It had been one month since Erika’s life had been turned upside down, and every day felt like she was sinking further into the weight of her new reality. The royal palace had become both a gilded cage and a battleground where every lesson in etiquette, every royal obligation, felt like another layer of armor being strapped to her, suffocating her at every turn.

She sat at a long, polished table in one of the palace’s many extravagant rooms, her hands stiffly folded in her lap as the royal tutor rambled on about the proper way to address foreign dignitaries. Her eyes glazed over. The history of royal alliances, the careful placement of silverware, the bowing, the curtsying—it all felt like nonsense. The lessons were endless, and each one seemed more absurd than the last. She wasn’t even sure why she was doing this.

'Maybe I’m just fooling myself, Erika thought bitterly, her mind wandering. This marriage... it’s not something I chose. It’s something I’m being forced into. Every day I spend here, it feels like I’m drifting further away from my life, from everything I know.'

Her gaze flickered to the large window across the room, where the soft light of dusk bathed the garden in golden hues. Outside, the cool evening breeze rustled the trees, calling her. It was almost like the wind itself was beckoning her to run.

'Home. I just want to go home.'

But before she could spiral further into her thoughts, the door opened with a soft creak, and she looked up, startled to see Prince Alaric standing in the doorway. He wasn’t dressed in his usual royal regalia today. Instead, he wore a simple, well-fitted jacket and trousers, his golden hair falling loosely around his face.

Erika’s heart clenched slightly. Even now, he managed to look effortlessly charming—too charming. It irritated her to no end.

“Ah, another lesson with the esteemed tutor,” Alaric said with a smirk, his eyes scanning the room. He seemed to have no sense of urgency about his royal responsibilities, a stark contrast to her growing anxiety.

“I didn’t expect to see you today,” Erika muttered, pushing herself up from the chair. She could feel the tightness in her chest. The last thing she needed was another one of their inevitable conversations where he tried to play the prince and her, the reluctant betrothed.

Her tutor clears his throat, and Erika immediately gets his signal. She curtsy at the Prince and corrected her sentence, "I didn't expect to see you today, Your Majesty."

“Oh? And why is that?” he asked, a knowing look flashing in his eyes as he moved further into the room, making himself at home. “I thought we were getting along so well. You’ve been getting better at curtsying.”

Alaric faced her tutor and told him to leave for a moment. The tutor leaves the room and as he leaves, Alaric immediately faces Erika.

“I’ve been getting better at pretending I belong here,” Erika snapped, her patience wearing thin. She crossed her arms, her thoughts more scattered now than ever before. “You do know, I’m not even sure this whole thing—this marriage—is even real, right? We only have two months and my decision still hasn't waver. I can't be your Empress, Your Majesty.”

She didn’t mean to say it out loud, but the words were out before she could stop herself. Her frustration seeped through, the walls she’d been trying to keep up slowly crumbling.

Alaric’s smirk faltered, replaced by a slight frown as he took a step toward her. “What do you mean?”

Erika couldn’t meet his eyes. She stared at the marble floor, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t belong here. I don’t know how to do this—how to be what you want me to be. I don’t know if I can ever be the woman you need.”

Alaric’s steps were silent as he closed the gap between them, his presence filling the room like a force she couldn’t avoid. He studied her for a moment, and for once, there was no sarcasm or teasing in his expression—just something unreadable.

“You know,” he began softly, his voice gentle yet firm, “when I first met you, I didn’t know what to expect. You were different—challenging, fiery. I wasn’t sure if you’d be a headache or an asset. But now…” He paused, his gaze softening. “I’ve learned that you’re more than that. You’re... interesting. And not just in the way I expected.”

Erika’s heart skipped a beat, but she refused to show any sign of it. She stepped back, keeping her arms folded. “Interesting? So now I’m just some kind of... project for you, Your Highness?”

“No,” Alaric answered quickly, almost too quickly. “Not a project. But I do want to understand you. I want to know you, Erika. I won’t force you into something you don’t want, but I need you to give me a chance. At least hear me out.”

She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “And what would that even change? You’re a prince. I’m the daughter of a Baron. This marriage isn’t about us, it’s about your mistakes and lies. Do you think I chose this? You think I wanted to leave everything behind after the effort and time I've exerted to be your 'Empress'?”

Alaric was silent for a moment. The weight of her words hung in the air between them. Then, with an almost imperceptible shift in his posture, he spoke again, quieter now. “I know. But I’m here, aren’t I? I’m trying. I’m not the enemy here, Erika.”

She looked up at him then, her eyes filled with confusion, frustration, and something else she couldn’t name. 'What if he is trying? What if there’s more to this than I thought?'

“I don’t know what you want from me, Your Highness,” Erika said, her voice wavering slightly, though she refused to let him see how deeply her words had cut her. “I’m not a high noblewoman. I’m not what you’re used to. You want someone to fit into your world, but I don’t know if I can. I am trying but I don't know if I can hold on to this.”

Alaric’s gaze softened, his usual smirk replaced with something genuine—something rare. “I want you, Erika. Just you.”

Erika felt her heart skip again. 'Damn him.'

But before she could respond, the tutor cleared his throat from the doorway, reminding them that they were, in fact, still in the middle of a lesson.

Alaric smiled and nodded, but before he left the room, he gave Erika one last lingering glance.

“Don’t give up yet,” he said softly, his voice holding a sincerity that caught her off guard. “We’re in this together, remember?”

And with that, he was gone, leaving Erika standing alone with a heart full of confusion and a mind full of doubt.