When the bright, golden rays of the morning sun finally pierced through the heavy silk curtains of her bedchamber, Isla's eyes fluttered open to a quiet room; she reached out lazily across the plush mattress, only to find the space beside her completely empty and achingly cold, realizing with a sudden jolt that Dorian was already gone and she was incredibly late.
A sickening wave of dread forcefully washed over her as she instantly remembered that today was the exact day she was obligated to endure a private royal excursion with Prince Lucier.
She hurriedly pushed herself out of the tangled bedsheets, rushing over to her grand vanity mirror to quickly begin preparing for the absolute nightmare of a day ahead, but the very second her brilliant blue eyes landed on her reflection in the polished glass, her breath completely hitched in her throat.
There, resting prominently on the pale, delicate skin of her neck, was a dark, blooming purple mark—a fierce, undeniable brand left behind by Dorian's burning kisses in the dark of the night.
A deep, involuntary crimson blush instantly rushed to her cheeks, and a soft, genuinely beautiful smile graced her lips as the intoxicating, breathless memories of last night violently flooded her mind.
However, that romantic smile vanished in an absolute flash, instantly replaced by a wave of sheer, paralyzing panic as she realized that if anyone were to see her with this scandalous mark, absolutely everything she had worked for would be completely ruined.
Just as her anxiety peaked, a brilliant realization sparked in her racing mind; she remembered her ancient serpent magic.
Closing her eyes, she channeled a tiny, highly controlled fraction of that raw magical energy straight to her fingertips and gently pressed them against the dark bruise, watching with immense relief as the magic completely erased the mark, leaving behind absolutely nothing but flawless, untouched pale skin.
The very moment the mark vanished, the heavy oak doors swung open and the Queen gracefully walked into the chamber.
'Isla, my beautiful princess, Prince Lucier has finally arrived,' her mother announced with a beaming, expectant smile.
'Come outside quickly, he is eagerly waiting for you.'
Isla's hands and feet instantly went ice-cold with absolute dread at the mere mention of his name, but she closed her eyes, took a deep, incredibly steadying breath to completely mask her boiling hatred, and began the long, agonizing walk down the grand corridor.
When she finally stepped outside into the palace courtyard, she saw him waiting by the carriage; Prince Lucier had always been incredibly handsome since childhood, but the passing years had made him even more striking, sharpening his aristocratic features and heavily amplifying his naturally flirtatious charm.
As Isla elegantly approached in her flowing gown, Lucier simply stood there, utterly mesmerized and entirely unable to take his eyes off her breathtaking, ethereal beauty.
They soon departed together in a lavish royal carriage, the heavy silence between them thick with unspoken tension until Lucier finally broke the quiet, his voice carrying a surprisingly gentle, serious tone.
'Isla, look at me,' Lucier began, his piercing gaze locking intently onto hers.
'I know perfectly well that you do not particularly like me, and you probably never have, but the firm decision regarding our marriage was made by our royal families, and it is a duty we absolutely have to accept.
However, Isla, I did not bring you out here today to make you feel weird, uncomfortable, or to force some incredibly romantic moment upon you; I brought you out so that we could simply try to understand each other, and I want to sincerely promise you right now that I will never force my marital rights upon you in the future.'
Isla stared at him in absolute, stunned silence, her mind spinning wildly as she tried to process his shocking words.
''What on earth is happening right now?'' she thought, her brilliant blue eyes narrowing with fierce, calculating suspicion.
''Is this actually the exact same arrogant, cow-dung-sniffing Lucier I have despised for years, or is this some entirely different person sitting before me?
Has this absolute bastard actually reformed himself and become a decent man? No, no, no, that is absolutely impossible; a venomous snake never changes its true nature.
Wait just one second... today is going to be a day he will remember incredibly well.''