Chronicles: Silent Breath

Chapter 4

I glared at him, hating his touch, but people were watching us from across the room. I had no choice but to dance with this asshole. He pulled me close, his hand resting on my lower back.

"You're beautiful, princess," he whispered in my ear. "You'd make the perfect wife for me."

I recoiled, trying to pull away, but he held me firmly in place.

"Feeling excited already?" he asked, his voice filled with arrogance. "Don't worry, we have time. My father, King Stefan, is negotiating our marriage, you see... As a good princess of the realm, your job is not to start a war, but to prevent it."

My stomach churned at his words. Marriage? War? I was barely twenty years old, and already I was being treated as a bargaining chip in political games. Sold into marriage to this wretched man for the sake of diplomacy? The thought made me feel sick to my core.

"And I promise you, I will never leave you alone tonight." His hand slipped lower, squeezing my butt.

My stomach roiled at the thought of being touched by him. I was disgusted, furious, and hurt all at once. Before I could react, someone talk behind me.

"May I have the pleasure of dancing with my sister?" Helies asked, his voice low and commanding.

I looked up at him, surprised. I'd never seen him so serious before, his face stern and his eyes cold. The blond-haired man, however, didn't seem to notice or care. He smirked at Helies, his hand still squeezing my butt.

"I'm not sure your sister is ready to dance with you yet," he sneered. "She seems to enjoy my company." He leaned in, his mouth brushing against my ear. "Don't you, princess?" He asked with a smile.

I shivered at his touch, feeling sickened by his words. Helies noticed my reaction and took a step closer, grabbing my arm and pulling me close to him.

"The king is looking for you," he growled, his eyes narrowing at the blond-haired man.

The blond-haired man looked at him for a moment, then shrugged and left. Helies extended a hand to me, and I took it, still shaken by what had just happened.

"So, how do you repay me?" he asked, looking down at me.

"Repay you?" I repeated, frowning.

"Yes," he nodded. "For saving you from that shining hair."

I rolled my eyes. "I was handling it," I replied.

"I could see," he said with a smirk. "He was handling you very tightly." He raised a brow, looking at me challengingly.

I glared at him. "What do you want?" I demanded.

Helies spun me around on the dance floor, his hand slipping to the small of my back. "I think I will keep it for now," he said, "and use it later."

I shook my head, feeling annoyed. "I'm tired of this," I said. "It's getting late, and I should go back to my room."

Helies smirked at me. "It's still early, little sister," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But I will escort you to your room, since I'm such a good brother."

I stopped him with a hand on his chest. "No need," I said. "I'm done with all of this."

He looked at me for a moment, then shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said, walking away.

I rolled my eyes and left the grand hall, eager to get away from the politics and backstabbing that seemed to be so prevalent here. As I walked back to my room, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by everything that had happened tonight. I just wanted to be alone, to think and try to make sense of this strange new world I was now a part of. I entered my room, my body aching from all the stress and emotions I had endured tonight. Without bothering to remove my dress or do anything else, I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted. I thought to myself that I could deal with this tomorrow. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep.