The next morning held a different air. From the moment my eyes opened, I began to panic. Liu Ming was still missing, her promise hanging in the air as I expected her to arrive at any moment. At the sound of footsteps, Jax and I looked up to find my father and his men. The small ray of hope I had been nurturing died as his trimmed beard and beady eyes appeared in the room. The animosity between Jax and I reappeared as I was led away, unable to even speak with Jax as I left.

Now I sat in front of a mirror in a small bedroom where I was to prepare for my wedding. The very thought of it brought a throbbing headache. On the fine bed, a wedding dress lay pristine like a finally made cage.

The door opened and I jumped slightly. A maid of roughly my own age entered with a chipper step and beaming smile. She seemed to sense my anguish and quickly moved to my side.

"Hello, Lady Maurea," she said, patting my shoulders. "Don't you worry one bit, we'll have you bright as the sun in no time. I understand you might be a bit nervous, but imagine how happy your fiancé will be when he sees you in that wedding dress."

She began untying my boots, small hands working at the laces which were caked in dirt and filth from the last few days.

She was humming an old lullaby as she worked. It was a sweat tune, but the notes were chillingly similar to a wedding march.

"I'm sorry, but I do not know your name," I spoke quietly, the threat of losing whatever contents my stomach held too great.

"My name is Lydia, miss." She beamed, rosy cheeks bright despite my lack of interest. "I wouldn't expect you to know me, not many of my employers do. I only started here a few weeks ago, a sudden opening just after your left as it would happen. So many of us were distraught, worried about you out in the cold. You can't imagine what your family went through to find you. Be careful not to get lost again or I fear you may have to attend your fathers funeral next, the poor man was beside himself with nerves."

I listened to Lydia ramble on about how the household had fallen into grief after I left. I could imagine perfectly, my father spinning a lie, trying to seem in control. He had always been a man of action and to have someone, his own daughter, disobey and dishonor him, he would have been beside himself with anger.

"I'm not sure if you noticed," Lydia suddenly interrupted her task to stand by me, waving her small hand in front of my face, "but I am to be married as well. A nice man, though not nearly as well off as your soon to be husband, but a good man nonetheless."

Her wedding band was simple, a silver band that circled her ring finger. Lydia was turning her hand so the low light caught it and sent a gleam around the room.

"Lydia, do you love your fiancé?" I asked, thinking of Nicolas and how different he was from kinder men I knew.

"I do very much, miss," Lydia bobbed her head rapidly, strands of blond hair coming loose from her bun. "I'm sure your fiancé loves you as well. I wouldn't let him see your nerves or he might mistake it as an unwillingness to proceed. Many good matches have ended over jitters. I can have the kitchen prepare you a tea to calm you."

"Thank you, no." I rejected Lydia immediately, knowing nothing would help my nerves.

I could feel a noose tightening as each second ticked by. Was I making a mistake in assuming, or at the very least hoping Liu Ming would arrive in time? I trusted Jax and Isabella, but Liu Ming was still an unknown figure. If she betrayed us, Jax could die and I would be forced to marry Nicolas to buy him time.

I knew that I would do anything to protect them, the only family I had. With Intutum at war with itself, the only people I could truly rely on we're counting on me to make the right decision. I knew if I lost them, I would blame myself forever and the world would grow darker in comparison, but I wished nothing more than to go back in time to swimming with Jax, stargazing with Isabella and even sitting with Jax in the dreary dungeon if it meant we were together and alive.

"I need you to stay still while I undo your corset, Lady Maurea."

My head jerked up, meeting my own gaze in the mirror. I looked like a caged animal, hair disheveled and eyes wide and frozen in fear. Lydia stood behind me, her small head looking over my shoulder.

"Are you sure you are alright, miss. It would be no trouble to send for a pot of tea, perhaps something soft to eat to calm your stomach?"

