A Kingdom's Vow

CHAPTRE 8-KAI

She stumbled into me, her soft frame colliding with mine in the darkness. I couldn't see her clearly, but I knew it was her-my bride. In that moment, the pieces began to fall into place, clicking together like an intricate puzzle.

"I'm afraid she'll run away with that Tyler," her father had said earlier, and now it all made sense. The man she was crying over-this Tyler-was in the crowd tonight. And her sister, too, if I wasn't mistaken. So, she had just caught her lover and her sibling tangled in betrayal. Pathetic. She had struck me as a fierce and untouchable woman, the kind who could stare down a king and walk away victorious. If you had asked me yesterday, I'd have said she'd rip out their hearts and feast on them. But no. Here she was, running and crying over a man who had proven unworthy. Fragile after all.

She had gone in the opposite direction of the dining hall, and I knew I had to reach the ceremony before her-after all, the groom must always arrive before the bride. The guards escorted me as I stepped into the vast, ornately decorated room. Fireworks exploded outside, lighting up the night sky. The city roared with celebration, music thrummed through the walls, and the people cheered, their voices rising like waves of a storm. Everything was perfect, except she wasn't here yet.

I stood at the head of the room, my gaze scanning the crowd. Tyler was there, smug and oblivious, standing alongside her sister. My jaw tightened at the sight of them. But then, the music softened. The moment everyone was waiting for. She was here.

The room seemed to hold its breath as she stepped inside, her arm linked with her father's. My own breath caught as I turned to look at her-and I swear the world stopped spinning.

How could anyone be this breathtaking? Every head turned to her, but I couldn't look away. It was as if she carried the heavens with her, a celestial being walking among mortals. The soft gown draped over her body like it was made for her and her alone, accentuating every curve in a way that was both elegant and maddeningly alluring. She didn't walk; she glided, like a queen reclaiming her throne. Her head was lowered, her gaze distant, but even that made her more enchanting. Her beauty wasn't just skin deep-it was magnetic, dangerous. It pulled you in, made you forget how to breathe.

Her features were simple, yes, but on her, they became a masterpiece. Her dark hair framed her face like a halo, her eyes carried storms that promised both chaos and wonder, and her lips-soft, trembling-were the kind you'd risk everything to taste. She wasn't just beautiful. She was divine. Radiant. Like she wasn't carrying a piece of the stars with her-she was the star. How could anyone have the audacity to cheat on this? To choose someone else over her was not just foolish, it was sacrilege.

And yet, she didn't want me. I reminded myself of this bitter truth as I watched her approach. She had no intention of staying. She was planning an escape. She hadn't even given this life, or me, a chance.

I had told myself I'd marry her and make her burn in her own fire, punish her arrogance, her rebellion. But now, as she came closer, I realized I was the one burning. My resolve, my pride-everything was being reduced to ashes.

She stopped in front of me, and for a moment, the world seemed to still. Her eyes were lowered, her long lashes casting delicate shadows on her cheeks, and my breath caught. She was beyond beautiful-she was otherworldly. Everything about her demanded attention, consumed my thoughts, and left no room for anything else. She filled the air around me, her presence swallowing me whole. And then, like a stone sinking into an abyss, I felt the weight of the emptiness inside me, knowing she might still try to run. Perhaps the betrayal she suffered would tether her here-or perhaps it would only push her further away.

"You may kiss the bride." The words echoed distantly in my mind, their arrival startling me. When had the ceremony even begun? When had the voices around us started speaking? But none of it mattered, not now, not as she finally raised her eyes to mine.