A few days passed in silence.
The mansion was too big. A quiet cold cage.
Duchess Arenia barely spoke to me. She came and went like a shadow. When she did speak, it was commands. Orders spoken in short, clipped words.
I didn't mind being left alone.
Not really, her presence unsettled me.
But the servants stayed away too. They walked quietly around me, heads down, as if I were fire they couldn't afford to touch.
One girl had been helping me into a gown. A pin pricked my arm. I barely flinched.
She dropped to her knees.
"I'm sorry—I'm so sorry—I didn't mean—"
Her hands were shaking. Her voice trembled. She wouldn't meet my eyes. She was so afraid, I wanted to tell her it was fine. I wanted to help her stand up.
But I just stood there, frozen and sick to my stomach.
She thought I would hurt her.
They all did.
I started having dreams, they come every night now.
Always the same.
I was standing in a void. No sky. No ground. Just endless dark.
And there she was…The other me.
Her skin was smooth like stone, her face pale and twisted with delight. Her eyes, if you could call them that were pits of moving liquid. Darkness that dripped from her lashes like ink.
She laughed.
A sharp, cruel laugh that echoed through the emptiness.
She held a blood-red flower in her hand. Always the same flower. Its petals looked like velvet dipped in blood.
"You're getting closer to me," she whispered. Her voice crawled into my ears like ice.
I shook my head. I wanted to scream. To run.
"You sold yourself for power," she hissed, grinning. "And you pretend it was for love."
"I did it to save them," I whispered.
She stepped closer.
"This is the price," she said, holding the flower out. "This is what you'll become."
I always woke before she touched me.
Always gasping. Always sweating.
That morning, I woke up and found Arenia already standing in my doorway.
Her arms were crossed. Her eyes, unreadable.
"The king has summoned you," she said. No greeting. No question. Just the command.
I blinked at her, still tangled in my sheets.
"You're to dress for court," she continued. "He wants to see... Selene."
She chose the gown herself.
Deep red. Almost black in the shadows. Tight at the waist, flowing at the bottom. Gold threads woven beautifully.
She did not speak to me again.
She followed me to the castle. At the door to the throne room, she stopped.
"You'll go alone," she said simply. "Try not to embarrass me. Do not speak unless you are spoken too" she whispered harshly.
Then she turned and walked away.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the heavy doors. This place unsettled me deeply. I felt like bugs were crawling on my skin.
The scent of old blood lingered in the stone. The silence was loud. The light from the chandeliers was too bright. Too sharp.
I stepped inside.
And there he was.
Prince Kael.
Standing near the throne.
I hadn't seen him since the day in court. Since the king announced our engagement like a prize to be handed out.
Now here he was again. Beautiful. Cold. Silent.
He was wearing black and gold. My gown shimmered with red and gold.
We matched. Of course we did.
The king was seated, smiling. That same fake, smooth smile he always wore.
Like he knew exactly what game he was playing. And we didn't.
"You look the part," he said, his eyes flicking over me. "Both of you. What a perfect pair you make."
I kept my face still.
Beside me, Kael didn't move, he didn't acknowledge me in anyway. The king leaned back, tapping his fingers on the throne's arm.
"Love can bloom in strange places," he said. "Perhaps even here."
He chuckled to himself.
I stared at the floor, keeping Arenia's advice in mind.
"I've set the date," he added. "A month from today. The court will gather for the wedding. It will be a grand affair. Auspicious."
I felt my heart tighten. Exactly one month from this day."
Kael still hadn't spoken.
The king looked between us. "You'll come to see it's for the best. And if not—" He shrugged. "It hardly matters. Appearances are what matter. You understand."
I forced a small nod.
Kael nodded too. Barely.
The king waved his hand.
"You may go."
And that was it. I turned to leave. Kael followed.
We walked in silence down the long corridor. The air was heavy with things unsaid.
Then suddenly—he grabbed my hand.
I gasped as he yanked me into an alcove, out of sight. The grip on my wrist was tight. His eyes burned.
He was furious.
"I will not marry you," he growled.
His voice was low, cold, but sharp enough to cut.
I looked at his face—his perfect, flawless face, his irises a vibrant red looked so alluring, like it could suck me in and felt anger rise like a tide in me.
It wasn't fair that someone so cruel could look so beautiful.
I yanked my hand back. "You think I want this?"
He blinked in suprise at my harsh tone.
I stepped closer. "You think I begged to be your bride?" The anger I had not voiced erupted like a force I could not stop.
He stared at me.
"You are proud," I spat. "And arrogant. And so sure that the world revolves around you."
His jaw clenched.
"Get over yourself will you… you ass" I said voice dripping with venom. "I have no love for you. And I never will."
That caught him.
His eyes widened just slightly. Like he wasn't expecting that.
I took a deep breath and walked past him, I wondered if I had gone too far with my words but the anger still there made me not care too much.
I reached the outer doors of the castle.
The sky outside was pale and gray.
Just as I stepped through the threshold.
I heard it.
A voice, cold as ice.
"I know what you are, witch."