Adeline stared at the final photograph of her mother, the paper worn thin at the edges. She wiped her eyes and tucked the picture into a small satchel, the only possession she had all these years in her own home.
The door creaked open as Janessa stepped into the room, her gaze sweeping over the cramped space with visible distaste. "You should be grateful for this hovel while you still have it, Adeline," she said.
"Gideon Knightley is merciless. There's a reason no noble Alpha would risk his own daughter's life by sending her to him."
Janessa leaned against the doorframe, a cruel smile tugging at her lips. "Dad doesn't love you, Adeline. He never loved your mother, either. I'm not even his biological daughter, yet he claims me as his own. You have no one. Once you're inside those palace walls, especially with Gideon, you'll be begging for the end."
"The royal car has arrived!" a servant called out, breathless as they reached the doorway.
Adeline stood up from the sagging mattress. She didn't offer any response to Janessa and simply gave her one last cold look before heading toward the door.
In the living room, Adeline found her father and stepmother hovering over open chests, their eyes fixed greedily on the stacks of gold bars and intricate jewelry sent from the palace.
The royal envoy turned his gaze toward Adeline. He took in her frayed clothes and hollow expression, his brow furrowing as if he had expected someone entirely different.
"You may say your farewells to your daughter now, Mr. Valois," he said.
"Go on then," Zason said, forcing a look of paternal longing. "We shall miss you dearly."
Adeline offered no response. She walked past him without a word, following the envoy out to the waiting vehicle.
As she settled into the backseat and the door clicked shut, the man in the front passenger seat turned slightly.
"We will reach Valdaria in three hours," the man said, turning his gaze back to the road.
Adeline clutched the satchel in her lap, her knuckles white. "Why was I chosen to be the Alpha Prince's bride?"
The man glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Did Mr. Valois not explain it to you?"
Adeline shook her head.
"He was the one who offered your hand to Prince Gideon," the man replied. "I don't have the details of the arrangement. Once we arrive at the palace, you can ask the Prince yourself."
Adeline nodded and leaned back against the leather seat. She winced as the movement pulled at the unhealed welts on her back. Exhaustion eventually overrode the sting, and she drifted into a restless sleep.
When she woke, the car was gliding along a drive lined with manicured lawns and towering marble statues.
Her breath hitched at the scale of the grand palace. The car slowed to a halt, and a servant immediately opened her door.
Stepping out, Adeline took her first breath of the Valdaria air. The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the stone pavement.
She was led through the massive doors and straight to a private chamber.
"Miss, this will be your temporary room until your union with the royal household is finalized," the man explained. He reached for the switch to clear the gloom of the dark room, but the lights flickered on before he could touch them.
"Your Highness!" The man's head dropped instinctively in a sharp bow.
"Eros, how dare you bring a bride for me?" Gideon's voice sliced through the air from the shadows behind them.
Before Adeline could turn, Gideon was suddenly there. He moved with a predatory speed, his hand clamping around Eros' throat. He hoisted the man upward, the grip so tight it looked as though he intended to crush the life out of him then and there.
"Stop! Don't do this!" Adeline stepped forward, her hands instinctively grabbing Gideon's arm.
Gideon turned his head, and their eyes locked. Adeline froze. At this distance, the sheer intensity of his features was suffocating.
Gideon abruptly released his hold, shoving Eros away. "Run, if you want to live," he commanded.
Eros didn't hesitate; he vanished from the room in an instant.
Adeline took a shaky step back, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Your Highness, I apologize for interrupting," she whispered.
Gideon reached out, his fingers catching her chin and forcing her head up until she was looking him in the eye.
"You're the first person who dared to stop me and also the first one to be pardoned by me."
Adeline didn't know whether to be happy about it or be upset about it.
"I think I'm going to love being with you," Gideon remarked, his thumb gently brushing over her lip. "I'll see you later. I've to settle the score with the old man."
With that, he let go of her chin and walked away from her sight.