Elara's POV
The letter arrived at dawn, sealed with Cassian's personal crest, the golden dragon I'd once traced with my fingers on lazy Sunday mornings when he was still mine.
Meet me in the throne room at noon. Today, everything changes.
My heart hammered as I pressed the paper to my chest. Five years. Five years of marriage, and finally finally, he was going to acknowledge our anniversary in front of the court. The same court that whispered I was barren. Worthless. A wife the Crown Prince tolerated but didn't love.
Today, I'd prove them all wrong.
I chose my best gown, the sapphire silk he'd once said matched my eyes. My hands shook fastening the pearl necklace, the one he'd given me on our wedding night with a kiss that tasted like promises. My lady-in-waiting, Celeste, braided my hair with golden ribbons, her pregnant belly brushing against my arm.
You look beautiful, Your Highness, she whispered, but something flickered in her eyes. Something I was too excited to notice.
The throne room doors opened, and my breath caught.
The entire imperial court had gathered, hundreds of nobles in their finest silks, foreign ambassadors, even the common merchants who never attended royal functions. Flowers decorated every column. Cassian stood at the center in his formal black robes, looking like the prince from every fairy tale I'd ever believed in.
This was it. The grand gesture. The public declaration of love I'd been waiting five years to hear.
I walked forward, my smile so wide it hurt. The nobles parted like a sea, their faces strange—not happy, but hungry. Excited. Like wolves watching a lamb walk into a trap.
Cassian's eyes met mine, and the world stuttered.
They were cold. Empty. Like looking at a stranger.
Elara Ashbourne, he said, his voice echoing off marble walls. Not 'my wife.' Not 'my love.' My full name, formal and distant as winter.
My feet stopped moving. Something was wrong. Terribly, horribly wrong.
The Empress Dowager sat beside the throne, her crimson lips curved in a smile that made my skin crawl. The Grand Chancellor stood at Cassian's right, holding a scroll that looked official and damning.
You summoned me, husband? My voice came out smaller than I wanted.
Cassian descended the throne steps. Each footfall felt like a countdown to something I didn't understand. He stopped three feet away, close enough to touch, but the distance between us felt like an ocean.
I divorce you.
Three words. Simple. Devastating.
The court gasped as one, a sound like wind through a graveyard.
My mind went blank. What?
I, Crown Prince Cassian Valorian, hereby dissolve my marriage to Elara Ashbourne on grounds of treason, conspiracy against the empire, and crimes against the crown. His voice was perfectly steady, perfectly rehearsed, perfectly wrong.
The throne room spun. This wasn't happening. This was a nightmare. Any second, I'd wake up and laugh about this terrible dream.
Cassian, what are you
Evidence has been presented to the imperial court. The Grand Chancellor unrolled his scroll. Correspondence with enemy kingdoms. Plans to undermine imperial security. Meetings with foreign spies disguised as charitable work.
That's insane! I lurched forward, but guards appeared from nowhere, gripping my arms. I've never, those are lies! Cassian, please, look at me!
He wouldn't. He stared over my head like I was already gone.
Furthermore, the Empress Dowager purred, standing with theatrical grace, she has failed in her most basic duty as Crown Princess. Five years without producing an heir. Clearly, the gods themselves reject this union.
Laughter rippled through the nobles. Quiet, cruel, delighted.
My cheeks burned. The shame I'd carried privately for years, the monthly disappointment, the pitying looks, the whispered barren, thrown in my face before hundreds of witnesses.
Cassian. I struggled against the guards, my voice breaking. Please. Just look at me. Talk to me. This is our anniversary
It was never real. His words cut like glass. A political arrangement that has run its course.
Tears blurred my vision. You're lying. You loved me. I know you did
You know nothing.
Then she stepped forward. Celeste. My friend. My trusted lady-in-waiting. She walked to Cassian's side, her hand resting on her swollen belly, her eyes downcast with fake modesty.
I'm sorry, Your Highness, she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. But the court deserves to know the truth. The Crown Prince and I... we've been together for months. This child is his.
The floor dropped out from under me.
No. No, no, no
Cassian placed his hand over hers on her stomach. Protective. Possessive. The way he'd never touched me.
The child is legitimate, he announced. Once my marriage to Elara is annulled, I will formalize my relationship with Lady Celeste.
I screamed. Raw and broken and inhuman. The guards hauled me backward, my feet dragging on marble, my whole world shattering like dropped glass.
Cassian, please! I fought harder than I'd ever fought in my life. Don't do this! Whatever they told you, whatever you think I did—it's not true! I love you! I've only ever loved you!
For one heartbeat, he looked at me. Really looked at me.
I saw guilt flicker in his eyes. Pain. Regret.
Then it was gone, replaced by ice.
Remove her, he ordered.
The guards dragged me toward the doors. Nobles whispered and laughed. The Empress Dowager watched with satisfaction. Celeste pressed closer to Cassian, her lips curving in a secret smile that promised she'd won.
CASSIAN! I screamed his name until my throat bled. CASSIAN, DON'T DO THIS! PLEASE!
The throne room doors slammed shut behind me, cutting off my cries.
In the sudden silence of the corridor, one guard leaned close. His breath smelled like cheap wine and rot.
The Empress Dowager sends her regards, he whispered. Your exile ends at the border. You won't survive the journey.
My blood turned to ice as his meaning sank in.
They weren't just divorcing me.
They were going to kill me.