Light seeps through the bars by the window, and I stare at the wall as the shadows fade, my cheek pressed against the cold stone floor. I haven’t moved from where my father left me last night—I know better than to try to escape this room. Besides, I won’t be left here for long this time. Today is my wedding day, after all.I inhale shakily and curl into a ball, relieved to find that at least my hands were uncuffed before Father left me here. If this is how I’m being treated, then how must Nathaniel be doing? Did they lock him up? Will he face punishment for what we did? I was selfish when I said yes, and I should’ve known better. I should’ve known I could never get away, and that I’d drag Nathaniel down with me.Before long, I hear the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. They’re light. Handmaidens, most likely. I don’t sit up when the door opens. I used to—I used to pretend I was fine, that my father hadn’t hurt me. After all, there was never any evidence. Today I don’t have it in me. Besides, it doesn’t matter. Today is likely the last time I’ll see anyone in this castle.“Your Highness,” one of the girls says. She bends down and helps me up, her face marred with concern. Mary, I believe her name is. I will myself to fake a smile for her, but I fail miserably. “Oh, Your Highness,” she whispers, squeezing my hand.She helps me down the stairs, to the bedroom that will no longer be mine after today. I pause in the doorway and stare at the bags in my room in shock. All of my belongings have been packed—there’s nothing left in this room that indicates it once used to be mine. It took only a few hours to erase all proof of my existence, and I have no doubt I’ll be forgotten before long.Mary grabs my hand and leads me to my vanity silently, her expression filled with the same sorrow I’m feeling. “We’re going to make you look so beautiful, Your Highness,” she says, clearly at a loss for words.I nod at her and will myself to keep it together. When I fell asleep on the cold stone floor last night, I knew my life was over. I just need to learn to accept that now.“Nathaniel,” I murmur, my voice hoarse, and Mary freezes.“I don’t know, Your Highness,” she whispers. “I’ve heard rumors about him being in the dungeons, but I can’t be sure.”I nod and let my eyes close. If he’s in the dungeons, then at least he’s alive. That’s all I can ask for.“Your sister has been told not to leave her room until the ceremony. There are guards posted at her bedroom door,” Mary tells me as she leads me to a steaming bath.I’m numb as I let Mary perform her duties. My father is keeping the only two people I love hostage. If I attempt to escape, if I so much as veer off course, it’s Nathaniel and Serena who’ll pay for it.I never thought my father would involve Serena. The fact that he has proves that this union means more to him than his beloved daughter does. I’ll need to be careful today if I want to keep them out of harm’s way.noveldramaI’m absentminded as Mary starts to apply my makeup, my heart aching in a way it never has before. I don’t think this type of pain will ever heal. It makes the pain in my back pale in comparison. I’ve never felt so abandoned, so discarded.“Take a look,” Mary says as she leads me to a mirror. I stare at my reflection in confusion, barely recognizing myself. There is not a single blemish on my face. She has somehow managed to make my skin glow the way I imagined it would have if I were marrying Nathaniel today instead. There are no bags underneath my eyes, though weariness seeps through my bones.The intricate lace my wedding gown is made of must have been costly, especially on such short notice—but then again, that is a small price to pay in return for safety from the Shadow Emperor’s savage army.Intense loneliness blooms from my chest, pushing tears into my eyes that I attempt to keep from falling. I’ve never hated my reflection more than I do at this moment. I look like a happy bride, nervous with pre-wedding jitters, when in reality, I’m terrified.“You look beautiful.” I swallow down the anger crawling up my spine and force a smile onto my face at the sound of my father’s voice. Years and years of biting my tongue are all that’s keeping me together today.I hate you for doing this to me, is what I want to say. “Thank you, Father,” is what escapes my lips.He smiles, genuine glee in his eyes. This is what I imagined he’d look like on the wedding day of my dreams. I imagined him smiling at me with pride on his face, and my heart would overflow with love instead of resentment, as it does now.He offers me his arm, his smile slipping when I hesitate. “Don’t make this any harder on yourself than it needs to be,” he warns me. A shiver of fear runs down my spine and I straighten, the fabric of my dress brushing against my injured back tauntingly, a blatant reminder of the consequences I’ll face if I deviate from the path my father carved out for me. Nathaniel is only safe for as long as I cooperate.I drop my eyes and take his arm, the two of us silent as he walks me down the hallway that leads to the ballroom. This might well be the very last time I walk these halls. This might be the last time I see my father, and I despise that part of me hopes it is.Would he care? If the Shadow Emperor kills me tonight or in the days to follow, will my father live with regret, or will he move on and see me