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The soft voice of the priest echoed faintly across the grand hall, layered over murmurs and music, "And now… Lady Salira Hasrima, do you take Prince Adam Velloren as your rightful husband?"
Iris stood there, the white gown trailing behind her, still wrapped in Adam's fur-lined cape. Her hands were cold, though the palace was warm. Her mind was still stuck.
Something wasn't right.
Just moments ago—right before the vow—everything had… stopped.
The candle flames had frozen. The air had gone still. And a faint, almost shattered light had flickered in front of her. Her heart still raced from it. That strange, glitchy text—it appeared and vanished before she could even blink properly.
A soundless whisper of broken reality.
A hallucination?
A warning?
She had no answers.
She could still feel the afterimage of that moment like a shiver down her spine.
"I…" she began to say, blinking, trying to remember who she was supposed to be.
Was she Salira? Or Iris? Or something in between?
For a second too long, she didn't answer. A wave of unease spread through the guests.
Alpher furrowed his brow. Flora tried to hide a smirk. The emperor looked mildly annoyed.
But Adam… Adam's eyes never left her face. Calm, unwavering, steady. Like he already knew she'd come back to herself.
Iris inhaled slowly and gave a small smile.
"I do," she said finally, voice gentle but clear.
A soft gasp moved through the room—not from surprise at her words, but perhaps from the pause. A lingering sense that something had shifted. That something wasn't entirely as it seemed.
"And you, Prince Adam Velloren," the priest continued smoothly, "do you take Lady Salira Hasrima as your rightful wife?"
"I do," Adam replied without hesitation.
A polite wave of applause rippled through the crowd. The orchestra resumed in the background, playing something soft and golden.
But Iris barely heard it.
Her thoughts were still tangled.
That moment of stillness…
Had anyone else felt it?
Seen it?
Or was she alone in noticing the cracks in the world?
As if… something outside this story had started to reach in.
Adam stepped forward, offering his hand again, his expression softer now. "You looked far away," he said quietly. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," she replied automatically. "Just… thinking."
She placed her hand in his.
He brought it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. "Then let's stop thinking. Just for today."
They turned together to face the people.
But Iris couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere, someone was watching—and waiting.