Chapter 347

Zayn

“There he is.”

Kai immediately turned toward me.

“You disappeared.”

“I was getting fitted.”

Zion’s eyes traveled slowly over me from head to toe.

“Apparently.”

I glanced down at myself and then back at him.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Say it.”

His mouth twitched.

“You look uncomfortable.”

“I am uncomfortable.”

Kai laughed quietly.

“At least you’re honest.”

I gave him a look.

“Unlike some people.”

Zion raised an eyebrow.

“You’re talking about me?”

“Who else?”

He smiled faintly.

“You look like you’re about to murder someone.”

“I might.”

Kai looked between us.

“Can you two wait until after the ceremony?”

I almost laughed.

“I’m not promising anything.”

For a moment, the three of us simply stood there, surrounded by people who had no idea what was actually happening beneath the surface of the ceremony they had come to witness.

Looking at them made something twist painfully inside me.

They were my brothers.

The only people in this entire kingdom I still wanted to protect without hesitation.

And for one brief moment, I considered telling them everything.

The words were right there.

I could have pulled them somewhere private, away from the crowd, and finally told them what had happened during the last six months, what I had learned, what I had seen, what had happened to Zade, why I had never been able to leave, and what our father had threatened to do if I opened my mouth.

I could have told them about Aurora.

I could have told them everything.

My mouth actually opened.

Then I remembered the warning.

I remembered exactly what had been promised would happen if I said too much, and the words disappeared before they could ever reach my tongue.

“You two should stay close tonight.”

Zion frowned.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

Kai raised an eyebrow.

“That isn’t suspicious at all.”

I forced a smile, trying to make the words sound casual despite the tension tightening across my chest.

“Just do it.”

They exchanged a brief look, clearly unconvinced, but eventually Zion nodded.

“Fine.”

Kai followed with a reluctant nod of his own.

“Fine.”

I hated lying to them.

More than I could explain.

A movement near the entrance caught my attention before I could say anything else, and I turned toward the doors as they opened to admit another group of nobles and members of the royal family.

The noise inside the hall gradually increased as more guests took their places, conversations overlapping beneath the growing music while servants moved between the rows, making final adjustments to decorations and ensuring that everyone knew where they were expected to stand.

I remained with my brothers for a little longer, trying to pretend that this was an ordinary family gathering rather than the final hours before my life was about to be changed against my will.

Zion said something about the ceremony being larger than he had expected, and Kai complained quietly about having been forced into formal clothing before either of us had eaten enough to survive the evening, but I barely listened.

My attention kept drifting toward the entrance.

Toward every person who walked through it.

Eventually, the music changed.

It was subtle at first, barely more than a shift in the melody drifting through the hall, but the effect was immediate because conversations began to quiet and people gradually turned toward the entrance.

I knew what was happening before I even looked.

Charlotte had arrived.

She entered the hall surrounded by several attendants, wearing an elegant gown in the colors of the kingdom. The fabric flowed behind her with every step, while silver details caught the candlelight against the dark hall. Her hair was styled perfectly, with small decorative pieces woven through it, and it was clear that every part of her appearance had been carefully planned.

The crowd turned toward her.

Whispers spread quietly between the guests.

She smiled.

I didn’t.

She continued toward the ceremonial platform until she reached my side, where she paused and looked at me with an expression that suggested she expected me to say something.

“You look handsome.”

I kept my eyes fixed ahead.

“Don’t.”

Her smile faltered.

“You’re supposed to be happy.”

“I’m supposed to stand here.”

She lowered her voice as the music continued around us.

“Zayn.”

I finally looked at her.

“Don’t make me do this.”

For a moment, she said nothing, and I could see something shift behind her eyes, although I couldn’t tell whether it was guilt, frustration, or simply annoyance that I wasn’t playing the part she expected me to play.

Before she could answer, the music changed again.

The entire hall fell silent.

The king stepped forward.

Every conversation ceased as hundreds of people turned toward him, and one by one the gathered guests bowed in respect.

I remained standing.

I kept my eyes fixed ahead while my father began speaking, his voice carrying effortlessly through the enormous hall as he announced the purpose of the gathering and spoke about tradition, bloodlines, alliances, and the importance of restoring a bond that had once been broken.

I barely listened.

The words blurred together, becoming little more than another reminder of the life they had decided belonged to me.

Then he said my name.

“Prince Zayn Duskbane.”

I stepped forward.

The crowd watched every movement.

I could see Zion and Zakai among them, standing together several rows away, their attention fixed on me with expressions that carried nothing but pride because they had no idea what was actually happening.

My brothers were smiling.

They thought this was something worth celebrating.

They thought I was standing here because I wanted to.

I wanted to scream.

I wanted to turn around, walk straight toward them, and tell them that none of this was what it looked like, that I hadn’t chosen this, that the ceremony wasn’t a celebration at all, and that the person I wanted beside me wasn’t standing anywhere in this hall.

Instead, I kept walking.

The king continued speaking.

“Before our kingdom and our honored guests, you will stand once more before the bond that was rejected.”

My jaw tightened.

Once more.

As though I had willingly chosen to return to this moment.

As though the last six months had never happened.

As though Aurora had never existed.

Charlotte moved beside me as the ceremony continued, and the ancient words spoken by the priest began echoing through the hall in a language I had heard only during the most important royal rituals.

A priest stood before us holding a silver vessel filled with ceremonial water, while another member of the court carried the royal seal. I could feel hundreds of people watching us, until it seemed like the entire room had gone completely still.

I stared straight ahead.

I could feel Charlotte standing beside me.

I could feel the weight of every pair of eyes in the room.

I could hear the quiet movement of fabric, the faint crackle of candles, and the distant music beneath the priest’s voice.

And somewhere in the back of my mind, beneath all of it, I could hear Aurora.

I wondered where she was.

Whether she was safe.

Whether she was thinking about me.

Whether she knew that every day I had been forced to spend here had only made me want her more.

The priest slowly raised the ceremonial vessel.

The hall became completely silent.

His gaze moved from Charlotte to me before finally settling on my face.