The other person looked at me uncomprehendingly, a silent question in his eyes as black as obsidian. His black hair, surprisingly short, fell to his shoulders, in keeping with his matte skin. 

A single solid gold earring dangled from his left lobe. A few red lines under his eyes highlighted his pupils.

"You can thank me later," Fury's voice echoed.

Idiot! Couldn't you have told me straight away that the man I was going to marry was Orias???? But... Was it only the one I knew?

"Take the vows," the priest's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting my completely nonsensical thoughts.

I began to recite the words I had learnt mechanically. My heart began to race, my tears continuing to flow in spite of myself. I pulled the veil down over my face, just long enough for my silent crying to stop. I looked back at Orias. Our eyes met. What I saw in his eyes terrified me and destroyed my heart.

What had I hoped for? The man I loved now only looked at me as a stranger, someone he had been forced to marry. There was nothing between us, there was no longer that spark he had when he looked at me, no longer that love reflected in his eyes, nothing. Everything we'd experienced was just dust, gone. I wanted to leave, far away from here, far away from this nightmare. My crumbling heart broke for good and something inside me snapped. Was it hope?My soul? My love? I've no idea... Did any of it really matter now?

"Get up, ordered the priest, continuing as we barely stood, under the heavens, I now pronounce you married."

My brain was only half listening to the cheers of the crowd. I was lost in a haze, I couldn't feel anything. My tears had dried on my cheeks and I didn't even have the strength to cry any more. Only a great emptiness remained inside me. 

The evening passed in a total blur. When the banquet came around, I sat down and fell into a deep silence. My eyes remained fixed on the food on offer. However, my stomach felt incapable of tasting anything except my despair, my appetite having died at the same time as my heart.

What's the point of living if the person you love the most doesn't know you?

On the outside, I seemed like an insensitive person. On the inside, my whole being was in turmoil, shattered.

I closed my eyes, just wishing that this nightmarish evening would end as quickly as possible. I felt nauseous, my mind refusing to believe reality, persuading itself that this was just a show, that when I woke up, I'd be back in my own world, in Orias's arms, that he'd be looking at me with love in his eyes, with my baby in my belly.

My breathing quickened as my anxiety attack took hold. My body began to shake and my eyes became cloudy.

I don't want to stay here any more, I want to leave, I don't want to, I refuse, I want my Orias, I want my baby ! I've had enough! I've already lost my family, I refuse to lose the one I love and my baby !!! Give me back my life, give me back my Orias, give me back my baby !!!!

Just as I was about to burst into tears in front of everyone, someone took me by the arm and dragged me away. I let myself go, tears cascading down my face and ruining my make-up for good, as my thoughts focused on my selfish wish to return to my former life.

A door opened and then closed as I was led inside, the voice ordering the servants to leave and not to enter without permission.

I concentrated a little on what was going on around me, between fits of crying, and saw that we were in the wedding chamber. The red sheets stretched out lazily while the curtains were still hung. The room was magnificent as i lifted my veil. Alas, my heart could not appreciate it fully.

On top of the confusion and pain I was in, fear added to the mix and took hold of my stomach.

Was it the wedding night? Or was it... It was out of the question!

"What were you doing? exclaimed the other person abruptly, suddenly speaking.

- I... I stammered.

- What were you going to do? Not burst into tears in front of everyone, I hope? You'd have made fools of us", Orias said, crossing his arms over his chest.

I froze. It couldn't have been Orias, it was impossible. He'd never spoken to me like that before.

"Listen, I know perfectly well that this is an arranged marriage, so I would never ask you to love me. But we must at least fulfill our marital duty. It's the only constraint imposed on us," the second prince explained gently.

No, you don't understand anything.

"No", I refused.

His eyes narrowed at my categorical refusal.

"No? he repeated.

- You've got ears, haven't you? You heard me perfectly well. I refuse to spend the night, married or not, with someone who doesn't love me," I said, shaking my head, my long hair following my sway.

This seemed to surprise him. He thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"So be it, if you refuse to spend the night with me, but how are you going to give me heirs?

