'I'm… getting married?'
Alya drifted out of the throne hall in a daze, her mind spinning as the heavy doors closed behind her with a muffled thud.
'What am I supposed to make of this?' she thought. 'Is this a blessing or a disaster? And according to everything they said, the original owner of this body was head-over-heels in love with whoever this groom is. So why… why would they hand me over to a man who supposedly humiliated their entire realm and knocked them down to the bottom rung?'
She reached the base of the stairs and stopped dead, staring blankly at the ground.
In her previous life, marriage had always felt like a distant, almost mythical concept, something other people did.
Everything she'd done in her life was to please her parents, to make them proud of her. All she ever did was work extra harder than any daughter should have to. Even sacrificing sleep and her peace of mind.
And now here she was, dropped into what looked like a living fairytale, about to be wed to some stranger.
'What do I even do?' The question looped uselessly in her head and there didn't seem to be a single clear path forward.
"Alya!"
The call snapped her out of it.
She turned to see Prince Halwin descending the stairs with easy, confident strides and she straightened instinctively, forcing her expression into something neutral.
He stopped in front of her, tilting his head as he studied her face with a faint, amused smile on his lips.
"What's with the long face?" he asked lightly. "Shouldn't you be over the moon about marrying Alistair Rehn?"
Alya managed a thin, brittle smile that felt more like a grimace.
Prince Halwin chuckled. "Or are you getting cold feet all of a sudden? There are whispers, you know, rumors that Alistair Rehn isn't exactly… gentle with women."
Alya's stomach twisted. "He isn't?"
Prince Halwin let out a deep breath, his expression turning serious.
"Alistair agreeing to this marriage isn't some romantic whim, Alya. You need to be extremely careful. And don't forget what we discussed. Don't forget what you're expected to do." He leaned in slightly, gaze locking onto hers. "You know the consequences if you fail."
Confusion knotted tighter in her chest. "What…?"
He stepped even closer, voice lowering to a whisper.
"You must secure the Primordial Advancement Core in his possession. Get it."
Then he straightened, gave her one last meaningful look, and walked away without another word.
Alya blinked after his retreating figure, brows furrowing deeply.
"Primordial Advancement Core?" she muttered under her breath. "What the hell even is that?"
She watched him disappear around the corner, a cold realization settling over her.
'So there's an ulterior motive behind this whole marriage. Of course there is. Why else would they offer me up to the man who supposedly ruined them?'
She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling very small.
'Damn. I've gone from corporate burnout straight into a political conspiracy wrapped in a political marriage. Great. Just… great.'
Alya retraced her steps along the floating walkway until she reached the elegant residence that apparently belonged to her, or rather, to the person whose life she'd inexplicably inherited.
As she approached the open courtyard, she spotted a tall man likely in his mid-thirties or early forties leaning casually against one of the carved stone pillars, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
The instant he noticed her, he straightened and strode forward without hesitation.
Before she could say a word, he caught her wrist and tugged her inside the house. "Come here."
Alya stumbled after him, too startled to resist, her mind still spinning from the Throne Hall conversation. "Wait, what…"
He released her once they were insde, and she watched with a frown as he extended one palm toward her.
She didn't see any visible aura, no flash of green light, but she felt a gentle pressure wrapping around her, warm in one mo-ment, strangely cold in the next, like stepping between sunlight and shadow.
'What is he even doing?' she wondered, frozen in place.
After several long seconds he lowered his hand and exhaled softly.
"Just as I feared," he said, voice calm but edged with disapproval. "The barrier of the Supreme Domain has damaged your Spirit Haven. You…" He pointed one long finger at her, scolding without raising his voice. "You simply had to act like a child and rush there without permitted entry."
Alya blinked rapidly. "Spirit… Haven?"
He nodded once. "The innermost sanctuary within every cultivator, the hidden refuge where mind, thoughts, and soul reside in harmony."
She stared at him blankly. 'Okay, none of that made sense. Sanctuary? Cultivator? I'm so lost.'
"When the Spirit Haven suffers harm," he continued evenly, "the mind becomes clouded, thoughts fragment, and speech grows muddled and uncertain, just as yours is now."
Alya's eyebrow twitched upward. She dropped her gaze to the polished wooden floor, cheeks warming. 'Did he just politely call me stupid? That was the most elegant roast I've ever received.'