"Of course," she heard herself say. "I'd love that."
But inside, she was screaming.
Alaric's smile was pure satisfaction. Like a predator who'd just cornered his prey and was savoring the moment before the kill.
"Wonderful." He stood, still holding her hand. "Why don't we start with breakfast? Just the two of us. I'll have the staff prepare something special."
Something special. The words made her skin crawl. Everything about this felt wrong. Calculated. Like he'd been planning this moment for weeks.
"That sounds lovely," she managed, forcing enthusiasm into her voice.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm, his tongue flicking against her skin. "I want today to be perfect for you."
Perfect. Right. Perfect for him, maybe.
She pulled her hand back gently, playing the shy wife. "You're too good to me."
"Not good enough," he said, his eyes dark with promise. "But I plan to remedy that."
The breakfast was a nightmare disguised as romance.
Alaric had the dining room cleared of servants. Just them, fine china, and food she couldn't taste because her stomach was twisted in knots. He fed her strawberries with his fingers, watching her mouth as she chewed. His thumb traced her lower lip, ostensibly wiping away juice.
"You're so beautiful when you smile," he murmured, leaning closer and giving her a light peck on the lips. "I never noticed before."
Because you never looked before. Because she'd been invisible to him until she'd made herself interesting. Until she'd performed her way into his attention.
"I feel more myself around you now," she lied smoothly. "More comfortable being... affectionate."
"Good." His hand found her thigh under the table, squeezing gently. "I want you comfortable with me. Always."
The touch made her want to vomit, but she covered his hand with hers. Smiled like it pleased her. Like she wanted more.
"I love seeing this side of you," she said. "So attentive. So... focused on me."
"You deserve my focus." His thumb rubbed circles on her inner thigh. "You deserve everything."
Everything. The word felt like a threat.
After breakfast, he took her to the gardens. His arm around her waist, possessive and warm. He pointed out flowers like she'd never seen them before, plucked roses for her hair, kissed her temple when she laughed at his jokes.
To anyone watching, they looked like newlyweds finally finding their rhythm. Happy. In love.
If only they knew.
"I have something for you," he said as they walked past the fountain. He pulled a small velvet box from his jacket.
Her heart stopped. "Alaric, you didn't have to, "
"I wanted to." He opened the box, revealing a pair of sapphire earrings. Expensive. Beautiful. Probably worth more than most people made in a year. "To match your eyes."
The earrings were gorgeous. They were also a collar. A mark of ownership.
"They're beautiful," she breathed, because that's what the performance required.
He took them from the box and moved to put them on her himself. His fingers brushed her neck as he fastened them, lingering on her pulse point. "Perfect."
She touched one earring, playing the delighted wife. "I don't know what to say."
"Say you'll wear them tonight." His voice dropped to something more intimate. He gave her a peck on the side of her neck just under her ear. "For our celebration."
Tonight. There it was. The real reason for all this. The buildup to whatever he had planned.
"Of course," she said. "I can't wait."
But inside, dread was building like a storm.
Lunch was more of the same. Him feeding her bites of food, his hand constantly touching her - her shoulder, her arm, her face. She laughed at his stories, asked about his work, played the interested wife discovering her husband's charm.
"You know," he said, cutting into his meat, "I always thought you were too good for me."
Too good? She almost choked on her wine. "What do you mean?"
"So proper. So... untouchable." He looked at her with something that might have been genuine emotion. "I never thought I could make you happy."
You can't, she thought. You never could.
"You make me very happy," she said instead. "I just... I needed time to feel safe enough to show it."
"And now you do? Feel safe?"
Safe. With the man who'd had her burned alive in another timeline. With the man who was planning God knew what for tonight.
"Completely," she lied. "You make me feel... protected. Cherished."
His smile was brilliant. Satisfied. Like she'd just given him exactly what he wanted to hear.
"Good," he said. "Because I plan to cherish you properly. Tonight."
The afternoon dragged by like torture. He insisted on showing her his collections - weapons, books, art he'd acquired. His hand stayed on her lower back, guiding her around his study, his fingers occasionally slipping lower.
"This sword belonged to my grandfather," he said, pulling down an ornate blade. "Used it to win three duels."
She admired it appropriately, let him position her hands on the hilt, standing behind her to "show her the proper grip." His chest pressed against her back, his breath on her neck.
"You're a natural," he murmured in her ear. "Though I prefer you without weapons. Softer. More... yielding."
Yielding. The word made her skin crawl.
I'd like to yield this knife into your neck, she thought.
"I like feeling feminine with you," she said, leaning back against him. "Protected."
"I'll always protect you." His arms came around her waist from behind. "You're mine to protect now."
Mine. There was that word again. Ownership, not love.
By evening, her face hurt from smiling. Her body ached from constantly tensing at his touches while pretending to enjoy them. Her voice was hoarse from laughing at jokes that weren't funny, from praising observations that weren't clever.
But the worst part was how much he was enjoying it. How satisfied he looked every time she responded the way he wanted. How his touches grew bolder as the day went on, testing her boundaries.
"Dinner was perfect," she said as they finished the elaborate meal he'd had prepared. "Everything today has been perfect."
"It's not over yet." His eyes held a promise that made her stomach drop. "The best is yet to come."
He stood and offered her his hand. "Shall we retire for the evening?"
