After a restless night, Valeria awoke early in the morning. Through the window, she could see the faintest light of dawn just beginning to touch the horizon. Her head throbbed with a terrible ache, and her eyes felt puffy, swollen from hours of silent crying. The blanket she clutched tightly around her felt like the only thing grounding her as she sank deeper into her thoughts.
Her mind replayed the events of the previous night, the memory of the king's touch making her skin crawl. A cold shiver ran down her spine just at the thought. She had no idea what he had planned for her, but she was thankful—no, relieved—that the guard had interrupted him.
It wasn't until now that she truly realized how unprepared she had been for this. How could her mother have sent her into this marriage without even telling her what to expect? No warning, no guidance, no preparation. She felt exposed, helpless, completely in the dark about what was to come.
Her mind flashed to the king's lips on hers, his cold touch on her neck, his hands roaming over her body… the memory sent another wave of dread crashing over her. Would he return tonight to finish what he had started? He had said, "It isn't over yet."
The thought made her stomach twist into knots. She couldn't bear the idea of him coming back. She wanted to scream, to run, but where could she go? There was nowhere to escape, nowhere to hide. She was trapped.
But no—she couldn't let herself be shackled by fate. She wasn't going to accept this, not after everything she had worked for. She had always taken control of her own future, and she wasn't going to let this forced marriage to the king ruin everything she had dreamed of.
Valeria pushed herself out of bed, her body sore and stiff. The first thing she did was take a long, hot bath. She scrubbed her skin until it felt raw, trying to erase the lingering sensation of the king's touch from her body. The water turned cold as she sat there, her mind swirling with desperate thoughts.
She couldn't let him get that close to her again. She couldn't be that helpless again. She remembered the overwhelming fear she had felt, the paralyzing terror that had frozen her limbs and clouded her mind. *She could have fought back*. She knew how. She had trained in hand-to-hand combat, in sword fighting—skills that the nobility had looked down on her for, but she hadn't cared. They were the tools she needed to survive, to inherit her father's title.
From the time she was a child, she had worked tirelessly toward that dream. To inherit her father's legacy. It was the only thing that had ever mattered to her. Yet now, that dream was shattered, weighed down by the chains of her marriage to the king. She had been so ambitious, so determined to rise above the limitations placed on her because of her gender. She had worked for this—fought for it—but now her wings were shackled by fate.
Her hands trembled as she pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself. She couldn't stop thinking about the king. What could she do to stop him from returning? Her door was locked. Guards were stationed outside her room, and the balcony was also secured. Even if she somehow managed to break the glass and climb down, it was too high. She'd never make it, and even if she did, she'd be caught within moments.
What was left for her to do? Perhaps she could somehow convince the king to leave her alone. But no… he was a cruel monster. If I show him how desperate I am, he'll only enjoy breaking me more.
Her thoughts spiraled further into hopelessness. She felt like there was no way out. She couldn't accept this fate. She refused to.
Tears welled in her eyes again, the weight of everything crashing down on her. She wanted to be strong, to resist, but how could she? Her entire world had been upended. How could she fight when she had no idea what was coming next? She pulled her knees tighter, rocking slightly in the cold bathwater as silent sobs wracked her body.
She stayed there, letting the cold seep into her bones as she cried, helpless, vulnerable, until her body finally numbed from the chill.