Sob... sob... sob...

Evandria Gravewood lay curled on her bed, her face buried in silk pillows. The room was silent except for the soft, broken sound of her sobs.

Then, moments later, a gentle knock echoed through the door.

“My lady. Lord Gravewood is calling you at the dining table.” A woman’s voice came, careful and hesitant.

Evandria didn’t respond.

After a moment, the servant tried again, her voice a little louder this time. “My lady?”

“I heard you. I’m coming.” Evandria spoke in a restrained voice.

After some time, Evandria stepped out of her room and descended the grand staircase of the Gravewood estate. Her long blue hair flowed like moonlit silk down her back, and though her blue eyes appeared calm on the surface, they held a hollow emptiness within. She wore a deep blue dress, elegant and flawless, making her appear like the most beautiful woman on the whole continent. Yet her heart felt unbearably heavy.

As she arrived at the dining hall, a deep voice greeted her. “Take your seat.”

The voice belonged to her father, Balthar Gravewood, patriarch of the Gravewood family. Even seated, he was an imposing figure, tall and broad-shouldered, with grey hair, giving him the air of a battle-forged lord. Stern, commanding, and unyielding.

Sitting beside him, her elder brother Cedric offered a faint smile. “You’re looking beautiful today.”

Evandria gave no reply. She walked past him and silently took her seat at the long dining table. As she sat, her eyes froze on a person sitting across from her. A man Evandria didn’t want to see. Elion Goldleaf.

Black hair, neatly kept. Cold blue eyes devoid of warmth. A finely tailored suit, fitting him like armor. Handsome, undeniably so. Yet his expression was emotionless, distant, and chilling.

The moment Evandria saw him, the sadness on her face hardened into something sharper. Anger, resentment, fear, all tightly restrained. She lowered her eyes before anyone could notice.

Elion Goldleaf. The head of the Goldleaf family, the wealthiest and most respected family in the Kingdom of Aurelith.

The Aurelith Kingdom was one of the major kingdoms of the continent, a prosperous and peaceful land built on trade, where wealth often spoke louder than swords.

And Elion was one of the most powerful merchants in the kingdom. But he was also a villain.

Rumors said he had wiped out his rival merchant family in a single night, just because they had caused him some losses. Men, guards, even their family head, he killed them all brutally. He burned their estate to the ground, leaving no one alive.

There were so many bad rumors about him. But the worst rumor of all was that he had killed his own wife.

And now Evandria was about to marry this man.

***

“I don’t want this marriage, Father!” Evandria stood before her father’s massive desk in his private study, tears streaming down her face.

“He’s not a good man. Please, Father, I don’t want to marry him!”

Balthar Gravewood's expression darkened as he spoke in a cold voice. “You will marry him.”

Evandria shook her head desperately. “Please…”

“If you marry Elion Goldleaf, our family will gain a strong foothold in the Aurelith Kingdom. An alliance with the Goldleaf family will strengthen our power beyond measure. If this marriage is successful, then no one will be able to match our power in the whole Dravaryn Kingdom.”

Balthar Gravewood stood up from his chair, and while walking toward the exit, he spoke. “This decision is final.”

Evandria collapsed onto the floor, her cries echoing through the empty chamber.

***

Back in the present, the memory faded, and Evandria found herself once again at the dining table.

I’m marrying him because he is wealthy… because he is respected in Aurelith. No one listens to me. Not my father. Not even my brother.

“Let us come to the point. The marriage will take place in one week.”

At Balthar’s words, Evandria looked up suddenly. “Father…”

“Enough,” Balthar snapped. “This is a matter between the heads of two families. It would be better if you stay silent.”

Evandria lowered her gaze. The words struck harder than any slap. Her shoulders sank. Her neck bent slightly forward, as if accepting chains she never chose.

Across the table, Elion Goldleaf remained silent, watching her with his cold blue eyes.