The bells tolled.
Not with joy, but with weight.
Each one echoed through the sky like a warning, low, deep, trembling through the clouds and into my bones.
The palace was draped in crimson. Silk fluttered from the rooftops like blood caught in the wind.
Red lanterns swayed with the early afternoon breeze, their glow flickering against the gold-trimmed stone archways.
Perfume hung in the air, jasmine, lotus, something sweet, but it did nothing to settle my stomach.
I sat still.
Not because i was calm.
But because i had no choice.
Three women circled me, pinning jeweled hairpieces into my dark coils, whispering instructions i no longer heard.
One of them tugged too hard.
I didn't flinch.
I wasn't supposed to.
Not today.
Today, I was to become Crown Princess of the Eastern Empire.
Wife of Lucien Vael—the man who hates me.
The man whose eyes hadn't met mine once since i arrived in this cursed palace.
"You must be pleased," one of the ladies-in-waiting muttered as she secured the final phoenix comb behind my ear.
Her smile was tight, almost smug. "Not every woman is blessed with a union as grand as yours."
I looked at her through the bronze mirror.
My face was calm. Unmoving. Beautiful.
It always was, they said.
Cold and beautiful.
Like winter glass.
"I suppose i am," I answered softly.
Because what else could I say?
That i was being led to slaughter under the guise of silk and ceremony?
That this marriage was not a union, but a verdict?
That no one had asked what i wanted?
My veil was lowered. Red silk. Embroidered with gold phoenixes.
I couldn't see their faces anymore.
Just light. Flickering. Shifting. Distant.
The drums began.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
My cue.
I stood.
My legs did not tremble.
Not even once.
The walk to the outer palace was long, lined with petals, guarded by rows of soldiers in obsidian armor.
I kept my gaze forward, the way i was taught. Regal. Silent. Measured.
They stared at me.
All of them.
Servants, generals, consorts, scholars. Watching. Whispering.
There she is.
The cruel one.
The one who whipped a maid for dropping her wine.
The one who laughed when the chancellor's son was exiled.
The one with no heart.
No shame.
No soul.
Let them talk.
Let them all spit their poison.
I have swallowed worse.
When i reached the ceremonial gate, the prince was already there.
Lucien.
Tall. Dressed in imperial white and crimson robes. Sword at his hip. Hair like obsidian, tied back with a golden crown pin.
He did not look at me.
Not when i approached.
Not even when the priest raised his voice to begin the rites.
We knelt.
We bowed.
We poured the wine.
His hands never touched mine.
And still… the empire cheered.
Firecrackers screamed in the distance.
The sky rained with red paper, as if even the heavens wanted to pretend this was a celebration.
I remained still beside him, hands folded in my lap.
It was not joy i felt.
It was surrender.
When we were finally pronounced husband and wife, Lucien stood and walked ahead.
He did not wait.
Not even one second.
Not even for the wife he had just taken.
-
The bridal chamber was quiet when i entered. Crimson veils surrounded the bed. Candles flickered along the carved walls, casting dragon shadows across the silk-covered floor.
Lucien was pouring tea.
He did not glance up.
"You may remove your veil," he said.
I did.
Slowly. Carefully.
It slipped off my face like the final illusion leaving me behind.
He set down one cup.
Then the other.
We sat on opposite ends of the room.
Facing each other. Not speaking.
He looked up, finally.
And for the first time, I saw his eyes up close.
Sharp. Distant. Ice-carved.
"Let me make one thing clear," he said.
"I did not want this marriage."
"I know," I replied.
"I will not pretend to care for you."
"I don't expect you to."
"You are here because the Emperor demanded it, Because of the politics. Nothing more."
"And i accepted because i had no choice."
He studied me for a moment, as if my calm displeased him.
"Do not think i am unaware of what you are," he murmured. "Of what you've done or what your people done."
"Then we understand each other," I said. "Perfectly."
A silence stretched.
And in that silence, something cold wrapped around my lungs. Not pain. Not regret.
Something older. Heavier.
Familiar.
Loneliness.
I stood. Moved to the far corner.
I would not cry.
Not here.
Not in front of him.
As i turned my back, Lucien's voice stopped me.
"One more thing."
I paused.
"If you ever harm anyone in this palace… especially my servants… I will ensure you regret breathing my name."
I smiled without turning around.
"My name," I said, "is already cursed in every corner of this palace. I've nothing more to lose."
The door closed behind him with a quiet click.
And i was alone.
Crown Princess. Wife. Demoness.
Alone.
I laid down on the wedding bed, surrounded by red, bathed in silence.
And i waited for sleep to take me somewhere, anywhere else.