Before she became someone's burden, Aurelia Seraphine Vale was simply a woman who knew how to endure quietly.
She was twenty-four years old, raised in a house where obedience was praised more than happiness.
Aurelia learned early that speaking less kept the peace.
She studied diligently, worked gracefully, and carried herself with calm composure that fooled most people into thinking she was strong because she was unbreakable.
In truth, she was strong because she had no choice.
She lived in a modest apartment near the old district, where mornings smelled of dust and brewed tea.
Her days were predictable. Work, home, silence.
She enjoyed reading by the window in the evenings, watching the city lights flicker like lives that moved forward while hers remained still.
Aurelia did not dream loudly.
She dreamed carefully.
She believed love, if it ever came, would be gentle.
That it would feel safe.
That it would not demand pieces of her soul as payment.
She never imagined it would arrive as a command.
The news of her marriage came one afternoon, delivered not as a question but as a conclusion.
The families had already agreed.
The papers were prepared.
The date was set.
Her opinion was unnecessary.
That night, Aurelia sat on her bed, fingers pressed into the fabric, breathing slowly as if calm could be practiced.
I can do this, she told herself.
I have endured worse than disappointment.
She did not cry.
Crying felt like resistance, and resistance was something she had learned to hide.
Kaelric Nocturne Virex was a name she had heard long before she ever saw his face.
Powerful family.
Cold reputation.
A man known for his sharp tongue and careless charm.
Someone who belonged to rooms filled with laughter and wine, not to a woman who preferred quiet corners.
They met only once before the wedding.
It lasted ten minutes.
He barely looked at her.
She noticed the impatience in his posture, the way his fingers tapped against his watch. When their eyes met briefly, there was no curiosity there.
Only annoyance.
That was when Aurelia understood.
She was not a bride.
She was an obligation.
The wedding day arrived like a performance she was expected to memorize without rehearsal.
The hall glowed with elegance.
Guests smiled and whispered.
Music flowed softly.
Everything looked like happiness.
Aurelia stood at the altar, dressed in white, her heart steady in a way that felt unnatural. She did not search the crowd for comfort. She did not hope.
Hope felt dangerous.
When the priest asked if she accepted Kaelric Nocturne Virex as her husband, she answered quietly.
"Yes."
It was not spoken with joy, but with surrender.
Kaelric's response came immediately.
"Yes."
No warmth followed.
No glance.
No reassurance.
That night, the house meant to become her home felt empty despite its size.
Aurelia sat alone on the edge of the bed, wedding dress pooling around her like a reminder she could not escape.
When Kaelric finally entered the room, he did not greet her.
"I'll be clear," he said, loosening his tie.
"This marriage is forced. I didn't want it, and I still don't."
His words landed without mercy.
"So don't expect loyalty or affection from me," he continued.
"I won't pretend. I won't change. And I won't be faithful just because there's a ring on my hand."
He turned to her then, his gaze sharp.
"If this hurts you," he said coldly, "that's your problem."
The door closed behind him.
Aurelia remained still.
Then slowly, she stood and faced the mirror.
A wife, she thought.
Not loved.
Not chosen.
I have been married into loneliness.
Her chest tightened, but her face remained calm.
If this is the life given to me, she whispered inside her mind,
then I will survive it quietly.
And in that moment, Aurelia Seraphine Vale stopped being a woman with dreams.
She became a woman who learned how to endure.