Raphael had made sure they gave me my own room, even going as far as giving up his own to make sure John doesn’t get any ideas of joining me. I wasn’t sure what to make of that gesture. Was he trying to prove himself trustworthy? Or did he just want to keep John at bay? It wasn’t hard to see the disharmony between the brothers. Perhaps there was more to that than I previously thought.

I sat up in bed the next morning, not wanting to get up and walk out of those Yellow Wood doors. The Argenos had decided to continue with the engagement arrangements now that I was proven to be alive. It was going to be announced that night at a party Lady Argeno had thrown together. I pulled my knees to my chest, a heavy weight resting on my shoulders.

The one good thing that had come from my parents’ abandonment had been the simple fact that I would no longer be tied to John. I would be free of him. But now, even that was taken away. I tried holding on to the thought that meeting Andreas and Kalen had also been a good result of my abandonment, but after the conversation with Raphael, I was no longer so sure.

Just when I thought things could finally work out for me again, the universe had to throw me off balance. I wasn’t allotted any comfort anymore, it seemed. I had grown accustomed to living with Andreas and Kalen. I had started accepting what I was and how my life had changed. And now it seemed I would have to go through that whole process again. I doubted the Argenos would let me get out of the wedding even if they realized I had been telling the truth about my magical ability. They hadn’t cast Raphael out, which meant they would accept me and hide what I was.

After tonight, I would be stuck. I didn’t know enough spells to get myself out of this mess. Maybe Andreas would realize I had been abducted and come after me. I held onto the sliver of hope that he would come to my aid. But then, what if he thought I ran away because of what he had told me? He had seemed so surprised that I stayed as long as I did. What if he thought I was afraid of him because of what he had done to his parents? Worse, what if he had manufactured the story to try and darken me as Raphael suggested?

My head was spinning out of control. I didn’t know what or who to believe anymore. My life would’ve been so much simpler if I could just go back to the night before my powers manifested themselves. If I could go back to then and somehow prevent the outburst, or at the very least prevent my parents from finding out, my life would be sure again. The downfalls being that I would still be naïve and fragile, and I would be married to John by now. If that was the price to pay for certainty, would I pay it?

My mind drifted back to the first kiss Andreas had given me. If had felt so real. Every kiss since had felt urgent, but always sincere. Either he was a very good actor, or he did in fact care about me. About Kalen I wasn’t so sure. There was something about the way he presented himself that seemed to hide something. It was only then that I realized that while Kalen might’ve offered up information to me a lot easier, there was still something he was hiding from me. He just seemed too open about his past. I wanted to beat myself for not realizing this before. No one is ever that upfront about the things that had happened to them, but he was. He gave me the information before I even had to ask for it, like he was trying to manipulate me.

A knock snapped me out of my thoughts, and I was all too grateful for it. I would have thought myself into a depression if my mind kept heading into the direction it was headed. Perhaps I was just a victim of the overthinking curse, but it seemed more likely that there could actually be a basis for my concerns. I forced myself off the bed and answered the door, forgetting to put on a gown.

Raphael’s eyes danced over my rather revealing nightgown. “Modesty, not one of your strong suites, is it?” If only he knew.

I rolled my eyes and ducked back into the room and reached for the gown to cover myself.

“Let me guess, Andreas liked it when you walked around in barely anything. No need for etiquette, right?”

“Not that at all. I’ve just had a lot of things on my mind, as I’m sure you know. Being properly dressed was the last thing I was thinking of.”

He raised an eyebrow but decided to let go of the subject. “My mother sent me to get you for your dress fitting for this evening’s party.”

I sunk down on the bed. “I do not want to marry your brother.”

“I’m afraid they aren’t giving you a choice.”

“What about you? Would you give me a choice?” I asked, locking my eyes with his. He quickly averted his gaze.

“I don’t have a choice either. Do you know how difficult they make it for me? Every time I so much try to defy them, they threaten to have me executed.”

“But you would be able to get away, wouldn’t you? You know how to control your magic. I imagine you also know how to make yourself disappear and reappear somewhere else.”

Raphael began pacing. “You don’t know everything, do you? There are ways to hinder our magic, Lana. The king would not declare an outright war on our kind if he didn’t have some way to render our powers useless. I honestly don’t know how he does it, but I do know that once you are inside the palace perimeter, your magic becomes null and void.”

That couldn’t be one hundred percent true. I remembered Andreas telling me about how he had been inside the palace once, and had been able to escape easily. Did Raphael know about that? Or had the king taken extra measures after that considering what he thought Andreas had done to his daughter?

“So if one of us are caught, it’s almost certain that we will die?” I asked, horror in my voice.

“Yes, and I doubt my parents would have the same leniency with you they have with me. The only reason I’m still here is because they feel a sense of familial responsibility, otherwise they would have taken me to the palace a soon as they found out.”

“You mean like what my parents tried to do?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to remind you.”

I waved him off. His words had struck a chord, but so far he had been nice to me and I didn’t want to create tension between us.

