I was supposed to be one of the Templars of the Order. But now, that dream is crushed and quite possibly thrown into the void, hidden and unreachable.

Surveying the destruction of what I had done, I began to realize that no matter how much I'd let out my anger, the reality that I'd come to face was absolute and final. The furniture were on fire, the windows broken and barely hanging, the wallpapers singed and unrecognizable, the lone mirror on the corner incinerated.

My anger had turned a sitting room of the main mansion upside down. This was Mother's favorite room out of the hundreds that we had. But right now, I couldn't be bothered to care.

There's a barrier made of flame across me, it had sprung to life at the exact moment I started to wreak havoc. As I unfurled my fire-licked fingers, the barrier flickered and revealed my mother and father.

Mother's expression was neutral, though there was a slight tension at the corner of her lips. Father had his hands on her shoulder, his eyes shifting nervously between me and my mother. An all-out battle between her and I would indeed spell disaster for the nation of Carnelia.

My mother stepped forward, flicking bits of ashes that had landed on her sleeve.

"Ruby, dearest…" my father called to her. "Calm down. You must understand Lily, everything is rather unexpected."

In terms of magical power, Duchess Ruby Rusells could burn a whole city to the ground in one go, making her worthy of her place in the Quartet—the name given to the heads of the four most powerful families in the nation, the protectors of the throne.

"Lily, you've really done it this time." Mother's voice was cold and smooth.

She combed her fingers through her dark-red hair, the same as mine. Though I had kept it in a bob since three years ago, back when I was a freshman in the academy. Back when that bastard—

Said bastard must not be named at present. I was already having enough of a headache.

"Y-you can't expect me to take this news so easily! What, did you think I'd say 'Yes, sure Mommy. Of course, of course. Why not?'" I huffed out a breath. "'Why not marry the freaking son of our rival family?!'"

Shit. I shouldn't have furthered my outburst like that.

I backed a step as my mother touched her temple, closing her eyes. But she only said, "The Varemonts are not our rivals."

"Yup, not until ten years ago." I said, rolling my eyes. "Which is quite short considering the centuries-long period of sending death threats."

I should really shut up.

"If I may, sweetie." Father interjected, raising a finger. "This marriage was meant to be an act of union between the two families. It is you and that boy who can't quite move on from it. Hmm nope, actually it's just you."

The air surrounding me heated up, tendrils of fire curling around my fingers. "What the hell?"

Father appeared as if he immediately rejected this choice of words.

"Enough," Mother had finally raised her voice. With a single word, she managed to make me follow. "We can't risk you burning the entire estate down, Lilibeth."

I bit my lower lip. "Yes, ma'am."

She turned to my father. "Dearest, can you brew me some tea, please?"

"I'd love to, my sweet." He said before scurrying through the smothered door. I could tell he was eager to escape from what was about to come.

My mother faced me once more. I was nearly close to calling the goddesses for help when she placed a hand on my shoulder.

But she merely sighed, looking equally tired as I was. "Look at me my bright, flaming and fierce daughter." I did. "I need you to work with us on this. The wedding has been planned for a decade. It is set in stone. You must marry August. Let's say for a month or two. Until we find your sister."

The worst thing was that I understood. I understood the gravity of the situation, the depth of the hole we were in. We couldn't risk the anger of the crown. The wedding must take place. Perhaps that was what made me this angry, the reality of it. And the fact that I couldn't escape.

Erilyn, that witch. She was supposed to be the eldest, the rational one, the smart one. Why'd she have to run away and put both families in danger? And on the day before her wedding at that.

Another thing, she knew what leaving would mean for me and my dream. The responsibilities of being August Varemont's wife would ruin my plans of being a Templar. Why would she do this to me? The moment I heard she was gone, I felt so betrayed.

When I find her, I'd strangle her to death. I'd sworn that.

But… it had been three months and we hadn't caught a single glimpse of her. Was she still even alive?

I took in a deep breath and met my mother's eyes. "This won't be forever?"

The greens in her irises softened. "No, darling. We can't possibly do that to you. And with the tournament right around the corner, we'll make sure to hasten the search for Erilyn."

The tournament, specifically the Grand Games, was annually held by the academy. This was my first time due to the faculty strictly allowing senior students only. I couldn't miss it. Not ever.

"All right, I'll do it." I breathed, sunlight hitting my line of sight when I glanced sideways.

I figured it was too early in the morning for me to cause a ruckus.

"Good, there's my girl. I knew we can count on you." She smiled and my heart constricted. "I'll send Cosie with you to help collect your stuff in the academy."

The floor seemed to move. "Are… are you serious? I-I'm not missing out on my classes!"

She stared at me guiltily. "I'm so sorry, dear. You can't be August's wife and a student in the academy at the same time."

"This is utter madness! Being a substitute bride and pretending to be Erilyn are two things, but stopping school? Goddesses, no!"

She lifted a brow. "Don't you bring the Goddesses into this, Lilibeth."

"Whatever."

"We've sent a notice to the academy first thing in the morning, a letter signed by me the Duchess," she admitted. "This afternoon, you shall pack up your things and bid your friends farewell."

My jaw dropped. "What was even in that letter?"

"That you'll be taking care of matters concerning the branch families further south of Carnelia, since Erilyn can't go because of her duties." Mother said, stress wrinkling her forehead. "Obviously, the problem is very urgent that you will 'leave' tonight. You can't very well attend your own wedding, can you?"

I believe this is punishment for destroying her beloved sitting room.