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━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━
sᴇʀᴇɴᴀ |
It had been days since the horror began, days since everything I had ever loved turned to ashes. My father's blood had not even cooled before I was forced into a marriage I had once dreamed of, a union with the man I thought I knew and loved. But now, the same man stood over my father's grave, his hands still stained with the crime. My mother's voice echoed through my mind, haunting and broken, as she had clutched me and whispered the cruelest blackmail of all: marry Lucian or watch me take my own life.
I obeyed. I married Lucian that same day. The ceremony was brief and empty, just like the vows I had once hoped would be said in joy. My father was buried that night in the royal crypt, and I returned to the palace, locking myself away in my room. The title of Queen, the very thing I had been groomed for since birth, now sat on my shoulders like a crown of thorns. I am Queen. I married my first love. But I felt like a corpse, a hollow shell.
The kingdom rejoiced in Lucian, their new King, the last bloodline of King Elio. They celebrated, praised him as if he hadn't just murdered my father, and the thought of it made me sick. I couldn't accept it—couldn't accept him. The love I had for Lucian felt like a trap now, a cruel snare that he had laid for me to watch me suffer.
A loud knock pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. "Open the door, Serena," came Lucian's voice, calm but commanding. I stayed silent, burying my face deeper into my pillow. "You haven't eaten anything in days," he continued. "Come out before I make the guards break down this door."
I didn't respond, squeezing my eyes shut and wishing him away. The silence stretched, but then, after a moment, I heard footsteps at the balcony. My heart sank, dread filling me as I sat up on the bed, just in time to see Lucian step through the open balcony. His eyes met mine, hard and unrelenting.
"Break it down," he ordered, his voice ringing through the room. I barely had time to register his command before the heavy wooden door splintered and crashed to the floor. My eyes widened in disbelief as the guards bowed and retreated, leaving Lucian staring at me. He never forced himself on me, never violated my space beyond what duty required, but I hated him, hated even the sight of him.
I shot up from the bed, my voice shaking with anger. "Who do you think you are? Sneaking into my room and breaking down my door?" I spat. Lucian's gaze stayed calm, almost annoyingly polite. "I was just making sure you weren't standing near the door. You could've gotten hurt."
The nonchalance in his tone only fueled my rage. I lunged for the sword propped against the wall, gripping it tightly. My anger and frustration coiled in my chest as I stalked toward him, my movements wild. I swung at him, desperate to make him feel even a fraction of my pain, but he effortlessly stepped aside.
"Do you think I care about your concern?" I snarled, my voice breaking. "I hate you, Lucian! You were always planning this, weren't you? Walking into this palace, gaining everyone's trust, playing with their hearts—and mine! All of it, just to murder my father!"
