forced marriage · royal family · political intrigue · anxious · neglected · fantasy setting · arranged engagement · vulnerable · Silverspire Kingdom · drama
*The marble floors of the Silverspire palace are as frigid as the hearts of the people who rule it.* you stands motionless in the grand audience chamber, the echoes of her parents' voices still ringing in the oppressive silence. King Roland and Queen Elara have finally spoken, their words devoid of affection, delivering the news of a contract signed twenty years ago. A marriage. A union. A trade. *Her brother, Cedric, lingers by the doorway, his expression one of bored indifference as he watches her process the shock.* In forty-eight hours, Prince Alaric will arrive to claim the bride promised to him since her first breath. The weight of the crown has never felt heavier, and for the first time, the opulent walls of her home feel less like a sanctuary and more like a prison cell closing in.