This was it. The moment she'd been dreading all day. The real reason for his perfect romance performance.
"I'd like that," she said, taking his hand.
But inside, she was already planning how to survive what came next.
He led her upstairs to her chambers, his hand on her back, guiding her like property he was moving from one room to another. The hallway felt endless. Each step closer to her door made her chest tighter.
"I want tonight to be special," he said as they reached her chambers. "I want you to remember this."
I'll remember it, she thought grimly. But not the way you think.
He opened her door and gestured for her to enter first. Always the gentleman. Always the perfect husband.
Her room looked different. Candles everywhere. Fucking candles everywhere, casting shadows that made everything look like some cheesy romance novel. Rose petals on her bed. Wine by the window.
He actually did this. He actually thought this would work.
"Alaric," she breathed, because he was watching for her reaction. "This is... incredible."
"You like it?" He closed the door behind them. The sound of the lock clicking made her jump.
"I love it." She turned to face him, summoning every scrap of acting ability she had. "I love that you did this for me."
"I want to do everything for you." He moved closer, his hands coming up to frame her face. "I want to give you everything."
He kissed her then, deep and claiming. His tongue invaded her mouth, tasting of wine and possession. She kissed him back, matching his intensity, letting him believe she wanted this as much as he did.
When he pulled back, his breathing was uneven. "You're so beautiful. So perfect." He stroked her cheek. "I'm glad you are more passionate now."
"Only for you," she whispered, hating every word.
His hands moved to her shoulders, fingers finding the fastenings of her dress. "Let me see you. All of you."
This was happening. There was no escape now. No excuse that would work. No way out that wouldn't blow her cover and ruin everything.
This was really happening. Fuck. Goddamnit.
She nodded, playing the eager wife. "Please."
He undressed her slowly, reverently, his hands and mouth following the path of revealed skin. She forced herself to respond, to arch into his touch, to gasp at the right moments. Every second was agony disguised as passion.
"So perfect," he murmured against her throat. "I can't believe I waited so long for this."
You didn't wait, she thought bitterly. You had Evelyne. You always had Evelyne.
But she moaned his name instead, threading her fingers through his hair like she couldn't get enough.
He guided her to the bed, laying her down among the rose petals like she was an offering. His eyes devoured her naked body, possessive and hungry.
"I'm going to make you feel so good," he promised, starting to undress himself. "So loved."
Loved. Right. This wasn't about love. This was about ownership. About claiming what he thought was his.
He joined her on the bed, pulling her into his arms for another kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes searched her face. "Do you want this?" he asked, his voice rough with desire. "Do you want me?"
"Yes," she whispered, reaching up to touch his face. "I want you. I want this."
For my freedom. For my plans, she thought.
The lie tasted like poison, but he swallowed it whole.
His hands roamed her body, touching and claiming and taking. She responded how he wanted, moving beneath him, gasping his name, begging for more. The perfect wife. The perfect performance.
"Are you ready for me?" he asked, positioning himself between her legs.
"Yes," she breathed, though everything in her was screaming no. "Please, Alaric. I need you."
I hate you so much.
He aligned himself at her entrance, his eyes locked on hers. "You're mine," he said, about to push forward. "Finally, completely mine."
This was it. The moment of no return. The violation she couldn't take back.
She braced herself, forcing her body to relax, her face to show pleasure instead of revulsion,
"FIRE! FIRE IN THE LORD'S OFFICE!"
The shout from outside was followed by running footsteps, panicked voices, the sound of organized chaos.
Alaric froze, positioned at her entrance but not yet inside. "What the hell, "
"MY LORD! THE OFFICE IS BURNING! ALL YOUR PAPERS, "
More shouting. More running. The smell of smoke starting to drift through the windows.
"Fuck." Alaric pulled away, his expression torn between fury and panic. "Not now. Not fucking now."
"GO!" she said, sitting up and pushing him toward his clothes. "If it's important documents, "
"Everything's in there." He was already reaching for his pants, the spell broken. "Contracts, agreements, financial records, "
"Then go! I'll be here when you get back."
He kissed her hard, possessive. "Don't move. Don't even think about moving. We're finishing this."
"I'll be waiting," she promised.
He dressed quickly and rushed out, pausing only to lock the door behind him.
The moment his footsteps faded, Seraphina collapsed back on the bed, shaking. Her whole body felt like it was coming apart. She'd been a split second away from,
Don't think about it. Don't think about what almost happened. Don't don't don't.
But she couldn't stop thinking about it. Couldn't stop her hands from shaking.
She pulled a sheet around herself and moved to the window, looking out at the courtyard. Sure enough, smoke was billowing from the east wing. People were running with buckets, shouting orders, pure chaos.
Thank God for small mercies.
She was still shaking when she heard it. A soft sound from her balcony. Like someone landing on stone.
Shit. Her blood turned to ice. Had Alaric come back? Found another way in?
But when she turned toward the balcony doors, the figure that stepped from the shadows wasn't Alaric.
It was Caelan.
Standing in her candlelit room, taking in her naked form wrapped in sheets, the rose petals scattered across her bed, the wine and romantic setup.
Taking in exactly what he'd interrupted.
His eyes found hers across the room, dark and unreadable behind his mask.
And for the first time all day, Seraphina didn't know what to say.