He sat down next to me on the bed. “I know you don’t want to marry my brother, and I completely understand why. But there is nothing I can do to help you without putting my relationship with my family in jeopardy. If you disappear now, they will know it was me that helped you and then I would never be able to return home without being given over to the authorities. I can, however make you one promise, I won’t let John hurt you.”

“There is nothing you can do?” I asked, my voice small.

“I’m sorry. When it comes down to a choice between trying to maintain a relationship with my family and helping a girl I had just met, family wins. Perhaps if I had known you for longer the choice would be different, but I’m not able to make that sacrifice just yet.”

“I understand,” I said, and I did. Before my family betrayed me, I would have done the exact same thing.

He rose to his feet again and extended his hand to me. “We really must get going. My mother is not the most patient woman in the world.”

I accepted his hand only to pull back immediately when a sharp current flowed through the contact. We stared at each other wide-eyed for a moment before I decided to get up and walk through the door myself. I didn’t need another complication in my life, I kept telling myself. That current was not a good sign.

***

Hours later and I’m standing in the hallway dressed in one of the most exquisite dresses I had ever worn. Even in the middle of winter, it was sleeveless, the neckline forming a heart shape, exposing a bit of my cleavage. The deep blue dress hugged me tightly all the way down to my hips from which is spread out in layers of frills, glinting in the light. My hair was done up, with a couple of curls falling onto my shoulders. The one thing I had chosen myself, the one thing I would not let the Lady Argeno take away was the sapphire pendant hanging around my neck.

After learning about Andreas’ mother, I realized how much that necklace truly must have meant to him. And he had given it to me at a time when he was acting like he didn’t care. Why would he do that if he had been playing with me as Raphael suggested? I had this increasing suspicion that he was doubt in my heart for his own personal gains. Hadn’t he made it clear that he wanted to take down Andreas? I thought myself foolish for even considering his words. What reason did I have to trust him other than that he had kept his brother away from me until now? He also told me he could help me. I made up my mind, before I walked further down the hall to my doomed future. I would let Raphael think I believed him.  It was time I started participating in the games everyone seemed to be playing with my life.

“Lady Eleanor, allow me to escort you,” Raphael said as he approached me, coming out of nowhere. By now I was used to people suddenly appearing.

“It’s Lana,” I retort, my voice bitter. I no longer wanted to be tied to my family name. I would rather become an Argeno; at least they had family pride.

Raphael suppressed an expression of amusement. “As you wish. The guests are waiting for you. Though, I should probably warn you, your family is on the guest list.”

I froze in place. No one had told me this. How was it even possible that they got here so fast? The Eleanor estate was at least three days’ worth of travel away, and I had only been here for two. “How?”

“They were in the nearby village, the one John found you in, when the news of your “resurrection” was given to them. To their credit, they seemed to act very relieved.” Raphael placed his hand on my shoulder, a gesture meant as comforting, but that only sent me further on edge. It took every ounce of my self-control not to shake his hand off. I couldn’t afford to make an enemy of him just yet. “It’ll be okay, Lana. Perhaps they realized they had made a mistake.”

“I doubt it. You weren’t there to see the way they treated me.”

With a heavy heart, we made our way to the ballroom. I knew everyone there from previous parties I had been forced to attend before. They all looked at me, mixtures of shock, relief, pity, and envy on their faces. Nothing ever changed among the noble circles. Everyone hated everyone else, but pretended to adore them. I was surprised at how I wasn’t able to recognize that hatred in their expressions before, and that now it had become so easy, almost second nature.

“Now announcing, Lady Lana Eleanor, betrothed of Sir John Philip Argeno,” a voice called out as Raphael took my hand and led me down the stairs. I tried to keep my composure, but I felt like running away. It made me less graceful and I could see the smirks from satisfied onlookers. My faults made them feel good about themselves. How could I have missed this life before? I suddenly longed to be back in Andreas’ mansion. I would even take his distance and obvious attempts at making me hate him over all of this.

John crossed the distance between us and took my hand from his brother. He led me to the dance floor, the wave of nobles clearing for us. I followed him, knowing this was neither the time nor place to make a scene. He abruptly pulled me close to him, starting the dance. I let him lead, all the time trying to swallow the waves of nausea from being so close to him.

“Just think, Lana, once you and I are married we can have a lot more of these parties and share so many more dances.”

“That is if we actually get married,” I said, an edge to my tone.

John smiled wickedly. “Oh, we will be married. There is nothing you can do about it.”

I tried to make the distance between our bodies greater, but he pulled me tighter to him. If anyone noticed the level of discomfort between us, they didn’t show it. I felt trapped and hopeless.

After the dance, several nobles approached us and congratulated us on our engagement. I had to bite my tongue not to retort something negative. I noticed their whispers after they left us. I had become a topic of gossip after my alleged death.

I was saved from their glances and conversation with John, when my mother stomped over to me. Her expression was hard and filled with rage. Before the Lady Eleanor said anything, her open palm connected with my cheek. She grabbed my wrist, “We need to talk,” she said and started dragging me away. John was left there stupefied, giving me a brief, fleeting sense of gratification.