as but one of his many chess pieces? A soft huff escapes my lips as I smile to myself mockingly. If I could guarantee Nathaniel’s and Serena’s safety, I’d try to burn this entire castle down.Father is likely glad to be rid of me, one way or another. At least this way, my demise benefits him. At last, I’ve made myself useful to him. We pause in front of the doors to the ballroom, and he turns to me as though he’s about to say something, but then the doors swing open and the moment fades. His expression hardens, and he straightens as he leads me through the doors.I tense when my eyes land on my betrothed. The rumors are true, it seems. He’s as tall as they say he is, towering above everyone else. His signature dark cloak keeps him hidden from view, even today. Might he truly be as horrendous as the vilest of creatures? A beast on two legs?And if he is, would it matter? It’s not like I’ll get to walk away from this union. If it had just been my father’s life for mine, I would’ve left. My father doesn’t deserve the sacrifice I’m about to make. But the people in this room? My sister? Nathaniel? Our citizens? They don’t deserve to face the consequences of my selfishness.Father pauses in front of the Shadow Emperor and, much to my surprise, bows low.I stare at him in shock. I’ve never seen my father bow to anyone. He shakes me out of my stupor and pulls on my hand, forcibly dragging me down with him, the fabric of my dress rubbing against my injured back painfully. The surface of my skin has healed, but the wounds are still fresh just below view.“Rise, Arabella.” A shiver runs down my spine at the sound of his smooth, deep voice. It’s not at all eerie or monstrous, as I expected. “You will never bow to me again.”A gloved hand appears in my field of vision, and I take it hesitantly. Part of me expected his touch to hurt, but his hand is warm even through his glove. He pulls me toward him, and I take a step closer hesitantly. He towers above me, and it isn’t until I’m standing next to him that I realize he didn’t wait for my father to place my hand in his, as is customary. I don’t dare look back. Never before have I been this filled with fear. Fear of my father acting on the embarrassment he must feel, fear of the Shadow Emperor retaliating, fear of the life that lies ahead of me. He keeps his hand wrapped around mine, and that, too, scares me. His touch terrifies me.I can barely focus on the ceremony, but part of me is glad that it isn’t the altar we’re standing in front of. It never even occurred to me that getting married outside the house of the Gods who abandoned me so long ago was an option. But then again, where else does one marry a demon?I straighten when I hear my name and look up at the officiant, repeating after him word for word, acutely aware of the moment I sign away my life. “I do,” I murmur, as though part of me is trying to keep the words in.His voice doesn’t break like mine did, nor does he hesitate. When he says “I do,” it’s with conviction. He sounds so certain, and I can’t help but wonder why. Why me?I tense when we’re proclaimed husband and wife, knowing what comes right after that moment. The first kiss. The moment that most brides long for, and something I’ve dreamed of so many times. Except it wasn’t the man standing in front of me I thought I’d kiss. I swallow hard as my thoughts turn to Nathaniel, glad he isn’t here to see this.Fear runs down my spine when the Shadow Emperor steps forward, bridging the distance between us. The air buzzes around him, almost like his aura is a living, breathing thing of its own, and my breath hitches when his gloved hand cups my face, his gentle touch entirely at odds with everything I thought I knew about him.I look up at him, my curiosity outweighing my fear. I married the Shadow Emperor, and I still don’t know what he looks like. It isn’t just the cloak—it truly is as though he’s cast in shadows. I stare at him, yet I can’t seem to really see him. He seems covered in shimmery translucent energy that blurs his features.“All in due time,” he says before leaning in, his voice soft. The seconds begin to stretch, each moment lasting an eternity. My eyes flutter closed as I will myself to imagine Nathaniel, ignoring the way his hand slides into my hair, and the way he pulls me a little closer. I do everything in my power to forget who it is I just married, but the moment our lips meet, something I’ve never felt before rushes through my body, something exhilarating and freeing, and I can’t help but lean into his touch, tilting my head just slightly.My new husband groans, our bodies crashing against each other as he parts my lips, his tongue stroking mine for a split second, before he tenses and gently pulls away, leaving his hand in my hair. I look up, confused by my racing heart and the tenderness he showed me, only to be met with that same blurred image. Even so, I can’t help but admit that for a few moments, he made me feel safe and wanted, two things I never expected to feel in his presence.He turns and pulls me with him, and I try my best to collect myself as the two of us walk down the aisle hand in hand, the way any other married couple would. I try my hardest to smile, but it’s to no avail. Despite the fraction of hope that kiss instilled in me, there’s no denying that while this union is a beacon of hope to so many, it is a death sentence to me.