Aeliana sat at the long, glossy table in a room that smelled faintly of roses and old money. The chandelier above her sparkled like a thousand stars, but the tension surrounding her made the room feel cold and heavy.
She was dressed in a soft cream gown, simple but elegant, nothing too grand or personal. Around her sat the members of the Razalo family, one of the most powerful families in the Empire.
She didn't know all their names, but she knew their eyes. Eyes filled with calculation and danger. The head of the family sat at the end of the table. His voice was deep and magnetic as he read the final part of the contract.
"You agree to the terms, Miss Aeliana Solene Torres?"
Aeliana nodded slowly. "Yes."
Her hand trembled slightly as she picked up the pen. The metal bracelet on her wrist, a tracking device her mother insisted she wear, clinked against the glass table. She signed her name.
It was done.
She was now the contract bride of Reinhardt Razalo.
The room stayed quiet for a moment. Aeliana looked up, locking eyes with no one, but taking mental notes all the same. The older woman beside the family head looked smug, maybe proud. A young man in the corner frowned slightly. Another woman scoffed as if Aeliana were some kind of joke.
No one smiled.
And Reinhardt?
He wasn't even here.
Just a few months ago, Aeliana had been free, if only for a little while. She had run away from home at eighteen, leaving behind the golden cage of her family's estate. Life on the run was hard. She worked at cafés, stayed in cheap rooms, dyed her hair, and changed names.
She had felt real air and sunlight. She had met kind people and cruel ones, too, but at least the choices were hers. But her freedom didn't last. The Torres family had money, power, and reach.
They found her.
"You will marry into the Razalo family," her mother had said coldly when she returned. "This is your duty."
Aeliana had laughed then, feeling bitter that she didn't have a choice. "Duty? I'm not a tool!"
Her mother only looked at her. "You were born to be one."
And so, here she was, signing her life away for the second time.
I should have died back then...
She met Reinhardt that same evening, after the signing. The Razalo estate was even larger than her family's. The guards at the gate stood straight like statues. The servants barely made a sound as they opened the grand doors. Her mother's secretary walked ahead of her, always checking her watch, frowning like she was an inconvenience.
Reinhardt stood in the hallway, tall and dressed in black. His hair was dark brown, almost black, and neatly combed. His suit was sharp. He looked perfect, except for his eyes. They were empty. Like a man who had lost something long ago and never found it again.
He didn't move when Aeliana stepped closer. He didn't offer a greeting.
"I'm Aeliana," she said softly, holding out her hand.
He looked at her hand, then at her face. "I know."
Silence.
She lowered her hand.
"I hope we can..." she began.
"This is just a contract," he cut in, his voice cold. "Nothing more."
Then he turned and walked away.
The wedding came quickly after that. In just three days, the Imperial Cathedral was filled with nobles, reporters, and curious eyes. Everything was perfect, like a fairy tale on the outside.
The white flowers were flown in from the Northern Isles. Her dress sparkled with tiny crystals. The music was soft and sweet. But behind the golden decorations and fake smiles, the air was filled with grief.
Aeliana smiled for the cameras.
She smiled at the guests.
She smiled for the image her family wanted to keep, clean and lovely.
When the priest asked if they agreed to the marriage, they both said yes. They posed for photos, standing side by side. But Reinhardt didn't offer her his hand. She stood alone, even as a new bride.
The car ride after the wedding was quiet. Aeliana stared out the window, her hands folded in her lap. Her new husband said nothing. Not one word. He stared straight ahead, his posture stiff, his expression like stone.
She turned to him once. "Do you hate me?"
His eyebrows lifted slightly, the first sign of emotion she had seen all day.
"No," he said finally. "I don't know you enough to hate you."
She didn't know whether that was better or worse.
Their new home was large and cold. There were many rooms, most of them empty. The furniture was too perfect to touch. Even the fireplace gave off no warmth.
Aeliana was given a room at the end of the hall. She unpacked her things slowly. Books, a sketchpad, and a few letters she had written to herself while on the run. She placed them on the shelf like reminders of the person she used to be.
She sat on the bed, looking out the window at the dark sky.
Marriage. Ha!
She had always imagined it would be something warm and fulfilling. Something filled with laughter, maybe even love.
But this?
This was a deal.
A trade.
A contract sealed by two families who cared more about power than people.
She wasn't sure what was worse.
The silence around her, or the silence inside her.
That night, she didn't cry.
She had cried when they caught her.
She had cried when her mother called her a failure.
She had cried when she read the contract for the first time.
But now?
Now, she was tired.
But she was also standing still.
Aeliana had learned one thing while running away.
Even if the world tries to trap you, there is always a piece of yourself you can keep safe.
A thought.
A dream.
A plan.
And she would keep hers close.
The next morning, she wore a plain white blouse and black slacks. She walked into the breakfast room where Reinhardt sat reading the paper. He looked up, clearly surprised.
"You don't have to be here," he said.
"I know," she replied, taking the seat across from him. "But I live here now. So I might as well act like it."
He stared at her for a long moment, then nodded. The silence between them remained, but it wasn't as deafening as before. Maybe, in time, she would figure him out. And maybe he would see that she wasn't just a bride on paper.
She didn't want this marriage.
But if she had to live it, she would live it on her terms.