soil. Now she walks again - not as a ghost, but as a revenant driven by longing, fury, and something far older than love. Bound by blood and ritual, Lucain is dragged into a realm where the dead speak truths the living fear to whisper. As the veil thins between the worlds, the past claws its way into the present, and both Lucain and his living bride-to-be, Vivian, must confront the monstrous secrets buried beneath lace, lies, and centuries of rot. In this world, love does not conquer death. It marries it.Complete
Ashes of the Vow
An assassin with secrets. A man with scars. Love was never supposed to be part of the deal. "We can't," he said, his voice rough but final. The rejection was a physical blow. Humiliation, hot and sharp, washed over me, followed immediately by a fury so intense it blurred my vision. I released his jacket like it was on fire, snatching my hand back from his chest. Of course. Of course. I shoved open the van door, the metal screeching in protest. I practically fell out into the garage, needing to put distance between us, needing to breathe air he hadn't just stolen from my lungs. "Thorn-" he began, his voice following me out. I spun around, cutting him off. The words came out laced with a venom I didn't entirely feel, a weapon to match the hurt. "Don't. Just... don't." I was furious. Furious at him for starting it. Furious at him for stopping. But most of all, I was furious at myself. Furious for wanting it. For leaning in. For letting him make me feel, for one stupid second, like I was cared for. When Thorn-an elite assassin with too many secrets-collapses on the doorstep of Ash Penbrook, she expects death, not rescue. Ash is a powerful businessman with his own scars and a vendetta against the same organization Thorn once served. Forced into an uneasy alliance, their world becomes a battlefield of ambushes, betrayals, and buried truths. Survival draws them closer, but trust is dangerous-and love even more so. As enemies close in, both must decide: are they each other's salvation...or the final weapon that will destroy them?
A dark fantasy romance novel In a realm where kingdoms are held together by ancient blood pacts and magic older than the gods, the Thorn Court rots in silence. Once a radiant elven kingdom, it is now a cursed land ruled by a heartless fae king, Vaelen-a creature both beautiful and cruel, who commands shadows and wears a crown of thorns. Every hundred years, he demands a mortal bride to renew the pact that keeps his realm from collapsing into the Void. None have ever returned. This time, the bride is not chosen. She volunteers. Selene Caerwyn is a mortal healer with a terrible secret-her soul is bound to an ancient, dark spirit she cannot control. When her village is ravaged by cursed beasts, she offers herself to the Thorn King in exchange for her people's protection, hoping to barter her cursed soul for their salvation. But the court is not what it seems. Nor is the king. As Selene navigates the haunted halls of a kingdom built on broken promises and dead queens, she finds herself drawn to the shadows Vaelen commands-and to the broken, beautiful man beneath the crown. But the spirit within her is waking. And the Void is watching. When love begins to bloom where only death was meant to grow, Selene must choose: surrender to the monster within her, or burn the curse to the ground. And Vaelen must decide whether he is willing to feel again-even if it kills them both.
More detailsContent Guidelines