Vermillion & Silver

Chapter Four || Façade

The roses were no longer wild. Red buds had once covered the outer walls of the castle, a beautiful plague that had turned stone and brick into gardens. But they were no longer free, they'd been confined to perfectly formed little bushes that decorated the paths of the pristine royal gardens. Selene had always loved flowers, their colours, their perfumes, their fragility; but she couldn't bring herself touch the roses that grew there, they looked almost unnaturally beautiful and she feared that touching them would make their petals come undone bringing down with them the rest of the facade that masked every inch of the castle.

Life at the sanctuary had been simple, filled with routine and a shared purpose. Lycaon Castle was a different story. Its walls concealed secrets and nothing was as it first appeared. But it was also a very charming place, brimming with lights and beauty. It was easy to be blinded by its splendors. Some days, Selene didn't feel like a prisoner until the door of her bedroom locked her inside at night reminding her not to let her guard down.

Other times it was glaringly obvious that she was not the esteemed princess everyone was happy to welcome back. The royal guards were among those who could barely tolerate her presence, it'd been set up from soldiers from Hadrianen's army who were not as skilled as their leader at masking their disdain nor had the same impeccable manners. Most of the time it was easy to ignore their hard looks and condescending words, but some things weren't as easy to brush off. The full moon had been the worst. They had unceremoniously thrown her in a cell. The Duke had apologized the following morning but there were just empty words.

That incident had taught her that those around her had no understanding of Lycans. She'd been locked in that cell because they feared the beast she carried inside, the wild part of her nature that carried the strength her human side lacked.

"Your Highness." Selene turned to see one of her maids, Livia, walking towards her. "I'm sorry to interrupt your stroll but the sun will be setting soon."

Selene looked up at the sky, it was beginning to tint with the yellows and reds of an autumn sunset. She'd been walking the gardens for longer than she'd realized. She liked the fresh air, it helped clear her mind. "You're right. I should go inside."

She had to get ready for the celebratory dinner that would be held that night. It was Lord Maximus birthday. And while Selene found the constant feasts and balls a little frivolous she couldn't deny that a part of her liked them. It gave her something to do. At the temple, she'd had chores and duties to keep her mind busy but now she had endless hours of roaming the castle and getting fitted for gowns. But the parties gave her the opportunity to closely study her captors in hopes of finding a weak link that could enable her escape.

Livia guided her back to her rooms where she had already laid out her clothes for the evening, a gauzy white gown with embroidered gold flowers and a matching tiara adorned with emeralds and rubies. Selene was getting tired of dressing up in whatever Hadrianen or her maids chose for her, but the few times she'd tried to protest it'd been in vain, and in the end, she'd just stopped trying. She had bigger battles to win.

"Duke Hadrianen said your neck should be visible, your highness," Livia commented as she brushed Selene's golden locks up into a bun.

It was a tradition that had existed in Arcadia for centuries, unbonded females showcasing their bare necks. Selene had vague memories of young noble ladies refusing to wear necklaces, but the new regime had brought the costume to another level. The new fashion had girls exposing miles of perfectly unmarked skin; shoulders and collarbones offered to the viewing pleasure of future bondmates.

Once she was ready, her guard escorted her to the royal salon. A small party had gathered there, most were familiar faces, Duke Hadrianen's closest advisors and other rich families that were a fixture of the castle's social life, but among them were a small group of strangers. Selene could tell they were foreigners.