CHAPTER ONE: Whispers In The Moonlight

The Valencrest Palace glittered under a sky dusted with stars, its white marble walls gleaming like frozen waves in the pale moonlight. Inside, crystal chandeliers sparkled over long, golden banquet tables, the air thick with the scent of roasted pheasant and sweet pastries. Servants scurried like shadows, anticipating the grand wedding that would unite the Valencrest and Duskbourne kingdoms.

Yet, for Princess Meliora Valencrest, every flickering candle and polished silver plate felt like chains. Her reflection in the ornate hallway mirror showed a pale girl with wide, determined eyes and lips pressed into a line. Her silk gown clung like a gilded cage, and the diamonds in her hair only reminded her of the trap awaiting her the next day: marriage to a man whispered about in hushed, fearful tones across two kingdoms.

King Kaelen Duskbourne.

The name carried weight, fear, and mystery. Rumors painted him as ruthless—a king who executed without mercy, who crushed his enemies and those who displeased him alike. His soldiers obeyed his word as if it were law; nobles whispered of cruelty disguised as justice. And now, Meliora was to be bound to him, a pawn in the alliance between her father and his throne.

Meliora paced her chambers, her mind racing. Selene, her loyal maid and confidante, hovered near the door.

“Your Highness… the wedding preparations are nearly complete,” Selene said softly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Meliora’s ear.

“I know,” Meliora replied, her voice tight. “And that is exactly why I cannot attend it.” Her fingers clenched the edge of the dressing table. “Do you know what they’re saying about him, Selene?”

Selene nodded, her brown eyes wide but steady. “Whispers travel fast, Princess. They speak of his cruelty. But… surely he cannot be as terrible as they claim.”

Meliora laughed bitterly, a sharp sound that echoed in the empty room. “If only ignorance were bliss. I will not marry a man who terrifies every courtier, who silences dissent with fear. Tomorrow, I will escape.”

Selene’s mouth parted in shock. “Escape? But… the palace walls, the guards—”

“I have a plan,” Meliora interrupted, her gaze sharp and determined. “Tonight, I scout the hidden passages my father never mentions, and tomorrow… I vanish before anyone notices.” She leaned closer to Selene, lowering her voice. “I trust you to help me. Not a word to anyone, not even the servants who prattle for gossip. Do you understand?”

“Completely, Your Highness,” Selene whispered, a fierce glint in her eyes.

Meliora allowed herself a small, dangerous smile. “Good. Then I will see this through. If I am to flee, I will not falter.”

The princess moved to the balcony, drawing back the velvet drape. Moonlight spilled across the stone floor, illuminating the vast gardens below. The walls seemed impossibly high, but she had studied the palace maps, noting the secret passage hidden behind the eastern library shelves. Tonight, she would test it. Tomorrow, she would escape.

A sudden rustle in the shadows made her freeze. A figure stepped from the garden paths, and for a heartbeat, she thought it was a guard. But the man that emerged was… different. Tall, broad-shouldered, with midnight-black hair that caught the moonlight, and eyes—eyes that seemed to pierce through her very soul.

“Where are you heading at this hour?” he asked, voice smooth and dangerous, yet carrying a hint of amusement.

Meliora’s heart thundered in her chest, but her wits did not fail her. She leaned back against the balcony railing, narrowing her eyes. “Keep quiet about what I’m about to say,” she warned. “I… I’m escaping my wedding.”

The man raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk curving his lips. “Escaping, hmm? You must be either very brave… or very foolish.”

“I am neither,” she said firmly, her voice unwavering despite the pulse racing in her veins. “I am determined.”

He chuckled softly, and for the first time, Meliora felt a curious thrill. “Determined, indeed. Then I shall watch your little endeavor with great interest.”

Meliora did not know it yet, but the man before her—the one she found dangerously magnetic—was not just an observer. He knew more than he let on.

And as the palace slept under the silver gaze of the moon, the first sparks of a dark, dangerous, and intoxicating game had been lit.

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