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Beauty is subjective, but It seems like that I'm the only one who thought that. In my village we live under a curse. There was this odd tree that appeared one day in the village. At the time the village was at the height of its power, so It freaked people out when a boy suddenly burst into flames when trying to climb the tree one day. So the men in the village tried to chop it down, but most burst into flames.

With the majority of the men gone, the village began to panic. Many Couples were childless or only had girls, no boys were being born. The Demon king Spoke from the tree, promising to help them with their plight if they sacrificed one of their women to him. One woman rose to the task and disappeared into the hollow of the tree. After her sacrifice Childless couples bore boys, and some arose from the ashes of the men who died from the curse.

But they were still too little, just enough for for the village to barely continue. Any Men From out side the village must pray to the cursed tree if they wish to live, so many stay away. It was a constant reminder of who was in charge.

So what does any of this have to do with beauty. Well since Men are still few, it became common for men to take on multiple wives. Thought most like beautiful slender women, or very curvy women. I'm not slender like most of the women in the village, or the type of curvy most men were looking for. I was an orphan, taken in by the village. So naturally I looked very different from the other girls.

While other girls were getting married off, no men were really interested in me. So when the time came for the sacrifice, which came every 5 years, naturally they chose me. An outsider and an extra mouth to feed who won't help the continuation of the village. It was perfect for them, so they Happily sent me on my way, to the cursed tree. Skulls and human bones littered the on and around the tree.

"Hurry up, complete the ritual Y/n," The attendant demanded.

She was shaking at the mere sight of the tree. She wanted to run far away from this tree, away from the demon who inhabits it. Suddenly there was a loud howl as the snow from the ground blew up into the air. The attendant screamed and ran back to the village, leaving me at the tree.

"Step inside the hollow," a voice demanded.

I slowly turned to leave and run far away from the village and their curse.

"If you don't come, I will hunt you down," It said, like it read my mind.

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With a defeated sigh, Y/n slowly made her way to the hollow. Inside was dark and covered in webs, covered in blood and bones. Some looked uncomfortably fresh as a drop of blood landed on her cheek. Y/n wanted to scream, but no sound came out as she continued forward.

As she continued she suddenly heard something, the sound of bones cracking and growling. The figure turned to Y/n as he stood, holding something at his side.

Y/n recognized that ash blond hair. It was Katsuki, a boy from the village who believed that the curse was a hoax. So he went to the tree and never returned, and now Y/n knew why. The demon of the tree ate him, as he held Katsuki's decapitated head.

Before Y/n could even scream, everything went black.

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As Y/n slowly woke up, she felt that she was laying on a hard surface, like stone. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a dungeon. It had a very gothic like esthetic with skeletons of creatures of all kinds decorated the walls.

Suddenly she heard the sound of approaching feet, as she quickly sat up. The demon guards unlocked the door and pulled her to her feet and dragged her to a room full of girls. They were human girls wearing pretty revealing maid clothing, the skirt just barely made it to the mid thigh, the dress was sleeveless and had lots of cleavage. They looked uncomfortable as they slowly put them on. As Y/n observed she noticed lots of them had many nasty scars that look like scratches and bite wounds. Some were heavily bandaged and were forced to continue to work. Y/n quickly pulled on the uniform, though it didn't fit comfortably to her figure.

Though, the guards didn't seem to care as they forced all the girls into the kitchen. The other girls fidgeted, sobbed, or trembled in fear as they waited. Y/n looked over the girls, some she recognized from the village, while most she didn't.

She learned that Normally the sacrifices would be eaten by the demon King and prince, but lately they save them as temporary slaves. To only eat them later, If they are not eaten by the other demons in the castle.

Y/n was set to serve Prince Izuku, or soon to be King Izuku. She was given a large stack of heavy books, and ordered to take them to the prince. It was a long climb up the spiral staircase, till she finally reached the Princes room. Y/n gasped slightly, as she recognized the demon From the cave, the one that ate Katsuki. Some of the books she carried fell to the floor with a loud thump.

Prince Izuku slowly looked up from his studies with a bored and uninterested look. He wasn't wearing any grand clothing, just a simple shirt , vest, and tie.

"So you're this year's sacrifice, hm. Leave the books over there," He said dismissively.

Y/n quickly nodded and set the books down on his desk. Izuku watched silently as Y/n quickly left the room. Y/n felt her heart pound in her chest as her body trembled in fear. The image of the image of Katsuki and his bloodied face flashing in her mind.

So Y/n continued her work with the other frightened humans, when suddenly she and one other girl was tackled to the ground. Two demon guards glared down at them with hunger in there eyes.

Y/n tried to fight back, but the demon wrapped his fingers tightly around Y/n's neck. Black spots clouded her vision as she started to lose her strength. But just before The demon could take a bit, a cold chill ran down his spine. The guards quickly turned around and was meet with a dangerous glare from King Izuku.

"What are you doing? This human is off limits," Izuku said coldly, as he picked up Y/n's unconscious form. "That one is all yours,"

The guards happily chomped down on the helpless maid, her screams echoing through the halls as Izuku carried Y/n with him.

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Light.... Light slowly seeped into my vision as I opened my eyes. I could feel that I was laying down on something, something soft. Pushing myself into a sitting position, I quickly found myself in a king size bed. Looking around the room, it was well furbished and held a similar gothic tone.

"Your awake, that's good," Said a soft voice.

I jumped as I looked at the edge of the bed. It was King Izuku, he was just sitting there with a kind smile. Somehow it look natural, but yet odd for him at the same time. Before I could utter a word, Izuku was suddenly up close to me. I yelped as I almost fell of the bed.

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But a strong arm quickly grabbed Y/n's waist. Izuku pulled her close as he smiled bashfully.

"You know, I've been watching you for the longest time," Izuku said, as he moved to give Y/n some space, while twiddling his thumbs.

"What?" Y/n asked, suprised by The kings timidness.

Before in his study Y/n got the impression of a King with great confidence and some arrogance. Even the other demons were terrified, yet here he was all bashful and timid.

"Before the day you arrived, I would watch the village and it's people. I noticed you pretty easily, You didn't look like the others. and you weren't as vain as the others," Izuku said, looking at Y/n from the side of his eye.

Y/n just sat next to him and listened. How he grew intrigued with me when he finally saw me in the hollow. He also went on and on about how is father the Previous demon king started this tradition, and how he had no intreset. Yet his people seemed to greatly enjoy it, so he let's it happen just to keep them happy.

"But, I want you for myself. And I'm so happy that I finally do," He whispered, pulled his prize into a hug. " I'll keep you safe,"

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