It was around seven in the morning. The castle was already awake, everyone going about their business, some with energy, others forcing themselves to keep their eyes open despite a pounding headache. The consequences of last night's alcohol consumption were now making themselves known.
A sound of footsteps in the corridor startled the princess awake. Her body reacted instinctively. She tensed, her heart leaping in her chest. What if the prince was coming back? What if he plan to force her again? But this time she won't be able to protect herself?
She listened intently, holding her breath. Then, three light knocks echoed against her door, scared of what or who she may see. She hesitated to open it. Her hand clenched around the edge of the table, ready to grab something to defend herself if necessary.
—???: "Your Highness… it's me."
She recognized the voice of her maid, Anna. Her legs nearly gave out beneath her as the tension suddenly left her body She approached the door and opened it slowly, revealing her servant's worried face.
The moment Anna saw her state, her expression turned to horror.
—Anna: "My God… what happened to you?" she murmured, immediately placing a trembling hand on her bruised cheek.
Elena did not answer right away. She felt the warmth of Anna's hand against her skin, and it was like something inside her tore apart.
The pain, the fear, the loneliness… it all came rushing back at once. She had wanted to be strong.
She had wanted to stand tall, to refuse to show that she was affected. But in front of the only person who seemed to truly care about her, she broke. A sob escaped her lips. Then another. And suddenly, everything shattered. She collapsed against her servant, clinging to her like a lifeline in a raging ocean.
Anna, surprised, said nothing. She wrapped her arms around her, holding her gently, as if she understood that, for the first time, Elena needed to let go. They stayed like that for a long moment. Then, in a broken voice, between two sobs, Elena whispered:
—Elena: "He hit me… because I refused his advances." She confessed knowing that she won't be judged by Anna
The servant immediately stiffened. Her gaze darkened, a protective fire flashing in her eyes. She pulled back slightly, her eyes locked onto the princess's bruised face, her features tight with quiet rage and deep sorrow.
She opened her mouth, as if searching for the right words, but no sound came out. There were no words. Nothing could truly express the outrage twisting in her chest.
She finally took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure, but her voice trembled when she finally spoke.
—Anna: "How can they let this happen to you? You are a princess, the daughter of the Queen."
She continued:
—Anna: "If this marriage is supposed to unite the kingdoms, then why must it be built on violence? Why must you be humiliated and hurt?"
Elena turned her head slightly, her eyes glassy but dry. She had no more tears left to shed. She had cried, but now, only a hollow void remained inside her, a cold determination slowly replacing the despair.
She lowered her gaze, staring absently at her clenched fingers on her lap.
—Elena: "I went to see the Queen."
She slowly lifted her head and met her servant's eyes. Anna blinked, as if she wasn't sure she had heard correctly.
—Anna: "You… You told her? What did she decided to do?" she asked in a lower, hesitant voice, as if she feared the answer.
Elena nodded slowly.
A chilling silence fell over the room. Anna seemed to hold her breath, no doubt hoping there was still some chance for hope. But when the princess spoke again, her voice was cold.
—Elena: "She knows everything. She knows exactly what kind of man he is. She has always known. And she wasn't even surprised."
Anna's shoulders slumped slightly, as if the weight of those words was crushing her too.
—Anna: "No… She can't... She's your mother..." she breathed.
—Elena: "She will do nothing. She told me it was up to me to control him, that it was my duty as a wife to learn how to manipulate him."
The maid brought a hand to her mouth, horrified.
—Anna: "But that's insane! That's… that's monstrous! She can't ask that of you!"
—Elena: "She can. She did. And she looked me straight in the eyes as she told me that this marriage would happen, no matter what."
Anna stepped back, shaking her head, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare. Then, abruptly, she dropped to her knees before Elena again and took her hands.
—Anna: "Your Highness, listen to me… You have only one option left. You must flee."
Elena looked up. Her heart pounded harder in her chest. She knew these words. She had heard them before. This was the second time Anna had told her this.
She had already thought about it, leaving the castle, escaping the kingdom in order to survive her fate.
She had thought about it during banquets, where they spoke of her as if she were nothing more than currency to be exchanged.
She had thought about it the night before, sitting at the center of the banquet table, unable to swallow a single bite as her fate was sealed beneath the nobles' hollow laughter. She had thought about it while dancing with Adrian, feeling his hands slide where they never should have.
But thinking about it and putting it into practice were two entirely different things. She was also aware of reality. She was watched at all times. Her escape would cause a massive scandal, perhaps even a war. And that was terrifying.
Anna's breathing was short and uneven, as if she were battling her own fear to dare speak her true thoughts.
—Anna: "This marriage will be nothing but an endless nightmare. You know it as well as I do. Your mother won't help you, the court won't lift a finger to protect you. I am all you have left."
The princess felt her fingers tremble within Anna's.
