Seraya’s POV
I left the ballroom without a word.
Not because I had none—but because nothing I said would matter. Not in that hall. Not to the courtiers already whispering. And certainly not to the man who had just replaced me with a young princess from another kingdom.
The doors shut behind me. The music faded. I walked the corridor slowly. They could raise their goblets and call it peace. I called it betrayal, I felt so humiliated!
He hadn’t warned me! Hadn’t even glanced at me. Just stood there and smiled like I didn’t exist.
The pain came in pieces—tight in my throat, heavy in my chest. My hands trembled at my sides, but I wouldn’t raise them. I wouldn’t let them win. I love Theron, but if it will cost my sanity, I’d rather not continue this marriage.
The garden was cold, the air touched with frost. Spring hadn’t settled here yet. The roses were sharp-edged and pale, their petals caught in the chill.
I moved through them in silence, brushing my fingers across the blooms. They wilted under my touch—some curling in on themselves, others shriveling outright. My magic heals and kills low mana living things. And it is always affected by my mood.
Tonight, I didn’t know where to go.
I reached the sundial at the center and stopped. My palms rested on the cold stone. I let out a breath and tried to push it all down—grief, shame, rage. I wouldn’t unravel out here. Not where someone could see. Not even now.
But inside, it hurt. The kind of hurt that hollows you out. I had given this kingdom everything. And he gave me silence.
I thought of him standing next to her. Smiling. Speaking of peace and the future like I was already gone. He didn’t look at me once.
He didn’t need to. He’d already buried me.
A sound broke the quiet atmosphere. I turned toward the frostvine arch.
A man stepped through, tall and dark, his presence unmistakable.
King Caelum of Drosmere.
He didn’t belong here, not in my garden. Not after tonight. He stopped a few paces away. His hands were clasped behind his back. His silver eyes are unreadable under the moonlight.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I said.
“Neither should you,” he replied.
I crossed my arms. “Did you come to see the damage for yourself? Or was public humiliation part of your plan all along?”
“If I wanted to humiliate you,” he said evenly, “I would’ve done it when you still had power.”
I kept my voice steady. “A man who sends his sister to sit over another woman has no right to speak of power.”
“She chose this. Same as you did, once.”
“You know nothing about what I chose!”
He stepped forward, slow and deliberate. “I know a queen who once spoke with authority. Now you’re barely tolerated in your own court.”
I said nothing for a beat. Then, quietly: “And I see a king who hides behind strategy while letting his sister marry a tyrant who doesn’t deserve her.”
“Tyrant is a strong word for someone you shared a bed with.” His audacity!
I stepped closer, until we were eye to eye.
“Does your sister know she’s being handed to a man who lies better than he leads?”
His expression didn’t change. “Does your king know his queen is still pretending she matters?”
The words hit harder than I expected. But I didn’t flinch. I wouldn’t give him that.
“You planned this,” I said. “The timing. The spectacle. You knew exactly what it would do.”
“I told him not to announce it during the toast,” Caelum said. “He thought it’d be more dramatic.”
“And you just watched.”
“I’m not here to protect your pride. I don’t even know who you are. Do you think I even care about your existence?”
“No,” I said. “You’re worse. You pretend to care while standing beside men who cause the damage.”
He studied me for a moment. “You act like this came out of nowhere. It didn’t. You let it happen. You let them silence you… and this is the price you will pay.”
“I held this kingdom together while your forces tested our borders. I gave them everything I had. And they still turned away from me.”
“Then you gave it to the wrong people,” he said. “You don’t keep a crown by staying quiet.”
I took a breath. My voice was low, sharp. “I should hate you.”
“Hate me. Your hate won’t kill me.”
I didn’t deny it.
“I’ll ruin your sister’s marriage if I can.”
He stepped in, close enough that the space between us vanished. Close enough that I felt the cold roll off his skin.
“Try,” he said. “And I’ll ruin you first.”
We stared at each other, unmoving. My heart pounded. My magic hummed just under the surface—heat and pain and something sharp pressing to get out.
“You came to provoke me,” I said.
“No. I came to see the drama.”
I stepped back—not in surrender, but to breathe. To think. He had seen more of me in these few minutes than most had in years.
“You’re not welcome here,” I said, making King Caelum’s eyes squint.
“And do you think you are still welcome here? Oh Queen Seraya, enjoy your stay while it lasts..” he said, smirking while walking away.
