Chloe.
The morning of my wedding was quiet.
Too quiet.
No one argued. No one rushed. Even the servants moved like they were afraid to break something invisible in the air.
I sat while they did my hair.
Again.
I'd been dressed and redressed so many times in the past week that I no longer reacted when someone tightened something around me.
"Sit straight," my mother said softly.
I already was.
Seraphina stood near the window, pretending to scroll through her phone. She wasn't typing. Just staring.
"You look scary calm," she muttered.
"I am calm."
She looked at me.
"…You're not."
I didn't answer.
They brought the dress last.
A beautiful Ivory gown.
Not soft.
It didn't float. It held its shape like it had somewhere to be.
They laced me in. Pulled, tied and adjusted.
My reflection stared back at me from the tall mirror across the room.
Princess Chloe.
For the last time.
My mother stepped behind me and fixed the veil.
"You understand what this means," she said quietly.
"Yes."
"This alliance secures peace."
"Yes."
"And Caelorth—"
"I know," I said, sharper than I meant to.
She fell silent.
Seraphina crossed the room and stood beside me. She didn't look at me. Just slipped her hand into mine.
"If he does anything stupid," she murmured, "I'll fight him."
I huffed softly. "You'd lose."
"Probably."
A knock came at the door.
Rhys.
He stepped in, dressed in formal black and gold. Crown prince. He looked like he belonged in war councils and history books.
He stopped when he saw me.
For a second, he didn't say anything.
"Don't," I warned.
"I wasn't going to."
He walked closer.
"They'll announce you in five minutes," he said.
I nodded.
He hesitated.
"If you change your mind," he said quietly, "say the word."
My chest tightened.
"Rhys—"
"I mean it."
"I know."
He studied my face.
"Are you afraid?"
I thought about it.
"Yes."
He nodded once.
"Good."
I frowned. "Good?"
"You're not walking into this blind."
That… made sense.
A servant appeared at the doorway.
"It's time."
Seraphina squeezed my hand once and stepped back.
My mother adjusted the veil again.
Rhys offered his arm.
The walk to the hall felt longer than it ever had.
The doors were closed.
I could hear the murmuring inside. Nobles. Foreign delegates. Allies. Observers.
Witnesses.
They announced my name.
The doors opened.
And suddenly, there was no quiet.
The hall was full.
Rows of faces.
Gold and silk and expectation.
I didn't look at them.
I looked at him.
Kieran stood at the front.
Dark formal wear. No armor. No gloves.
Still.
Watching me.
Not smiling.
Not cold.
Just… steady.
I stepped forward.
Each step felt measured. Controlled. I didn't rush. I didn't slow.
When I reached him, Rhys placed my hand in his.
Kieran's grip was warm.
Firm.
He didn't squeeze.
Just held.
The officiant began speaking. Words about unity. Alliance. Strength. Prosperity.
I heard none of it.
I felt the weight of the hall.
The weight of the crown waiting.
The weight of every choice I hadn't been given.
Then the vows.
Kieran went first.
His voice carried easily.
"I vow to stand beside you," he said. Not flowery. Not rehearsed. "Not above you. Not over you."
A ripple moved through the crowd.
His jaw tightened slightly before he continued.
"I will not cage you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
My pulse stuttered.
The officiant turned to me.
"Princess Chloe of— do you vow—"
The words blurred for a second.
Do I vow?
Do I accept?
Do I bind myself to this?
The hall was quiet.
I could feel every pair of eyes.
My mother.
My father.
Seraphina.
Rhys.
Foreign courts.
An entire kingdom waiting.
Kieran's hand didn't tighten.
He didn't prompt.
He didn't move.
He just waited.
And for half a second—
I did too.
Not because I didn't know.
But because I did.
Because once I said it, it was real.
Because I wasn't being escorted to a party.
I was crossing a line I could never uncross.
My throat felt tight.
Then—
"I do."
The hall exhaled.
But I didn't.
Because in that moment—
I wasn't Princess Chloe anymore.
I was the Crown Princess of Caelorth.
And there was no going back.
...
Well, that was... intense :)