Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Aurora's heart tightened as his tone shifted. "What's the downside?" she asked.

"Our fate will be altered."

Aurora had heard countless myths about gods defying destiny, stories she once dismissed as nonsense.

"Altered?" she repeated.

"Do you know why even emperors relied on our family's astrology? It's because no matter what could or couldn't be divined, the head of the family always knew the

answers.

They could predict not just family fortunes but even the fate of a nation. The family head foresaw that if our lineage continued its natural course, we would soon face complete destruction.

Astrology is about balancing yin and yang. Emperors have both visible and hidden forces-women represent yin, and men, yang. Our family represented the hidden force, while another branch remained visible. The family head divined a catastrophic disaster for us, while the visible branch was destined for ten generations of wealth and glory. Faced with this, the family head panicked. There were over a hundred members in the family at the time. If we fell, our name would vanish from history entirely.

After weighing the pros and cons, the family head not only uncovered the secrets of fate but manipulated them, swapping our family's destiny with that of another.

It's said that on the day the other family was wiped out-executed to the last person- snow fell in June. Our family head led everyone to escape to New York.

But something strange happened. From that generation onward, every family head's lifespan shortened by ten years.

The family head explained that it was heaven's punishment for the sins we committed. Others say it's a debt of lives we owe, a debt that must eventually be repaid. Borrowed lives must one day be returned.

The family head who led the escape foresaw all of this. She spoke of karma, saying that debts must always be paid. At the time, we didn't believe her. Who would've thought her words would come true? Whether it's a curse or retribution, each family head's life has grown shorter with every generation.

now, especially in the financial world, our mastery of astrology has faded. Even your mother only knows the basics-she's far from a master. And you? You probably don't even understand the concept of yin and yang. Perhaps this,

Aurora deeply moved. She hadn't known her family had endured

her most was his final comment. "So... Mom

had always dismissed this as a baseless rumor, hoping the

began deteriorating half a year ago. I saw it happen to

voice faltered when he mentioned Aurora's grandmother. For a moment, he seemed at

composed himself and continued. "Your grandmother was healthy at first, but when she turned

Bramwell Elderstone's eyes. These weren't the tears of a mere servant. His feelings for her grandmother

seen enough dramas and read enough novels to recognize bonds that transcended the usual master-servant relationship. Perhaps

Bramwell, do you have a picture of my grandmother? I've never seen

up in the R family, you'd have seen them too." Bramwell Elderstone pulled out his phone and

others captured her in everyday moments. Aurora could tell from the photos that her

Bramwell showed her older photos, with a distinct vintage

of her grandmother holding

immediately recognized the cherubic little girl in the

taken on your

She could see traces of her grandmother

noticed she was about seventy percent like her mother, thirty percent like her father, Magnus, though at

eyes," Bramwell remarked, staring at Aurora's face as if

photos only of my mom and

me to the next part of the story-about the traditions

the importance of what he was about to say and

you earlier about yin and yang in astrology. Everything in this world relies on balance. Our family represents yin because, for generations, the heads of the

sons. Do you remember the paintings you saw