Alana's perspective
I slowly looked back at the door I had just closed, my fingers still trembling as they rested against the cold, unyielding wood. My mind refused to settle too many thoughts were crashing into one another, a chaotic symphony of truths revealed all at once.
First of all… Justin.
How was Justin a prince?
I had always perceived him as just another demon a face in the crowd, nothing more. I had kept my eyes on him for the 2 weeks, quietly observing his movements, measuring his latent strength, and listening to the whispers in the hallways.
Nothing about his demeanor ever screamed royalty. Nothing suggested the weight of hidden blood or a throne-bound fate.
And agreeing to date him…
That, too, had started as a lie. At first.
It was never meant to be real. It was a mask, a calculated performance. I believed he was weak someone I could manipulate like a pawn on a board, someone I could use as a shield to escape Darius's suffocating obsession.
I thought I could control him, buy my own safety with his reputation, and walk away untouched.
But I didn't. Somewhere along the way, my foot slipped. I fell straight into the very arms I intended to use.
My chest tightened painfully. What if Justin comes back?
No… he won't. He's never coming back from a place like the Runes. Yet, Alicia's words echoed cruelly in the chambers of my mind, refusing to fade into silence.
"Never say never."
They clung to my thoughts like a dark curse, repeating over and over as memories flooded my vision.
"But… me pretending to be his fiancée," I whispered to the empty hallway, my voice cracking. "The way he held me in front of Darius…"
A faint, tragic smirk touched my lips as I tilted my face toward the indifferent sky.
Tears slipped down my cheeks despite my desperate effort to maintain my composure.
"My lady, it is time to go," the carriage driver said softly, his voice breaking my trance. "We must announce the news."
I didn't answer. I simply stepped into the carriage, the velvet interior feeling like a plush coffin. The door clicked shut, sealing my fate, and the wheels began to turn toward my home.
The ride felt endless.
I didn't speak a single word. I only stared out the window, watching the ancient trees rush past faster and faster, as if the world itself was trying to flee from the betrayal I was about to commit.
Finally, we arrived. My manor stood tall and imposing far larger and more opulent than Justin's humble cottage.
Where his house felt warm and lived-in, mine was a vast monument of cold stone, filled with endless rooms and hollow halls. It was a place built for status, never for comfort.
I stepped inside. The maids immediately bowed, greeting me with practiced, gentle smiles and respectful nods. I didn't return them. I merely waved them aside with a ghostly hand and made my way to my chambers.
I needed to change. Soon, I would be standing before the entire kingdom.
I slowly slid my black dress off my body, letting it fall lifelessly to the floor like a shed skin. I opened my wardrobe and froze.
A red gown hung before me.
It was elegant, heavy, and regal. It was a dress far more fitting for royalty than for a mere kinsman of the clan. As my fingers brushed the rich fabric, a bitter thought escaped my lips.
"So… the true kinsman was Justin all along."
A smile tugged at my face, fragile and utterly broken. "The one who was supposed to be dead… rose from the grave."
A laugh broke from my throat sharp, cracked, and brimming with agony. My lungs burned as if the very act of breathing had become a punishment. I slipped into the gown, fastening ruby-red earrings that felt like drops of blood against my skin.
Standing before the mirror, I studied my reflection.
That's when I saw it.
The lump beneath my chest. Pulsing.
Beating. It was alive a parasitic heart that didn't belong to me.
I pulled the gown higher, hiding it as best I could, but a cold dread filled me. Three years. That was all the time I had left before it fully consumed my body. Before I would become nothing more than the rotting flesh described in those forbidden, ancient books.
I swallowed hard, slid on my heels, and clasped a rose-shaped bracelet around my wrist. I left my room, closing the door softly on my old life.
"Back to the castle," I commanded. The carriage took off immediately, racing toward my doom.
The royal castle was already vibrating with life when we arrived. Demons and dragons filled the grounds nobles, soldiers, and common citizens alike. The moment I stepped out of the carriage, cheers erupted, deafening and hollow. They shouted my name.
Their voices echoed across the stone walls as I forced the widest, most convincing smile I could manage and waved. The crowd parted like a sea, allowing me through as if I were already a reigning queen. At the podium, Darius reached out, his hand proprietary and firm, as he pulled me up beside him.
He smiled. But even to the untrained eye, it wasn't real. His emerald hair was neatly combed back, his black suit perfectly tailored to his pale, athletic frame. He looked nothing like the reckless, violent dragon I knew.
The Princess stepped forward and hugged me gently, her scent like jasmine and old magic. "Good luck," she whispered with a warm, pitying smile.
I stepped forward and faced the massive sea of faces. Whispers rippled through them like waves on a dark lake.
"Silence!" Volta's voice thundered as he emerged. "Lady Alana has something to say."
Everything went deathly still.
"Today," I began, my voice steady despite the hurricane raging in my chest, "I announce that Justin and I are no longer together. In two weeks' time, I will be marrying Darius the First Commander of the Dragon Knights."
The crowd froze. Shock spread like wildfire through the ranks. But two faces caught my attention Justin's friends. The two "idiots" he was always seen with. They stood completely still, their expressions unreadable, before they vanished into the crowd without a single word.
Guilt slammed into my chest like a physical blow.
"The wedding preparations will begin today," I continued, my voice gaining a rehearsed strength. "However, due to my ongoing education, we will not reside together for the next two years. Thank you for your time."
I stepped back into the shadows of the podium. The dragons rushed forward, booming their congratulations to Darius. The demons remained frozen some in sheer disbelief, others forcing brittle smiles as they wished me "happiness."
Happiness. I was only sixteen. What did I know about marriage? My parents would be turning in their graves. Slain by dragons… and now their only daughter was marrying one. I was a disappointment to my bloodline.
After the endless cycle of chants and congratulations subsided, we made our way into the grand living room of the castle.
Inside, golden cups crafted from rare dragon-realm materials were filled to the brim. Laughter echoed everywhere, but to my ears, it was nothing more than distorted noise.
When the King and Queen entered, I stood and bowed deeply.
"No need for that," the King laughed, his voice hearty and terrifying. "We're family now."
I straightened slowly. The Dragon Lord looked almost identical to Volta only older, his thick beard matching his golden hair.
Hours passed in a blur of fake pleasantries. When the royals finally retired, I excused myself.
"I need my rest," I said firmly. "I must leave."
Darius scoffed, swirling his drink. "What a bore. Do as you please."
I moved quickly toward the exit, but as I saw a guard heading into a side chamber, I paused. Driven by a dark instinct, I pressed my ear against the heavy oak door.
"My lord," a guard's voice muffled through the wood, "we followed your orders.
We interrogated Lord Fourth's loyal servant."
My heart stopped. My blood turned to ice.
"And?" Volta asked, his voice chillingly calm.
"She resisted. We disposed of her. But we found this."
A page. A torn book page.
"It speaks of the Runes."
"Well done," Volta replied. "You will receive your payment soon."
Footsteps approached the door. I ran. I hid behind a nearby tapestry, watching them vanish into the night sky. My legs gave out beneath me. I collapsed to the floor, sobbing silently into the darkness.
Alicia is dead…
It was impossible. With her power, she should have overwhelmed them. Then, the realization hit me like a serrated blade to the heart.
I led them to Justin's house.
My eyes widened as tears flooded out uncontrollably, soaking the floor. I had done this. In my desperation to find him, I had signed her death warrant.