CHAPTER THIRTEEN —Jealousy
Helena kept running.
She didn't stop until she reached the east courtyard her breath ragged, her chest burning, her thoughts tangled beyond reason. Only then did she notice the chaos surrounding her.
The palace was alive in a way she had never seen before.
Servants rushed past with rolls of fabric and trays of flowers. Musicians rehearsed beneath the arches, strings humming softly through the air. Lanterns were being cleaned, banners unfurled, and cooks shouted instructions as smoke curled from the kitchens.
Helena stood frozen in the middle of it all.
She caught a passing maid by the sleeve.
"What's going on?" she asked breathlessly. "Why is everyone preparing?"
The maid stared at her in shock.
"You don't know?"
"Know what?" Helena pressed, panic creeping into her voice.
The maid smiled brightly, oblivious to the storm gathering behind Helena's eyes.
"Prince Kira's wedding, of course! He's marrying Princess Emily of the neighboring kingdom."
The words landed like a blade.
Wedding.
Kira… getting married?
The world tilted. Helena felt the air rush out of her lungs as if something had struck her chest. Her knees weakened, and she had to grip the stone railing to steady herself.
Princess Emily.
Her heart thudded painfully, each beat sharper than the last. Heat surged through her—anger, disbelief, sadness… and something else.
Jealousy.
The realization startled her.
Why would I be jealous?
She swallowed hard, her throat burning.
Then it struck her.
Her first kiss.
Her first real kiss…
Had been stolen by a man who was about to belong to another woman.
Her fingers trembled as she touched her lips, as though the memory still lingered there. A sharp ache twisted deep in her chest, spreading until it hurt to breathe.
"Oh no," she whispered.
Her voice cracked.
"Oh gods… why does this hurt so much?"
Far beyond the walls of Nightfall, in the neighboring kingdom, joy echoed through golden halls.
King Aldren stared at the sealed letter once more, still unable to believe it. A marriage alliance with Nightfall had always been a distant hope never something he expected to be offered so suddenly.
"Kira has agreed," he murmured in disbelief.
Across the room, Princess Emily clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"I knew it," she said breathlessly. "I knew he would."
Emily had dreamt of this moment for years of becoming Queen of Nightfall, of standing beside Prince Kira, the most feared and powerful man of his generation. To her, his coldness was not frightening; it was thrilling. She believed she alone could soften him.
"When is the wedding, Father?" she asked eagerly.
King Aldren considered briefly, then waved a hand.
"Soon. Very soon. Let us say… the next full moon."
Emily gasped in excitement.
That very evening, her chambers were filled with silk, jewels, and attendants fussing endlessly. Dresses were laid out across her bed deep crimson, midnight blue, shimmering gold. She brushed her fingers over fabrics cut daringly, designed to flatter and captivate.
"He will notice me," she said confidently, studying her reflection.
"He will have no choice."
Her maids giggled as they adjusted her hair and whispered about Nightfall's prince. Emily smiled at their admiration, already imagining herself walking beside Kira, imagining the power, the crown, the future she believed was finally hers.
She had no doubt.
No fear.
No idea that the man she longed for was already standing on the edge of something far more dangerous than marriage.
And back in Nightfall, as lanterns were hung and music practiced, Helena stood alone beneath the darkening sky her heart breaking quietly while the palace celebrated a future that did not include her.