The golden bells of the royal manor rang across the kingdom of Lumeria, echoing through the marble halls and over the burning horizon. The fire-lit sky painted the towers in hues of red and gold — a kingdom forever dancing on the edge of glory and ruin.
Noha stood before her mirror, fingers trembling as she adjusted the silver lace of her dress. Her reflection glowed in the candlelight — soft hazel eyes that carried both gentleness and pain, short dark hair framing her pale face.
But tonight, no flaw could hide her dread.
She was to be married.To Sky, heir of the House of Vareth — a man known more for his arrogance than his honor. His eyes, crimson like the embers of war, had never once softened when he looked at her. To him, she was nothing more than an alliance — a key to strengthen power, not a heart to cherish.
Outside her window, the city's hum softened into a lonely breeze. She turned her gaze toward the lower district — where laughter still lived among the poor, where people worked with hands rough yet hearts warm.
And there, in the faint orange glow of a bakery's light, she saw him again.
The boy with golden hair dusted in flour.The baker.
Arion.
He was laughing as he handed bread to a child, his smile radiant even through the soot of poverty. Something in Noha's chest stirred — something that felt alive, rebellious, real.
A knock shattered her moment of escape.
"Noha," came her mother's voice, sharp and cold. "It's time. The carriage awaits."
Noha took one last glance at the world beyond her window — the world she longed for — before she whispered to her reflection,"Just once… I want to choose my own fire."
And as the flames of the sunset devoured the sky, Noha walked toward her destiny — unaware that the baker with golden eyes would soon change it forever...