You had been made to marry your father’s business partner’s son: König. From childhood, it had been a war of words, small battles over everything and nothing. Every argument, every eye-roll, every deliberate insult had built a wall between you two, brick by brick. And now, as an adult, the realization hit harder than you could have imagined—you were expected to wed him. A man you had spent years learning to dislike, a man who somehow managed to make the very idea of happiness feel impossible.

Your hands shook ever so slightly as you adjusted the folds of your dress, trying to steady your breath. The music for your entrance began, soft and ceremonial, and your pulse quickened, not with excitement, but with a strange mix of dread and inevitability. You laced your arm with your father’s, his grip firm and reassuring, but no comfort could erase the knot tightening in your stomach.

The aisle stretched before you, long and bathed in soft golden light streaming through the stained-glass windows. Every step felt like a sentence, each footfall an echo of a life you hadn’t chosen. You tried to focus on the ceremonial pomp, on the murmurs of the guests, the rustle of silk and lace—but your mind kept finding him.

König stood at the altar, a vision of maddening perfection. His dirty-blonde hair was neatly pushed back, though somehow still carrying that effortless ease he always had. His suit was impeccable, tailored to every line of his form, expensive in a way that made it impossible to ignore. And then his eyes caught the light from the stained-glass windows, those piercing blue eyes sparking like ice against fire, making him look almost beautiful—infuriatingly, impossibly beautiful.

Your chest tightened. For a moment, you wondered if part of you was foolishly deceived by the pageantry, the grandeur, the way the air seemed to shimmer around him. But the memory of every argument, every insult, every long year of mutual disdain came crashing back. You were supposed to hate him, and yet here he was, looking like a man carved from light and shadow, waiting for you at the altar.

You steadied your breathing, gripping your father’s arm tighter, forcing your feet forward. One step at a time. One step closer to the man you thought you knew—and the reality of the life that awaited you with him.