I shook my head, caramel curls falling in my face. "What would you do if someone you loved was in danger? The kind of danger where death and pain are the only way to save them? Would it be immoral to sin to save them?"

My eyes made contact in the mirror. The small release I had felt last night and the confidence the water instilled in me were gone. It was just me now. I couldn't rely on a powerful boost or a handsome, if not trouble-attracting, companion to help me. I needed to know that what I was doing was right, selfish as it sounds, I couldn't do it alone.

"That is an awfully dark topic for a bride-to-be. This talk of death and pain is a bad omen, especially on a wedding day. You must refrain from such dark topics my lady, who knows what unluckiness you may attract."

"Answer the question, Lydia."

Lydia cupped her hands together, looking down at the floor with tight lips. "I can't know, but I would imagine I would do anything possible. If it was my Jonathan in danger, well I might do anything to save him."

That was all the answer I needed. Spinning around, I sat in the chair, back straight and hands held tightly on my lap. I would play the part, biding my time. If Liu Ming had betrayed us, I would need to have my wits intact.

"Thank you once again, Lydia." My voice was warmer and Lydia looked shocked for a moment, her usual upturned lips hanging open. "Please, my name is Maurea. I gave up the title Lady a long time ago."

Lydia looked uncertain for a second, as if wanting to see what I would do next. When I simply stared at my reflection in the mirror, she began undoing the lace at my back, her movements slower. "As you wish, miss."

I couldn't say my anxiety was gone, if anything it was worse with the responsibility falling solely on my shoulders. At least I was able to quiet the screaming in my head. I was certain of what I had to do, even if it went against every fiber of my being. I needed to play my part well and to do that, I needed to rid myself of any inhibition I was holding onto. From now on, I would face the man at the end of the church with my head held high, cursing anything that fell in my way. My fear was sent to a distant place in my mind as I waited for Lydia to ready the dress.

The sleeves were long and tight, fitting to my skin like a gilded cage. When Lydia was ready, she helped me pull down my dress, revealing the tight pants and shirt I had been given in Intutum.

"What are you wearing, miss," Lydia demanded, horrified at the garments.

I laughed, thinking back to my first thoughts at seeing them. I had reacted the same way, still worried about what society and my father would think, even though I had left them far behind.

"They are nothing, Lydia. Please dress me as though they do not exist and treat them as a secret between friend." I stepped out of the mesh of fabric I had just shed, revealing the Spirits outfit fully. Lydia's eyes seemed to burst out of her skull as she stared at me. "Now if you don't mind, I cannot be late to my own wedding."

I waited another minute before Lydia began helping me, the metal skirt layered over fist, resting just above my hips where my tanned shirt ended. Her fingers paused at the helm of my shirt and it took another few minutes to finish dressing the other layers.

"Does everything fit, miss?" Lydia's voice came back as she ruffled the skirts layers. "Your frame is a few inches longer than the dress comfortably allows, but I believe it will hold up. That is if you don't want me to make any temporary adjustment?"

I was about to respond when I noticed a detail that had escaped my earlier notice. With the lower angle of her head, the collar of her shirt pulled back. Along the fabric line, dark purple welt lines her skin. When she stood, the fabric pulled and covered the marks, but I had seen them.

"I'm sorry, but she's everything fit, miss?"

"My mistake, Lydia. Please, give me a moment to collect my thoughts alone."

Lydia bowed her head and left. As the door closed, I sunk onto the bed. The dress was constructive, my arms locked to my sides, but I managed to rub the skin around my shoulders. The bruises she hid were the same ones I used to cover.

The nervous tremors in my hands were gone. I could see everything as clearly as I did in water. I knew who had given her those marks and they would not be allowed to continue. I was able to do something about it now. If I bided my time, I would be able to enact revenge for myself and Lydia and the countless people who had been hurt.

I opened the door to find Lydia patiently waiting for me. "I'm ready. Please escort me to the ceremony and my fiancé."