The ballroom spread out like a golden wound below us, bleeding wealth and glittering with false promises. Candlelight shimmered in crystal chandeliers, catching on the wine-stained lips of southerners and the sharpened smiles of northern nobility. A rare sight, but they were not here just to witness my forced engagement.
No, this was the Ascension Ball. Everyone was here to celebrate before the sacrifices began at midnight. Sacrifices to Gods who had turned their back on us.
Laughter threaded through the string ensemble like poison as eyes tracked my descent. Whispers slithered from below, hissing of the mad, silver-haired princess. I wondered if they were real or from my own unravelling mind. It was hard to tell at times.
“Smile,” Aldric whispered through clenched teeth.
The practised mask slipped over my face as I focused on one step after another.
King Vaylor waited at the base of the stairs; his greying hair gleamed beneath a golden crown with points as sharp as the judgment in his eyes. He was the ruler the Mortal Kingdom feared, but the father I feared more.
The man beside him was handsome in the way most royalty was. His brown hair was sleeked back, framing an angular face with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. Healmost looked like a prince from a fairytale. It was a fleeting thought; his eyes crawled over me like groping hands and his teeth flashed in a serpentine smile. I couldfeelhis ambition; it oozed off him like perfume. His eyes flicked to my father every few seconds, and I knew I was nothing more than an alliance to the crown.
I paused on the bottom step, looking down at the man who was to be my husband. My mask slipped and venom pooled in my eyes.
Tear the flesh from his bones.
I smirked, wondering if he would whimper while his skin tore like wet parchment.
“Daughter,” King Vaylor warned, his gaze searching for defiance.
The silk of my dress rippled as I curtsied, casting my gaze at the feet of the powerful men who expected me to be weak.Submissive. Always submissive.
“Viscount Barden, I present Princess Lyra Meridian, your betrothed.”
My father’s words shuddered through me like nails dragging against stone. I didn’t want this.
“Her eyes are a little unsettling, but the rest of her is exquisite.” The viscounts voice grated against my nerves, objectifying me. But how could he not when I was forced on a pedestal of perfection? He circled me like a vulture, assessing me as if I were a prized animal.
I longed to claw his eyes out.
“I assume her purity has been preserved for our union?” The viscount asked.
Aldric tensed beside our Father, shifting uncomfortably. He knew the truth about the guards I lured into my bed. Not for love, not even for pleasure, but to reclaim something that had been stolen from me.
Control.
In his quiet way of protecting me, he made them disappear so rumours could not spread, keeping father in the dark. I didn’t care about them anyway, not anymore. I had fallen in love once, and I thought he loved me too, but clearly, I was naïve.
My father inclined his head with a single, decisive nod, sealing my fate with a gesture. “Wonderful,” my future husband leered, dragging a finger down my cheek.
I flinched, a small movement that I knew would cost me.
He made a disapproving noise, then leant in with a smile that promised pain. “Careful,” he whispered against my ear, the stench of wine curling off his breath. “You will treat me with the respect I deserve, or I will have you punished.”
Anger seared beneath my skin while I fought to keep the docile mask that needed to stay in place to avoid my father’s attention.
Aldric’s pleading eyes caught mine over the viscount’s shoulder, mouthing one word:behave.
My betrothed stepped back with a satisfied smile and raised his voice. “I’ll be expecting a dance, Princess Lyra.”
I curtsied to the man who thought he would soon hold my leash. “Of course, Viscount.”
I dropped my gaze, giving him the same submissive show my father always enjoyed. I was going to use that leash to strangle him if he got too close. My show seemed to please them both, and he bowed before disappearing into the swirling ball gowns.
Aldric re-took my arm before Father could speak.
“Lyra is feeling out of sorts. I shall escort her to the musicians to calm her nerves.”
