Draven's words landed like a thunderclap, leaving her momentarily stunned and wordless.
"Husband? Him?" Elara's eyes blazed with defiance, her disbelief echoing in her voice.
She stared at the mysterious figure. Her determination made her peer past his strange aura.
'Sure, he might look attractive,' she thought, a flicker of acknowledgment in her gaze. 'But it's not about his looks.'
Her voice grew stronger, unwavering. 'I won't let anyone tie me down, not even a man like him!'
"I apologized for the unpleasant introduction. I did not intend it to be this way. But I am concerned for your safety. I am Lord Malachi, and I do want to seek your hand in marriage." He bowed down to her.
His eyes, as red as glowing embers, felt like they were almost too intense. They were like a fire that could devour everything in its path.
The air around them seemed charged with an otherworldly energy. And it is tingling with an unspoken challenge.
Elara's defiance wavered as his name fell from his lips. "Lord Malachi, the fallen?"
The words escaped her before she could stop herself, her voice tinged with disbelief.
She had heard tales of him, the demon who had fallen from the grace of the Triune Gods. It couldn't be true.
"Yes, you are right," he confirmed, to Elara's horror. His voice was steady, despite the darkness that lurked within.
His acknowledgment sent a chill through her. It was as if the shadows themselves whispered their secrets into his words.
Elara's defiant gaze shifted to Drave. "Is it true? You are marrying me to him?"
"Yes, my dear sister. It has been decided." His lips curled into a knowing smile.
Emotions swirled inside Elara, a mix of anger and feeling let down filling her.
"You decided this without telling me?" Her voice trembled with held-back anger, a hint of fierceness in her words.
Her body grew tense as she faced the hidden schemes that had been woven behind her back.
Draven's blue eyes locked onto hers, his confident facade unmoving.
"It was for the family's sake, a necessary choice," he snapped, his smugness seeping into his words.
—------------------
Elara gazed out the carriage window, her heart a storm of mixed feelings.
Across from her sat Lord Malachi, an enigmatic man with a dark charm, his red eyes fixed on hers like burning coals.
The carriage jolted along the bumpy road. Its wheels grinded against the ground as if echoing Elara's inner battle.
Draven's guards loomed nearby, a constant reminder of her limited options. Their presence felt like chains, tightening around her choices.
She was about to run away again but Draven's guards pointed their swords at her. She has no choice but to come with them.
"I will not marry you," Elara hissed, her voice a defiant whisper laced with a fiery determination.
Lord Malachi leaned back. A ghost of a smile played upon his lips.
The shadows around him seemed to dance in response to his amusement.
"Such spirit," he murmured, his voice a velvet caress that sent shivers down Elara's spine.
Her fingers clenched into fists. Her nails dug into her palms as she fought against the rising tide of frustration.
'I had escaped one prison only to find myself ensnared in another,' Elara gritted her teeth.
"Milady," he began, his words carrying an air of calculated intrigue. "I will offer you a negotiation, a choice that grants you the very thing you desire—freedom."
"What?" Elara's heart raced, her thoughts a whirlwind of skepticism and intrigue.
Freedom was a precious gem, something she had fought for, bled for. And yet, she had learned that nothing came without a price.
She leaned forward as her emerald eyes narrowed. She regarded Lord Malachi with a mixture of defiance and caution.
"And what price must I pay for this freedom you offer?" Her voice held an edge, a challenge that cut through the tension.
Lord Malachi's lips curled into a faint, enigmatic smile. "Marry me," he stated, his words ringing like a pact forged in the shadows.
Elara's breath caught in her throat. A surge of conflicting emotions swept through her.
She could feel the weight of his gaze, his eyes boring into her as if seeking to unravel the depths of her soul.
She scoffed, a hint of bitterness lacing her tone. "Marry you? And what, become a prisoner in a different gilded cage?"
Her words dripped with sarcasm. Her defiance unwavered even in the face of this unexpected proposition.
Lord Malachi leaned back. The shadows played across his features mirroring the complexities of his thoughts.
"Not a prisoner, milady. A partner," he countered, his voice low and resonant. "Two souls bound by choice rather than coercion."
Her mind raced, her thoughts a tumultuous whirlpool of considerations. 'Could I truly trust his words?'
'Could I let go of control over my future and trust him? The one who represented the very darkness I wanted to run away from?'
And yet, the allure of freedom, of a life unburdened by the Blackthorns, tugged at her heart.
Elara knew that the Blackthorns will find out that she has escaped. It's not this fast, though.
But deep inside her heart, she knew that her freedom would just be short-lived.
'Unless the Blackthorns release me themselves.'
She studied Lord Malachi. His enigmatic presence seemed to hold the answers to the questions that plagued her.
'Still, it's too risky.'
Her voice, firm and unwavering, rose in defiance. "I will not be controlled, Lord Malachi. I will not trade one form of captivity for another."
Elara gazed out the carriage window, a sigh escaping her lips. "It was so close," she murmured sadly, her freedom almost within reach.
If only her brother and Lord Malachi hadn't appeared, disrupting her plans.
Their journey was brief, and the imposing Manor came into view sooner than Elara expected.
As the carriage rolled to a stop, her heart clenched with a mix of apprehension and determination.
She stepped out, fiery red hair catching the moonlight like a halo of defiance.
Aurora, her sister, approached, a mask of false concern on her face.
"Elara, dear sister," she said, her voice dripping with sugary sweetness. "I hope you're alright. My actions may have driven you to rebel, and for that, I apologize."