"Stand still, child."
Lady Lysandra circles around me slowly, her sharp eyes inspecting every loose strand of my silver hair while servants rush around the massive chamber carrying fabrics, jewelry, and trays of golden pins.
I stand on the small platform in the center of the room feeling painfully out of place.
The gown wrapped around my body is beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Layers of soft gold fabric fall around me like sunlight itself, stitched carefully with ancient royal symbols. I have never worn anything this expensive before. Back in the Ice Clan, priestesses dressed simply unless rituals demanded otherwise.
This feels different.
Heavy.
Like they are dressing me into a role I still do not understand.
Lady Lysandra steps back slightly before giving a small nod.
"Better."
A servant quickly adjusts the sleeve again anyway.
I remain silent.
I have learned silence makes palace people comfortable.
Most of them do not know what to do with me.
The strange girl from the Ice Clan.
The cursed one.
The future queen.
Whispers follow me everywhere.
"She's prettier than I expected."
"They say she barely speaks."
"I heard she controls heat itself."
"No… I heard she burned someone as a child."
My fingers tighten slightly at my sides.
The whispers never stop.
"Enough gossiping," Lady Lysandra says sharply without even turning around.
Instant silence fills the chamber.
Interesting.
The older woman sighs before walking toward me again.
Unlike most people in this palace, Kaevryn's aunt does not look at me with fear in her eyes.
She looks at me like she is trying to solve a puzzle.
"There," she murmurs while adjusting a golden chain across my shoulder. "Now you almost resemble royalty."
I blink slowly.
"Almost?"
A small smile touches her lips.
"There is still too much sadness in your eyes."
The words catch me off guard.
Before I can respond, the chamber doors suddenly open.
The atmosphere changes instantly.
A woman enters gracefully, dressed in dark crimson silk with silver jewels resting against her throat like sharpened blades.
Princess Seraphine.
Kaevryn's sister.
Behind her trail two noblewomen already hiding amused smiles behind their fans.
"Lady Lysandra," Seraphine says smoothly. "I heard the palace was preparing for a wedding. I simply had to witness the miracle myself."
Lysandra's expression hardens slightly.
"You should knock before entering."
"And miss this?" Seraphine's gaze lands on me fully.
Cold.
Assessing.
Cruel.
Her lips curve faintly.
"The future queen certainly cleans up better than expected."
The noblewomen behind her giggle softly.
I say nothing.
Seraphine slowly circles around me the same way a wolf circles unfamiliar prey.
"How fascinating," she muses. "An Ice Clan girl wearing Sun Kingdom gold."
My chest tightens slightly.
"Tell me," she continues lightly, "do they teach royal etiquette within those frozen walls of yours? Or only survival?"
Lady Lysandra steps forward immediately.
"That is enough."
But Seraphine ignores her completely.
"I suppose my brother had little choice," she sighs dramatically. "Political marriages are rarely pleasant."
One of the women behind her laughs softly.
"The Crown Prince deserved a true mate at least."
Something sharp flickers across my chest.
Not pain.
Something hotter.
I lower my gaze immediately.
Do not react.
That was always the first rule.
Do not react.
Seraphine steps closer.
"So quiet," she murmurs. "Perhaps the rumors are true after all."
I finally look at her.
"What rumors?"
A pleased smile spreads across her face.
"That the Ice Clan hid you because there is something wrong with you."
The room stills.
Completely.
Even the servants stop moving.
I feel it again.
That heat beneath my skin.
Dangerous.
Growing.
Seraphine notices my silence and smiles wider.
"Oh?" she says softly. "Did I upset you?"
No.
Not upset.
Angry.
Very angry.
But I swallow it down.
Like always.
Until one of the noblewomen speaks again.
"I heard her mother died bringing her into the world."
The words strike harder than expected.
"She probably truly is cursed."
Something inside me snaps.
The room suddenly grows hotter.
A servant gasps.
Then another.
The candles lining the chamber flare violently all at once.
Golden light flickers across the walls.
My breathing becomes uneven instantly.
No.
Not here.
Not now.
The mirrors begin trembling.
Heat rushes through the room in waves powerful enough to send the servants stumbling backward in panic.
"What is happening?" someone screams.
Lady Lysandra's eyes widen.
"Elyasan—"
A crack forms across the marble beneath my feet.
The noblewomen shriek loudly as one of the silk curtains suddenly bursts into flames.
Panic erupts instantly.
Servants rush everywhere.
The air itself feels like fire.
And then—
The doors slam open.
Every head turns.
Kaevryn stands there.
His dark gaze immediately lands on me.
Then the flames.
Then the terrified nobles surrounding me.
Silence falls heavily across the room.
My chest rises unevenly as golden light flickers faintly beneath my skin.
And for the first time since entering this palace…
Everyone looks at me exactly the way the priests once did.
Like I am something to fear.