Halsey POV

"Find her!" I hear the king's roar, which causes me to shiver and break out in sweat. The entire castle is rowdy because of me; they are looking for me. I do not want to get married to any of the princes!

"Your Majesty, I can't find her anywhere in the castle." I heard one of the guards reporting to my uncle, the King. I forcefully conceal myself beneath my bed, aware that it's the only secure spot in the castle where I can remain hidden. No one, even after searching my room, could possibly find me here.

I'm an orphan. My parents passed away when I was thirteen years old, but I don't have any recollections of them. I've been plagued by numerous nightmares and strange visions in my dreams, which continue to taunt me.

The visions haunt me every night—shadowy figures, whispers of a face I can't quite see. They say finding my mate will stop them, that only he can give me peace. It's my only hope.

I can't let anyone ruin the chances of me finding my mate; nobody understands what it means to me, and King Ganesh is about to snatch that hope from me by forcefully getting me married to a prince I have not heard of or seen in my entire life. 

"Keep searching! We can't keep King Klaus waiting. Halsey can never leave the castle, so find her!" King Ganesh desperately yells, He doesn't care about what I want; all he wants to do is fulfill his objectives with King Klaus. I have no clue about his plan with King Klaus; all he says to me is that he has come to save our kingdom.

King Klaus has been known for his strong desire for power; that alone tells him how dangerous he is. I can't be married to a prince whose father is known for his greed for power. If the father was addicted to power, how much were his sons?

"Yes, your highness." I can sense the guards dispersing once more as they sprint down the hallway.

It seems like they are all gone from my room side, and staying under the bed for over thirty minutes was already hurting as if my bones were going to break.

My bones ache as I twist my body in the tight space beneath the bed, every movement sending sharp pangs through my limbs. This won't work much longer. Any moment now, they could drag me out, and then... I shiver at the thought. I need to move—now.

I am familiar with a secret path that is only accessible to a select few. I peek through the room and the tiny aperture in the door, checking to see if anyone is still present outside.

My nose doesn't catch anyone's smell, so I carefully pull out from the bed, my bones cracking. I'd been in here for too long.

Running through the hallway, using my hands to pull my dress off the floor, I run fast down to the quarters, where there is a secret passage.

Looking carefully at the passage aisle, there are no guards as my heartbeat slows. With a sense of relief, I carefully unlock the gate's keys.

Then suddenly, I hear a clap behind me. I shiver as my knees feel numb and my heart beats frantically.

No, no, please. Tell me it's not him!

The keys fall from my trembling hands as I meet King Ganesh's enraged eyes. How did he know I would be here? It's as if he's been secretly waiting here, as though it were my last resort to escape since it was nearly impossible to escape from the castle.

"Please, I can't marry the prince, uncle!" I whimper in panic, my lips shivering; he instructs the guards to seize me immediately, ignoring my words.

"No, do not touch me!" I scream at the guards while they encircle my hands tightly.

"Please, I need to find my mate. I can't be with anyone who isn't him." I struggle to escape their grip, yet their strength surpasses my ability.

"King Ganesh, it is my destiny to find my mate." I cannot impulsively wed someone who is not my mate. You understand the dynamics of this mate-finding process. My voice trembles as I scream at the guards, drawing him closer to me.

"I am the king, and I make the decisions here. What were you thinking? Of escaping?" He turns, flickering his angry green eyes at me.

"I do not even know of this man you speak of!" I scream out and throw kicks at the guards, but they remain unaffected as they continue to drag me like a prisoner who has committed a terrible crime.

"Your husband-to-be has arrived, and you do not need to know about him. Your wedding with him takes place tomorrow, and after that, you can know about him as much as you want."

"Please don't do this to me; consider what I want for once!" I yell with tears streaming down my face. Since I've been his niece, King Ganesh has never given me the right to do things for myself. One of his rules prohibits me from leaving the castle.

For as long as I can remember, I've been trapped in this gilded cage. No friends, no schooling beyond the walls of this castle—just endless days of lessons and rules. Even now, I've never set foot outside. It's as if my uncle decided long ago that I wasn't a person, only a tool. My family has always treated me like a prisoner!

Why can't this be the first time I've ever made a personal choice?

"It is not in your position to make decisions. You are a princess, and all you need to do is obey commands and do your duties. And right now, your duty is getting married to one of King Klaus's sons, and that is final!"

He stares at me with his rigid eyes, knowing that his decision was final, and I can't do anything to change it.

"Return her to her room and lock her up. Ensure that there are twice as many guards monitoring her room. Nobody is allowed to visit her except the maids, and anything she needs will have to be taken to her room until her wedding night tomorrow!" He commands, the guards bowing as he walks away, and he didn't even bother to look at me again. 

My knees hit the cold stone as the guards shove me into the room, the door slamming shut behind me like a final verdict. Tears blur my vision, but I don't wipe them away. What's the point? They've taken everything—my freedom, my choices, my dreams. All I have left is this suffocating room and the dread of tomorrow.

After whimpering for a few minutes, I pick myself up from the floor and lean on the edge of my bed.

His words echo in my head, "Tomorrow is your wedding with him, and after that, you can know him all you want!" I find the thought of marrying him particularly unsettling.

Of course, he is one of King Klaus's sons, but I've never laid eyes on any of them before, and now I'm being forced to marry one?