The palace was quiet after the wedding.
Too quiet.
The halls that once echoed with footsteps were now still, as if even the marble held its breath.
Evelyne’s new chambers – Royal East Wing
The room was enormous—draped in velvet, lit only by a fire in the hearth.
A four-poster bed stood in the center, its canopy braided with obsidian threads.
The bath steam still lingered. Her skin smelled of rose oil.
She sat at the edge of the bed, wrapped in a thin ivory robe.
Her crown had been taken. Her veil discarded.
There was nothing left between her and the man walking toward her.
Knock.
Nysa
(from the door, whispering):
💬 “The king… he’s on his way.”
Evelyne didn’t respond.
Evelyne Astoria
🖤 (“This is the part where queens are made or broken.”)
🖤 (“I won’t be either. I’ll be something else.”)
The door opened.
He entered.
King Kaelith—no crown, no armor. Just a loose black tunic, the neckline slightly open, revealing the edge of a long scar across his chest.
His eyes swept the room, then landed on her.
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “You didn’t run.”
Evelyne Astoria
💬 “There’s nowhere to run in a cage.”
He stepped closer. Slowly. One step. Another.
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “Are you afraid?”
Evelyne Astoria
💬 “No.”
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “Then you’re a fool.”
He stopped only inches from her.
She could feel the heat radiating off his skin.
Evelyne Astoria
🖤 (His breath touched my collarbone. My pulse betrayed me.)
Kaelith reached for the tie at her robe—
Paused.
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “Say the word… and I won’t touch you.”
Evelyne Astoria
💬 “Do what you must… Your Majesty.”
His eyes darkened.
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “Don’t call me that in here.”
Evelyne Astoria
💬 “What should I call you?”
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “Kaelith.”
His hand lifted her chin.
Their faces, breath to breath.
Their first kiss had been a war.
This one was slower. Deliberate. Dangerous.
Lips brushing. Heat building. But never fully crashing.
And then—he pulled away.
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “You confuse me.”
Evelyne Astoria
💬 “You terrify me.”
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “Good.”
He turned, walking toward the balcony.
But before he left—he looked back.
King Kaelith Ravenhart
💬 “Sleep in peace, Evelyne. I won’t touch you.
Not until you want me to.”
The door closed behind him.
She sat there, alone, robe loose, lips warm.
Evelyne Astoria
🖤 (I expected pain. Power. Possession.)
🖤 (But he gave me… choice.)
🖤 (And now I don’t know what to fear more—his cruelty… or his kindness.)
Comments