The news arrived like a hammer to her chest: in three days, she would be officially engaged to Lord Kael Blackthorn.
"They couldn't wait to sell me off!"she scoffed to herself.
Nerine sat stiffly in her velvet-cushioned chair, the room was quiet except for the soft scrape of quill against parchment. Her tutors droned on about lady-like etiquette, fork placement, conversational tones, when to speak, and when to remain silent. She repeated lines without truly hearing them, her thoughts far too loud.
A vampire. She was marrying a vampire.
How had her life unraveled so swiftly?
She hadn't dreamed since the night in the hallway, the flower blooming, the ghostly hush of the estate whispering secrets to her. Nothing since. No whispers, no strange visions. Just silence. Cold and hollow. Perhaps the dream world, too, had given up on her.
The rustle of skirts snapped her back into focus.
"Repeat after me," said the etiquette instructor, tapping her cane lightly on the floor. "When entering a noble gathering, you offer a small curtsy, head lowered, hands delicately clasped."
Nerine stood, curtsied, her movements robotic. "Head lowered, hands clasped. Speak only when addressed."The lady was more strict than sera who had tutored her the last time.
"Good," the instructor said, though her voice lacked praise.
The session continued for hours. When it finally ended, Nerine was left in her room, mentally exhausted. She sat on the edge of her bed, thoughts turning in restless circles.
She wondered what he looked like.
This Lord Kael Blackthorn. Was he tall? Did he have crimson eyes like the vampires from stories? Was he cruel? Gentle? Uncaring?
Was he already planning how best to drain her?
The thought sent a chill down her spine.
She glanced at the wardrobe where her bag sat tucked away. Rising, she opened it and retrieved the vampire novel she'd hidden. The cover was slightly wrinkled from neglect.
She opened the pages and skimmed until she found a passage describing the vampire lord: "His eyes burned with ancient hunger, and yet, a gentleness tempered the monster within."
She frowned.
Gentleness?
Monster?
They don't go together.
Her fingers drifted to her neck.
What if Kael wasn't gentle? What if he didn't temper the monster within?
What if he chose to feast?
She slammed the book shut.
Her pulse was racing.
"Stop it," she whispered to herself. "Don't think about offending him. Just follow the rules. Be quiet. Be obedient. Invisible."
She nodded at her reflection in the mirror.
That was the plan. Obey. Disappear into the shadows of his mansion.
It was better than the alternative.
She climbed into bed and let the exhaustion drag her into slumber.
******
Morning light crept into the room, delicate and golden. A soft knock sounded.
"Come in," Nerine said, already sitting upright.
Her maid entered with a warm smile. "It's time milady. Today… is the day, I have to get you dressed as soon as possible."
Nerine rose quietly. Her heart was strangely calm, like the stillness before a storm.
She bathed, dressed, and let the maids braid her newly dyed black hair. Her lilac gown shimmered faintly in the morning sun. She looked elegant—every inch the lady they had tried to mold her into.
But inside, she felt like a stranger.
As she descended the staircase, she saw Lady Kate waiting in the foyer, her sharp features as composed as ever. Sir Marudas stood near the carriage outside, speaking to the guards.
"Remember this," Lady Kate said, adjusting one of Nerine's sleeves. "You are Sofia now. No one must ever call you otherwise. This arrangement is delicate. One mistake could destroy everything."
Nerine blinked. "But—"
"No arguments," Kate interrupted. "You are to uphold the family's name. Disgrace is not an option."
A lump formed in Nerine's throat.
Sofia.
And she wondered where the owner of the name was.
They were sending her off as someone else.
Even her name wasn't hers anymore.
She nodded faintly. "Understood."
Lady Kate's eyes lingered on her for a moment. Then she turned away, walking back into the house as if the conversation had never happened.
Sir Marudas approached. "The carriage is ready. The trip will be a few hours. Make no delays."
She climbed in, her skirts brushing against the polished floor of the carriage.
With a final crack of the reins, the horses pulled forward.
Nerine looked out the window, watching the estate fade behind her. Her hands were cold, resting in her lap.
Sofia.
She was Sofia now.
A name that tasted like ash on her tongue.
She wondered to herself if she should just drop it all and run away.
But she couldn't she was her mother's daughter and she had promised her mother to obey her father,she would not want to break her mother's promise.
As the trees blurred past, her thoughts drifted to Madam Helen. Gracy. Noah. Sweet little Elizabeth. Did they miss her? Did they know what she was being dragged into?
She swallowed hard.
She missed them.
So much that it hurts.
Would she ever see them again? Could she visit them after her marriage?
"You're being ridiculous," she scolded herself. "This isn't some fairy tale with a happy ending. You're marrying an unknown breed. A vampire."
Still, a small voice in her heart whispered: What if he's not a monster?
She pushed it down.
No. She shouldn't assume on her own and who knows if he is even happy about the marriage.
She has seen some husbands beat up their wife just for the sake that their family had promised them to each other and they feel like they brought misfortune to them.
There was only this road. This name. This duty.
Sofia.
And the unknown man who would soon call her his bride.