The palace buzzed with unrest.
By noon, every hallway was swept, every marble floor scrubbed to perfection. Maids dashed about in pairs, arms full of silk linens and porcelain trays. The kitchen fires were alive with urgency, and the air reeked of perfume, roasted meats, and secrets.
A banquet had been announced. A last-minute celebration to honor peace treaties signed with the Eastern Border Lords.
But peace never came without a cost.
I stood by the window in the dressing chamber as Lydia and Peace laced my bodice, their hands gentle but firm.
"You're unusually quiet," Lydia murmured.
"I don't trust it," I said softly. "All this joy... it feels forced."
Peace gave me a side glance. "The court is always like this, mi lady. Smiles with daggers behind them."
She wasn't wrong. I had already started noticing the whispers that followed me,how some of the noble girls would bow but roll their eyes after I passed. I wasn't one of them. A girl from a lesser noble house, married off to the cold vampire prince no one dared question. I was both a curiosity and a target.
Even now, they wondered what he saw in me.
What they didn't know,what they couldn't know,
was that I didn't even know.
"Mi lady," Lydia said gently. "Don't let them rattle you tonight. Just stand tall, smile... and survive."
I smiled faintly. "Is that what the noblewomen do these days?"
"No," Peace muttered. "That's what queens do."
⸻
The banquet hall was a storm of colors. Candles dripped wax onto golden candelabras, violins sang softly in the background, and nobles swirled around in conversation and wine. My dress shimmered in navy and gold under the lights, but I still felt naked,exposed.
I had barely stepped past the entrance before they swarmed.
"Lady Lisa, I'm Lady Mirielle. We've heard so much about you."
"How quaint your dress is. It's very... homegrown."
"I must say, you carry yourself well... for someone from outside the capital."
Each smile came laced with poison.
And still, I smiled.
Leonard hadn't arrived yet. I stood among serpents, faking ease while every inch of me screamed to run.
Then a hand slipped around my waist.
Every voice went quiet.
Leonard stood beside me, tall and imposing in a black and silver coat. His red eyes flicked over the women like shadows scanning prey. One brow arched.
"Was my wife entertaining you?"
The noble girls turned pale. "We were just welcoming her properly, Your Highness."
He didn't reply. He didn't have to.
They scattered.
"You didn't have to do that," I whispered as he leaned closer to me.
"I wasn't doing it for you," he murmured. "I hate their voices."
And yet, when he moved away moments later, I felt... colder.
⸻
An hour passed. I sipped wine slowly, seated at the high table beside Leonard who said little to nothing. I watched nobles laugh and toast. I observed every glance, every whisper.
Then the door opened again.
Hadley entered.
Leonard's half-sister.
She was radiant in deep emerald green, her long curls pinned with gold clasps. Her husband trailed behind her, a kind-looking man with honey-colored eyes and a gentle smile. Compared to Leonard, they looked like sunlight beside stormclouds.
Hadley's eyes met mine, and a knowing smile tugged her lips. She walked straight to me and kissed both my cheeks.
"You're braver than they realize," she whispered low. "I like you."
Then she greeted Leonard and took her seat.
It didn't take long before the tension returned. Noble families began their usual games,discussing alliances, mocking others, pushing rumors forward under veils of toast and laughter. And then it happened.
A nobleman stood. "To Prince Leonard," he raised his goblet. "And to his mysterious bride, who we know so little about."
Another chuckled. "Indeed. Some say you saved her from a witch's den."
A few heads turned. I froze.
Leonard didn't blink.
"I heard she lit the forest with a blue glow," one girl giggled. "Spirits, perhaps?"
My heart pounded. How did they know? That wasn't public—
Hadley slammed her goblet down, voice sharp. "Careful with your games, Lord Elric. One might assume your tongue speaks more than your mind does."
The laughter died. Instantly.
Leonard stood.
The room fell into a hush so deep I could hear my own heartbeat.
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't have to.
"I don't recall giving permission for my wife's name to be tossed around like a market fable," he said coldly. "Anyone else care to share what they 'heard'?"
No one moved.
Leonard's eyes glowed faintly.
Good. They should be afraid.
And yet, beside him... I felt like I was wearing someone else's skin.
I wasn't angry.
I was tired.
⸻
After the banquet ended, Leonard disappeared without a word.
I didn't follow.
I found myself walking the quiet corridors with Hadley instead, her presence more comforting than I expected.
"You handled yourself well," she said.
"I wasn't trying to handle anything," I muttered. "I just didn't want to cry in front of them."
"That's handling it."
We turned down another hallway, the faint hum of the orchestra fading behind us.
"I know you have questions," she added, "and I won't pretend to know all the answers. But I do know Leonard. He's... complicated."
"You trust him."
"With my life," she said without hesitation. "He's the only reason I'm free."
We stopped near a tall stained glass window. The moonlight poured through it in shards of color.
"He saved me," Hadley said. "From a marriage that would've destroyed me. He challenged our father's rule. And when my husband came to him asking for my hand... Leonard let me choose. No prince ever does that."
I swallowed. "Then why does he look like he's always carrying a war inside him?"
"Because he is."
I looked at her.
"He hides who he is. Because he's been hated for it all his life."
"And me?" I asked. "Where do I fit into that?"
Hadley smiled faintly. "That's the part he doesn't know yet."
⸻
But the night didn't end quietly.
A sudden bell rang from the eastern wing.
Hadley and I turned at once. Guards shouted. Doors slammed.
By the time we reached the corridor, I could smell it burnt fabric and blood.
Leonard appeared from the opposite hall, followed by Rhys, both with blood splattered across their tunics. A guard's body lay slumped nearby.
"Another witch?" Hadley asked.
Rhys nodded grimly. "Disguised as a maid. Tried to get to the royal chambers."
Leonard's eyes found mine.
"I told you they wouldn't stop."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Next time... they might come for you in your sleep."
My skin prickled.
Leonard turned to Rhys. "Double the wards. No one gets in or out without my seal. And start the hunt again. This time, don't stop until we burn the root."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Leonard looked back at me,eyes cold, jaw tight.
"Go to bed."
I wanted to ask where he was going.
But I already knew.
To kill again.
And I wasn't allowed to follow.
Not yet.