Aveline stood on the balcony adjoining the resting chamber, the chill of the night air threading through the silk of her gown. From here, she could still hear faint echoes of music drifting up from the banquet hall, but she had no appetite for anything.
Her fingers brushed the edge of the rune band encircling her wrist—the mark that had appeared when the circle flared to life.
She had come to the Imperial Capital with a simple goal: stand for the Fate Rune, keep her independence, and avoid entanglements that would bind her to the treacherous game of court politics.
She had been certain the magic would choose someone distant, harmless.
But
It had chosen Prince Kael.
The cursed prince—the one whispered to carry misfortune in his shadow, the one she had never crossed paths with.
Now the rune had tethered her life to his in a bond older than the Empire itself.
She had felt it in the ceremony's final moment: a sudden heat and sting in her chest, as if her very soul had been branded.
Her thoughts tangled with the Emperor's words at the banquet—that Kael would remain in the palace for some time.
That her family would be drawn deeper into the inner circle of the court. The threads of intrigue were already tightening around her, pulling her toward a role she had never wanted.
Water and fire. That was what they called it, when incompatible magics collided. If the bond could not be mastered, it could consume them both.
But somewhere in the back of her mind, behind the apprehension, was a quiet and unwelcome thought.
If fate had chosen him, perhaps it was not to destroy her—but to change her life forever.
Her magic had long since evolved into ice, though she could still command water. Now she felt other changes stirring as well. The question was whether those changes would affect the bond.
She should have been relieved that Alaric was back. Instead, her thoughts were a restless tide—his approval of her choice to attend the ceremony now tangled in this unexpected bond.
A familiar voice broke her spiral.
"Aveline."
She turned, and there was Alaric, smiling that same smile he had always worn. His hand lingered at her shoulder—steady, anchoring.
"You took it exactly as I expected," he said softly. "Unshaken, unbothered, even when the world decides your fate without asking."
Her lips tilted, her eyes softening. "You expected me to… what? Faint into the rune circle?"
"No," he murmured, leaning close so only she could hear, "I expected you to hide your reaction until you knew where to aim it. Just as we were taught."
Aveline smiled at her brother and asked with a slight tilt of her head, "What are they here for? Some agreement?"
"For marriage alliances, perhaps. Maybe they're aiming for the position of crown princess or for someone else." Alaric lowered his voice as he replied, "That's why I didn't stop you from participating in the ceremony."
Aveline nodded in response, then asked with a teasing smile, "Brother, when are you going to participate—or do you already have someone?"
Alaric chuckled. "You'll know soon." Seeing Aveline hesitate as if to say more, he prompted, "What is it? Since when do you hesitate?"
"Ah… what do you think about Kael?" she asked, her voice carrying a trace of expectation she herself did not notice.
Aveline caught the flicker in her brother's gaze when the prince's name passed her lips. He knew more than he would say here, surrounded by ears.
"Not bad. We'll talk about it at home. For now, it's time we return to the banquet—it's nearly ended."
Aveline gave a slight nod and left alongside Alaric, but not before casting a glance into the darkness beyond the balcony.
---
Kael lingered in the shadows at the farthest corner of the banquet hall, away from the swirl of silk and jewels, before making his way outside. Laughter and music spilled around him like a foreign language he had never cared to learn.
The Fate Rune's mark throbbed beneath his sleeve, its heat a steady pulse against his skin—right over his sternum.
He had expected the ceremony to be nothing more than a political formality. He had almost skipped it, as he had so many other court occasions. But the Emperor's summons had been unusually direct, impossible to ignore. And now… this.
From his position, half-concealed among the shadowed trees, Kael watched the siblings' exchange with quiet curiosity.
He had stepped out to escape the stares of those eager to glimpse the cursed prince. What he had not expected was to encounter her—and once he had, his eyes refused to move past her, caught by a memory that refused to fade.
The rune's mark still pulsed beneath his shirt, hot and inexorable. He had thought he could ignore the girl until the court grew bored of the novelty of their match. But it was not so. His eyes had begun to follow her of their own accord.
The bond between them was no ordinary tether. The burn in his chest had not faded since the moment the rune flared. He could feel her presence like a thread pulled taut, quiet but unbreakable. An anomaly, the Rune Keeper had called it. Dangerous, he thought.
The Emperor wanted him to remain in the palace—likely to keep him under watch now that the bond tied him to a woman from one of the empire's most influential houses. Kael had no love for the gilded cage of court life, but walking away was no longer an option.
What troubled him most was what she thought of him—and of the bond. Would she draw close, unafraid as others were, or would theirs become a marriage of convenience?
Her smile, when she had spoken with her brother, had etched itself into his mind. He wanted—no, needed—to see it directed toward him.
Changes had already begun in him, though he had yet to realize it. The question was whether they would be able to stand together through what was to come.
When she turned her head in his direction, Kael stepped back into the shadows, vanishing behind the trees.
He waited a moment, then walked toward the chambers assigned to him, a new resolve stirring within him—he would speak to her, and soon.
---