—Anna: "You don't deserve this," the maid continued, her voice filled with heartbreaking sorrow. "You don't deserve to be broken by this man. I've told you before… If you want to leave, I will help you. I will find a way."
Elena closed her eyes. Her heartbeat was so loud she thought for a moment that Anna could hear it.
—Elena: "If I leave… where would I go?" she murmured.
—Anna: "The world is vast. We could find refuge in another kingdom, somewhere no one would look for you."
Elena gave a sad smile and rubbed Anna's hand.
—Elena: "No one? I am the crown princess. The moment my disappearance is discovered, soldiers will be sent to find me. I will be hunted like a criminal. And so will you."
Anna swallowed, but her gaze remained steady.
—Anna: "What's worse? Being hunted… or being locked in a cage alongside a monster?"
The princess froze. This wasn't a rhetorical question. This was reality. She had to choose: escape, with all the dangers it entailed, or a lifetime under Adrian's control.
She bit her lip, her thoughts racing at a dizzying speed. Her gaze drifted toward the window. A vast world stretched beyond the palace walls. A world where she could be free.
Anna gently tightened her grip on her hands.
—Anna: "If you decide to leave… tell me. I will do everything to help you."
She didn't answer immediately. But for the first time, she was truly considering it.
She could not hesitate any longer. Time was running out.
At last, she lifted her eyes to her maid and whispered:
—Elena: "Find me a plan."
Anna nodded. The pact was sealed. The first spark of rebellion had just been lit.
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The
♥
Twilight
Kiss
♥
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When Elena entered the royal dining hall, everything was in place, perfectly orchestrated, as if nothing had changed.
The morning sun filtered through the vast windows overlooking the palace gardens, bathing the room in golden, deceptively peaceful light. The table, long and imposing, was already set for breakfast, adorned with finely engraved silverware and delicate dishes meticulously arranged on golden trays.
In her usual seat, Queen Isabella was already sitting, upright, dignified, impeccable as always. Beside her, Adrian.
Elena felt her heart clench, but she forced herself to step forward with measured grace, her face unreadable.
Anna had done an outstanding job. Her maid had applied salves to her bruised cheek and carefully concealed the marks of Adrian's brutality with precise makeup.
No one was to see. No one was to suspect what had happened behind her bedroom walls. No one would support her or condemn the old prince's actions. She would simply become the subject of whispers and mockery.
So this morning, as she entered the room, she wore a mask as flawless as her mother's. She could never show weakness.
When she finally lifted her gaze to the old man, a cold shiver of rage ran down her spine.
He was sitting there, dressed in a richly embroidered doublet, a cup of wine in his hand, smiling as if last night had never happened. As if he hadn't tried to force himself on her.
As if he hadn't struck her. As if she hadn't collapsed to the ground, stunned, humiliated, broken.
He looked up at her, and his smile widened, warm, almost charming.
—Prince: "Ah, my dear Elena. There you are at last. We were beginning to worry." His voice was soft, smooth, perfectly controlled.
The princess felt bile rise in her throat. She wanted to slap him again, to scream the truth. But it would be useless.
So she did what he expected of her. She smiled. A polite, measured, false smile.
—Elena: "I am delighted to see you, Your Highness," she replied in a steady voice.
She sat in her usual place, her hands resting delicately on the table, her back as straight as a drawn bowstring. She felt every movement Adrian made beside her, every small gesture, as if his mere breath polluted the air she breathed.
But what chilled her even more was her mother's attitude.
Queen Isabella sat there, with the same poised grace as always, her face as impassive as if it had been carved from marble. She knew what had happened the night before. She knew he had threatened her, struck her, dared to touch her with the assurance of a man who already believed himself to be her master.
And yet, she did nothing. She said nothing.
Not a glance toward her daughter, not a single word to acknowledge the horror she had endured.
She merely ran her fingertips along the rim of her wine cup, serene, detached, as if the scene unfolding before her had nothing to do with her. As if this was normal.
Adrian behaved as though last night had never happened. And the queen, her own mother, let him. Worse still… she condoned this silence.
When the prince made a lighthearted remark about the importance of a good night's sleep before the wedding, the queen gave a faint smile. A polite, almost complicit smile.
Elena felt her stomach tighten. So this was it? She hadn't expected compassion. Her mother had made that clear yesterday. But she had hoped for a look, a sign, some kind of recognition.
But there was nothing.
Isabella slowly raised her cup to her lips and took a sip of wine before setting it down with perfect elegance. Then, without even looking at Elena, without granting her a single moment of attention, she spoke directly to Adrian.
—Queen Isabella: "I hope your night was pleasant, Your Highness."
Elena felt a shudder of disgust run down her spine. Her mother had made her choice.
And that choice was not her. She had chosen a stranger. She had chosen power. She chose everything but her own daughter.