- I refuse too, I replied firmly.

- You refuse? You refuse! The least you can do is fulfill your marital duties!

- So what if I do? I'm not a womb for children. I'm much more than that. And I refuse to have children with someone who doesn't love me!," I insisted.

My husband was perplexed and silent. He seemed to be torn between two extremes, leaving him with a dilemma.

I would know immediately if I could trust him. Would he force me to lose my virginity tonight? Or would he respect my choice?

He finally shook his head in despair.

"All right, I don't want to force you, he sighed. Don't come to me in future and beg for mercy".

He was about to leave the room when I added:

"I said I refused to spend the night with someone who didn't love me... I never said I didn't love you...".

He turned round and looked directly into my eyes, searching for any hint of a trick or a lie.

"Is there a trick?, he whispered, more to himself than to me, how can anyone love this prince?"

He shook his head again, seeming to chase away bad thoughts.

"I wasn't leaving anyway. We're expected to spend the night together. I can't leave until I've fulfilled my marital duties," he explained calmly.

I nodded, a sign that I understood his insinuations.

He went behind a screen and changed. As for me, I just stood there in the same outfit, my make-up running, not knowing what to do.

Orias came out from behind the screen, wearing a simple light dress, and chuckled slightly when he saw me completely disorientated.

"You can change, unless you want to sleep with that," he quipped.

I rejected his suggestion and hurried behind the screen to change as well. I came out afterwards, wearing the same dress. I saw him harnessed near the dressing table, removing the last traces of make-up.

I went there too and took a cloth soaked in water, trying to remove the pasty layer from my face. It didn't work.

This brought a mocking smile to my husband's face.

"Do you need help? he asked.

- Yes," I answered honestly.

This response, which was sincere to say the least, seemed to unsettle the prince for a moment. He quickly pulled himself together and approached me. He sat me down on the embroidered stool with the soft cushion, and set about removing layer after layer of make-up.

When he'd finished, he simply put the brush and cloth down and watched me intently. I tilted my head quizzically.

"Nothing," said Orias, turning his head away, his cheeks reddening slightly.

He picked up the candle and moved towards the huge double bed, seeming to want to hide this detail that hadn't escaped me.

A small, hopeful smile timidly appeared on my face, but quickly faded. Then I got up and walked over to the bed.

It was so big! I felt like I could roll around in it!

Completely ignoring propriety and all the shackles that had been imposed on me, I threw myself on the bed like a savage and bounced on it like a child, testing its elasticity and softness.

It was perfect! Just the kind of bed I liked!

"Come on, began Orias, overwhelmed by my childish behaviour, how old are you?

- Five years old? So what?" I retorted, proud as a peacock and lifting my chin.

He rolled his eyes at my incongruous answer, to say the least, while a smile lit up my face.

Finally, some good news all day!

My husband put down the candle, went to blow out the other candles, then sat back down on the bed. He suddenly pulled out a dagger, cut a vein slightly and let a few drops of blood fall onto the sheet underneath.

I understood what he was doing, simulating my loss of virginity. I didn't know if it would be enough though.

He then bandaged his wrist and rolled up his sleeves for safety.

"Not sure if it'll work, but we'll see," he shrugged.

With that, he blew out the flame. The room was plunged into almost total darkness, except for the faint light of the pale moon filtering through the window curtains. I slipped under the sheet and lay down on my back. Orias was completely silent, I could just feel the rhythm of his breathing. I just missed his love, but I missed his whole being too. I'd also developed the annoying habit of falling asleep on his chest. So I hadn't slept well for the last few days. I moved closer to him and whispered in a pleading voice:

"Can I hold your hand?"

I didn't think he'd heard me at first until his left hand reached out and squeezed mine. A faint smile came over my face. I crept closer to my husband, our hands still linked, and rested my head on his chest. His breathing stopped slightly and then started again, a sign that he was awake. I expected him to refuse, but nothing came. Reassured, I leaned back against him, imagining that none of this had happened, and fell asleep happily for once.