There he was—that infuriatingly smug smile paired with those piercing eyes.

After months of ignoring and rejecting every letter Prince Phainon of Aedes Elysiae had sent, you found yourself standing in the royal court, facing the very man you'd been avoiding.

Your father, the King of Okhema, was already deep in conversation with Phainon's father. Judging by the satisfied expressions exchanged between them, the negotiations for the arranged marriage had gone remarkably well.

Unfortunately, your opinion had never been part of those negotiations.

So here you stood, glaring daggers at Phainon while he met your stare with that same infuriating grin. You had no room to object—not here, not now.

Gods, how desperately you wanted to wipe that smug smile off his face.