Chapter 11 - Shattered

I lingered in the shadows of the alcove, my heart a leaden weight as Princess Aurelia's gilded carriage rolled to a halt before the castle gates. The air grew thick with anticipation, choking me as I watched Gideon emerge to greet her.

His usual icy demeanor melted as he extended a hand to help her descend. "Welcome, Princess Aurelia. I trust your journey was pleasant?"

My nails dug crescents into my palms as she laughed, a tinkling sound that echoed off the stone walls. "Most agreeable, Prince Gideon. Though I confess, the sight of your castle has quite taken my breath away."

"Then allow me to give you a proper tour," he replied, his voice carrying a warmth I'd never heard before.

They strolled arm-in-arm toward the entrance, heads bent close in conversation. Each step they took drove a dagger deeper into my chest. How could he look at her with such tenderness when he'd only ever shown me cold indifference?

The banquet that evening was a lavish affair, yet the sumptuous dishes would turn to ash in my mouth as I watched them from across the grand hall. Gideon leaned in close to whisper something in Aurelia's ear, eliciting a blush that stained her cheeks crimson.

As the night wore on, their stolen glances and intimate exchanges became harder to bear. Each shared smile, each brush of hands as they reached for their goblets, each throaty laugh at some private jest - it all coalesced into a crushing weight upon my chest.

I found myself wondering, not for the first time, if Gideon could sense my gaze boring into him from across the room. Did he know the torment he inflicted with each gentle word to Aurelia? Or had I become as invisible to him as the shadows I clung to?

As the music swelled and couples took to the dance floor, I slipped away unnoticed. The corridors seemed to mock me with their emptiness, echoing the hollowness I felt within. I fled deeper into the castle's depths, desperate to escape the joyous sounds of the celebration - and the bitter knowledge that I would never be the one to make Gideon smile like that.

I stumbled into my chamber, slamming the heavy door behind me. The silence engulfed me, broken only by my ragged breathing. My mind raced, replaying every moment of the evening in excruciating detail.

"Why her?" I whispered to the darkness. "What does she possess that I lack?"

My trembling fingers fumbled with the clasps of my gown, desperate to shed the weight of the evening. As the fabric pooled at my feet, I caught sight of my reflection in the ornate mirror across the room.

I approached it slowly, my bare feet silent on the cold stone floor. The girl staring back at me seemed a stranger - pale, haunted, eyes rimmed with unshed tears.

"Is this what he sees when he looks at me?" I asked my reflection, voice barely audible. "A broken, unworthy thing?"

My hand reached out, tracing the curve of my cheek in the mirror. "Am I truly so forgettable? So easily cast aside?"

A sob tore from my throat, echoing in the empty chamber. "Gideon," I choked out, "can you not see how I ache for you?"

I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. "What must I do to make you love me?" I whispered, my breath fogging the mirror. "How can I compete with her radiance when I feel so... dim?"

The silence offered no answers, only the faint echo of laughter from the distant ballroom - a cruel reminder of the joy I could never seem to grasp.

I wiped my tears with shaking hands, a newfound resolve hardening within me. I would not wallow in self-pity any longer. I needed answers, even if they shattered what little hope remained.

Slipping on a simple robe, I crept from my chamber into the shadowy corridor. The distant strains of music guided me towards the grand hall, but a hushed conversation from a nearby alcove caught my attention.

"...cannot deny the connection between us, Gideon," Princess Aurelia's melodious voice drifted through the air.

I froze, pressing myself against the cold stone wall, heart pounding.

"Aurelia," Gideon's deep timbre replied, softer than I'd ever heard it. "What we share is... complicated."

"Is it?" she challenged. "Or are you simply afraid to embrace it?"

A heavy pause followed, and I held my breath, straining to hear.

"My past haunts me," Gideon finally said, his voice laden with an emotion I couldn't quite place. "But with you, I feel... lighter."

Something inside me shattered. The ache in my chest morphed into a searing rage, threatening to consume me. How dare he speak of connection, of lightness, with her? When I had offered him my very soul?

I bit back a scream, my nails digging crescents into my palms. Without thinking, I bolted, my bare feet slapping against the stone as I fled. The corridors blurred around me, twisting and turning like a labyrinth of my own despair.

"Foolish girl," I berated myself, choking back sobs. "Did you truly believe a Prince could love you?"

The cool night air hit me as I burst through a side entrance, the scent of roses momentarily overwhelming my senses. The garden stretched before me, bathed in ethereal moonlight. I stumbled forward, desperate to lose myself among the shadows and blooms.

My knees gave out as I reached a secluded corner of the garden, collapsing among a bed of moonflowers. Their pale petals seemed to mock me, pristine and untouched by the anguish that tore through my body. I pressed my face into the damp earth, inhaling the rich scent of loam and decay.

"Why?" I whispered, my voice raw. "Why can't he see me?"

Tears streamed down my cheeks, mingling with the dew on delicate petals. Each drop felt like a piece of my shattered heart, falling away into nothingness. I clawed at the dirt, desperate for something to anchor me against the tide of despair.

"Gideon," I cried out, no longer caring who might hear. "I would have given you everything!"

The garden remained silent, save for the gentle rustle of leaves in the night breeze. It was a cruel reminder of how utterly alone I was.

Inside the castle, unbeknownst to me, Gideon's brow furrowed. He excused himself from Aurelia's company, a nagging unease gnawing at the edges of his consciousness. His footsteps echoed through empty halls as he searched, growing more frantic with each vacant room.

But I was beyond hearing, lost in my own spiral of heartache and betrayal. The moonflowers cradled me as I wept, their silvery light a cold comfort in the darkness that threatened to swallow me whole.