(BOUND NOT BY LOVE)
Just a few seconds later, a knock echoed, snapping Kaelith out of his thoughts as a flood of questions rushed through his mind.
"My Lord Kaelith, I hope everything is alright in there?" a formal female voice called from outside.
'What... how did I end up here?' he wondered.
And then— a sudden surge of memories clashed into him all at once, making him stagger slightly.
"Oh no, this is bad. This is really bad. How… no, it can't be. I thought he was joking. And now I'm taking his place?"
Kaelith nearly screamed as he shot up, his breath hitching, panic clawing at his chest. He rushed to the mirror— and froze.
The reflection staring back at him wasn't his.
Pale ivory skin with a warm undertone. Sharper cheekbones and a pointed chin. A jawline sharp enough to cut, like truth itself.
Obsidian-black hair fell around his face, streaked with deep burgundy at the ends— subtle, almost hidden, unless caught in sunlight or firelight.
His eyes, no, this body's eyes— were an unnatural almond shape, glowing with a striking crimson-gold hue.
He touched his face slowly, as if it would shatter under his fingers.
This isn't me. This is someone else.
He peeled off the gloves he didn't realize he'd been wearing and examined his hands.
They were slender, elegant, and unfamiliar. Moving them felt strange, like wearing silk after a lifetime in worn leather.
'Did I really just… reincarnate?'
His chest tightened.
'And now… I'm getting married?'
Yes. He was. And that was exactly why he was spiraling.
A knock interrupted his frantic thoughts.
"Lord Kaelith," came a soft voice. His handmaid, muffled by the heavy oak door. "They're waiting for you, my Lord."
'Let them wait,' he thought bitterly, gripping the edge of the table for balance.
As if she'd heard him, her voice came again, more urgent. "The king is waiting impatiently. He won't be pleased if—"
Kaelith didn't let her finish. He stormed to the door and flung it open.
The handmaid stood at attention, bowing immediately. "My Lord, I must complete the final touch."
Kaelith paused. His instincts said to argue, to push her away, but something about the nervous look in her eyes stopped him.
He straightened up. Took a breath.
The clothes clinging to his body felt regal. Heavy.
He noticed the slight pressure from the ornate necklace resting on his collarbone. His boots were polished to a gleam.
'This is real. This is happening.' He was screaming in his head.
He nodded stiffly. "You may carry on," he said, voice tight, slightly unsure.
The handmaid stepped forward to adjust his robes and fasten a small gold pin over his shoulder. Kaelith stood still, trying to calm the storm inside him.
As she worked, he caught his reflection again, this time, not with horror… but with cautious curiosity.
"So this is the body I've inherited." He frowned a bit.
It was graceful. Strong. Royal.
But yet unfamiliar.
'Whoever this Kaelith was… he lived a life I'm about to step into blind.'
And tonight… he was getting married in his place. From dying to getting married.
****
The temple walls loomed high—white stone carved with ocean runes, glowing faintly under the foreign sun.
Kaelith stood still as servants adjusted the silver embroidery on his ceremonial robe.
His fingers twitched, not out of excitement but nervousness.
Too tight, too bright, too quiet.
He wasn't used to this body yet.
And yet here he was, about to marry someone he never knew.
The temple doors carved with the bones of ancient wyrm-dragons, opened with a low, grinding hum.
And for a moment, the room seemed to stop breathing.
All the sounds he had been hearing vanished into silence.
He walked in slow, deliberate steps the heavy silence broken only by the soft crackling of enchanted embers beneath his boots.
At the same time he was afraid someone might notice he wasn't the real Kaelith.
His obsidian velvet cloak swept the black marble behind him like a shadow alive.
The golden symbols on his robe glowed softly, moving like tiny flames across his chest and sleeves.
From the tall collar to the snake-like braid of his belt, every part of his outfit was carefully made and full of detail.
A single strand of burgundy-streaked hair fell across his forehead, refusing to stay tied back like the rest, which was held with silver clips.
His fang-shaped earring gave off a strange glow moving slightly.
You can say he caught everyone's attention present in the temple hall.
Kaelith reached the altar and stood waiting for his so called groom.
'I hope he doesn't show up. Please, let this marriage fall through,' he prayed silently.
But unfortunately, the Sea Witch Prince entered— draped in wet silks that shimmered like living moonlight.
His pale skin glowed, and his long sea-silver hair was tied back with pearl threads. Ceremonial robes, layered in deep aquamarine and sheer ocean-blue silk, clung to him like waves.
Sharp features, lips unreadable, but his eye…
Gods
Those eyes were the color of a dying storm. And they were locked instanly on Kaelith with no warmth at all.
Kaelith smirked bitterly.
"Perfect," he whispered to himself. "Another heartless bastard."
He walked like the sea itself had shaped him.
He stopped before the altar, the flames around the chamber flickered.
Neither prince bowed.
They simply stared.
Not like strangers.
But sadly, like two weapons forged in opposite realms… they were finally drawn to the same battlefield.
"You're shorter than I expected," the Sea Witch Prince said flatly.
Kaelith raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a lazy smirk.
"And you're ruder than I hoped. But I suppose the ocean doesn't teach manners."
The crowd around them stirred, whispers rising like a tide.
A high priest from both courts stepped forward quickly.
"As per the terms of the Sea and Land Accord, this union shall be sealed today in Varies, the land of stone and flame."
Clearing his throat he continues, "A second ceremony will be held in the Ocean Capital of Thaloris in twenty days, to honor the sacred customs of the deep."
Kaelith's eyes flicked back to Caelum's.
Twenty days.
He would have to follow this stranger into the sea.
The thought stunned him— and yet, deep inside, something stirred.
A part of him that wanted to refuse.
A part that wanted to turn and run far from this moment.
Before him stood a prince who looked like a god and felt like a gathering storm.
Kaelith barely had time to think before a faint tremor of magic passed over his skin.
Caelum had reached forward and taken his hand.
There was no warmth in the touch.
No affection.
No desire.
Just... duty.
The High Priest stepped before them, holding an old scroll in both hands. His voice was clear and formal.
"Kaelith of Vireas, do you take Prince Caelum of Thaloris to be your bonded spouse, as agreed in the Accord between Sea and Land?"
Kaelith swallowed hard. His heart was racing, but his voice stayed steady.
'I don't, but I got no choice.' he mentally said.
"I do," and he answered maybe a little too firmly.
There was a brief silence.
Then Caelum finally spoke, his voice calm and sure.
"I do."
The scroll glowed. The magical bond sealed. A pulse of ocean-blue light flared, then faded.
It was done.
They were married.
Kaelith's gaze locked with Caelum's.
Neither blinked.
Neither smiled.
And in that moment, images flashed through Kaelith's mind. A wave of dizziness hit him, and everything went black.
Just as his body collapsed, Prince Caelum caught him, frowning as he looked down at the unconscious figure in his arms.
Without a word, he lifted Kaelith's limp body—an unexpected burden now resting against him.