Standing up here in front of all these people, waiting to marry this prince, it was harder than Ariella had ever imagined it would be. It was made all the more difficult by the fact that not far off, behind the prince, sat the man she truly loved. She felt hurt that he had known all along who she was, that she would be marrying his brother, yet he’d never said a word to her, he’d left her in the dark.<br/><br/>She couldn’t be too mad at him, even if she wanted to, because she had never once asked him who he really was. She hadn’t cared about his title or his family. Those things didn’t matter. He was who he was and that was who she’d fallen for. That was the only thing that mattered. Or so she had thought, until it turned out that she would be marrying into his family, only it wasn’t him she would marry.<br/><br/>It wouldn’t have changed how she’d felt, knowing who he was. She knew that she’d probably do it all again, even knowing it would come to this. She’d still have fallen for him no matter what. But at least she would have been prepared, instead of blindsided. At least she could have faced that pain, that reality when she wasn’t under the watchful gaze of so many.<br/><br/>Keeping her gaze on Jalice, not letting it drift beyond him, to where Valor sat, was an exhausting effort. Every fiber of her being wanted to look at him, to run to him, tell him how he’d hurt her and ask him why. Even if he’d hurt her, though, she still wished it was him who stood before her. That was the most painful thing.<br/><br/>The pain that had swallowed her up made those moments feel like an eternity, until all of the sudden she felt the cool touch of someone’s hands taking hers. She’d been looking at Jalice the whole time, but she hadn’t even noticed that he’d moved. The sudden action surprised her, and while she tried to keep the surprise from showing too obviously on her face, it still briefly showed in her eyes.<br/><br/>It didn’t take away her pain, but the gentle squeeze he’d given her hands, and the words he’d shared with her eased her burden just a little. The two words might not have meant anything to anyone else, but to her, they meant that she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t the only one suffering in silence. He felt the same way that she did and knowing that helped her to suck up her own feelings and focus on doing what she had to do. If he could do it, so could she.<br/><br/>She’d given him the smallest of smiles when he’d straightened back up, as to give him a silent thanks. The rest of the ceremony felt like a blur. She heard the words that were said, talk of holy union and a bunch of stuff that perhaps might have meant something if it had been a different prince who stood before her.<br/><br/>Next came the vows, and after Jalice had spoken his, it was her turn. She spoke the words she’d written, although they were not written with him in mind. She spoke of finding love where you didn’t expect it, of being enchanted under the moonlight, of little gestures like a bouquet of flowers or a game of chess, and she spoke of a love that she vowed would last a lifetime. All of it was true, and every word felt like a dagger in her heart.<br/><br/>Upon hearing the words ‘you may kiss the bride,’ she swallowed back the feelings the rose in her throat, turning to face him. He stepped closer and her instinct was to step away, not because she feared him, but because it somehow felt wrong to kiss him. Her heart was pounding as she fought this instinct with every ounce of strength in her petite body.<br/><br/>When he kissed her, she felt nothing. There was no spark, no fire, no electricity pulsing through her veins as though she had been struck by lightning. It wasn’t as though he were a bad kisser or anything, but there was nothing deep or real about the kiss. It was just a formality, a kiss shared between two reluctant kids forced to marry one another for the sake of politics.<br/><br/>After they had shared their empty kiss, the ceremony soon came to a close. As they were turning to be ushered out of the chapel, to be sent off to consummate their new marriage, her gaze briefly shifted to Valor, her eyes meeting his with a complex mix of emotions swirling inside of them. Her eyes didn’t linger on him long, though, as they were soon sent on their way, to the room they would now share.<br/><br/>She felt the pain and sadness rising up inside of her once again, along with a feeling of nervousness. Obviously, it wasn’t because this was her first time having a sexual encounter—it clearly was not—but it was with someone new, someone she didn’t love. Then again, she hadn’t been in love with Valor when they’d had sex the first time, either, but there was some spark, some desire. This felt forced because it was out of duty rather than desire. She wouldn’t resist, knowing that it was futile to do so, but that didn’t make her feel any happier, more comfortable, or any less nervous as they walked through the halls, nearing the room.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>It was hard for Rosalie to sit here, to watch this princess walk down the aisle. It didn’t matter to her how beautiful she was, how pretty her hair was, how elegant her dress might be. All that Rosalie saw went she looked at her was a vile human who was stealing away the man she loved.<br/><br/>She couldn’t even look at her for longer than a moment before her gaze returned to Jalice. She hated that his gaze was focused on the human princess, even if it was what he was supposed to do. Even if she knew he loved her, not this girl, it didn’t make it hurt any less.<br/><br/>When he took her hands and leaned in to whisper something, she was more shocked than anyone. She’d nearly bolted right up out of her seat, and it took every single ounce of self-control she had in her body to not do exactly that. She gritted her teeth as she forced herself to avert her gaze, to look anywhere else.<br/><br/>Her eyes fell on Valor, not out of any desire to look at his annoying face, but because she thought she’d seen something. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, especially since it was hard to see clearly from back here, but something about him felt… off. Well, he was always off as far as she was concerned, but this was different, and she wondered what it was.<br/><br/>Whatever fleeting thought she had given to him was soon gone, though, as she quickly decided that she didn’t care. The only reason it was even mildly interesting to her at all was the smallest possibility that whatever this was, it was related to the princess. But even he couldn’t be that stupid, right?<br/><br/>The words ‘you may kiss the bride’ felt like a thousand daggers in her heart. She suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. As she watched them turn to face each other, she wanted to scream, to rush up there and take back what should be hers. Her hands were shaking—whether with pain or anger—and every muscle in her body felt tense, on edge, like a predator preparing to pounce on its prey.<br/><br/>The moment their lips met, she stood and rushed out of the chapel. She couldn’t watch anymore. She couldn’t send him off to consummate his marriage to<span style="font-style: italic">her</span>. She couldn’t bear it. She wasn’t sure that she was strong enough for that. Or perhaps more than that, she wasn’t strong enough to hold herself back, to keep from digging her fangs into the throat of the precious princess and causing a war to erupt from the very halls in which she stood.<br/><br/>Instead, she rushed out the doors, into the cool evening air. She cursed to herself over and over but held back the scream that threatened to break free. Trying to regain some modicum of control, she sucked in a deep breath of the cool, fresh air, but she felt little relief.<br/><br/>She did, however, find a scent in the air that she recognized, one that she hadn’t smelled in some time. It was the scent of her cousin, Kera. She could have waited for the woman to arrive, but she had nothing better to do, and she could use a distraction. She followed the scent until she found the young woman with long white hair and red eyes. The young woman spent most of her time traveling, so it was not often that she got to see her, but she had always gotten along with her, so it was a relief to see the friendly face.<br/><br/>"Kera!" she greeted her, rushing forward and hugging the woman so hard that she nearly knocked her over. She hadn't expected to see her here, but then again, it wasn't really odd, either, so instead of questioning it, she was just thankful she was here.