Seraphina’s POV

By the time we arrived at the palace, I was exhausted—but at least I was full.

After everything that had happened today, I hadn’t realized just how hungry I had been until I was sitting in front of a plate of food, shoveling bites into my mouth like a starved animal.

Darius, of course, had been completely entertained by my suffering.

He had leaned back in his chair, smirking, and said, “I feel like I should’ve taken you to a buffet instead.

I had rolled my eyes at him then, but the truth was, I was grateful because despite how bizarre this entire situation was—getting engaged to someone I barely knew, for the sake of survival—Darius had somehow managed to make it feel less suffocating.

He wasn’t at all what I expected him to be.

I had assumed that as the Crown Prince, he would be a traditionalist—the kind of man who thrived on politics and obeyed his father without question, but I had been wrong.

So wrong.

Darius was the opposite of a traditionalist. He was easygoing, sarcastic, and oddly progressive for a prince in a kingdom as conservative as Aldoria. More importantly, he hadn’t made me regret telling him that I liked girls.

I had been prepared for judgment along the line, and for some kind of awkward questions that would make me wish I had kept my mouth shut, but Darius had only been curious, and persistent in a good way.

He had practically demanded that I tell him about the girl I liked.

I had refused at first, but he had worn me down with his smug, knowing smirk and his infuriatingly persistent attitude, and eventually, I had to cave in.

I had told him about my crush—but I had been careful. I didn’t mention her name or her status.

The last thing I wanted was for him to know that my crush was Electra Vale—the crown princess of Elmeria.

So instead, I had given him a half-truth. I told him that my crush was a popular girl at my school, and when he asked what kind of person she was, I had vaguely described her as someone who was strong-willed, intimidating, and impossible to figure out.

I also mentioned that she made my life difficult, but I couldn’t help but admire her anyway, and finally, I told him that my feelings were one-sided.

Darius had listened closely, occasionally making jokes and teasing me whenever I got too serious, but in the end, he had just shrugged and said, “Well, if she’s as stubborn as you claim, then maybe she just needs time to realize she’s just as into you as you are into her.”

I had rolled my eyes at his optimism, but I had appreciated the fact that he hadn’t made me feel weird for confiding in him.

Now, as we stepped through the palace entrance, I exhaled, preparing myself for the real reason we were here. It was time to talk to King Orion, and time to tell him that I was agreeing to the engagement.

Even though I had zero intention of telling him that I planned on calling it off after two years since he might not be as receptive as prince Darius was to the idea of a mere civilian trying to use the royal family.

Darius nudged my arm. “Nervous?”

I shot him a look. “Should I be?”

He grinned. “Maybe. My father can be… persuasive, and he might end up laying out a bunch of rules that night not sit well with you.”

I huffed. “Well, if it doesn’t sit well with, I’ll simply let him know that I refuse. I don’t intend on going through with anything that’d add to my problems, Your Highness.”

Darius chuckled. “Then this should be interesting.”

With that, he led me through the halls of the palace, and toward the King’s office, and as we walked, I reminded myself that this was my decision, and that I was doing this for my own survival.

That this was the only way to keep Gianna from taking everything from me. So, I just had to get through this conversation, and hope that King Orion wouldn’t see through my act.

As soon as we arrived in front of King Orion’s office, I took a steady breath, preparing myself for what was about to happen.

This was it.

The moment where I’d officially accept the engagement that would change the course of my life—for the next two years, at least.

The guard at the door straightened before announcing, “His Royal Highness, Prince Darius, and Lady Seraphina Hook.”

With that, the doors swung open, and I stepped in beside Darius, keeping my posture straight as we approached the King’s desk. King Orion was seated behind it, his piercing gaze landing on us immediately, and just like I expected—his lips curled into a proud smile, almost like he was pleased to see us together.

Darius and I bowed our heads in respect, greeting him formally. “Your Majesty,” I said, keeping my voice composed.

“Father,” Darius added with his usual lazy grin, the kind that said he wasn’t nearly as formal as he should be.

King Orion gestured for us to take a seat, his smile still present. I could already tell what he was thinking—that his son had convinced me to accept the arrangement, and in a way, he was right, but not for the reasons he thought.

As I sat down across from him, he leaned forward slightly, studying me with intrigue.

“I must say, Seraphina dear,” he began, “I didn’t expect you to return to the palace so soon.”

He tilted his head. “I thought you would need at least a few days to make up your mind, and I was more than willing to give you that.”

I folded my hands in my lap, keeping my expression neutral. “I didn’t expect to return so soon either, Your Majesty,” I admitted. “But I figured it would be better to get things over with and let you know of my decision, since I had already made up my mind.”

King Orion’s eyebrows raised slightly at my straightforwardness. Then, with an intrigued look, he asked, “And what was your final conclusion, dear?”

I swallowed, forcing my voice to sound confident. I couldn’t afford to hesitate now, and I needed to make this sound as natural as possible.

I turned to Darius for a brief second—who was watching me closely, waiting to see how I’d play this—before returning my gaze to the King.

“I spoke with Prince Darius about it already,” I said steadily. “And after getting to know each other and speaking at length, we have agreed to announce to the rest of the kingdom that we are engaged.”

The moment the words left my mouth—King Orion’s smile widened.

Pleased.

Satisfied, like everything was falling into place exactly as he wanted.

I kept my expression unreadable, refusing to show the real emotions swirling inside me because the King had no idea—that this engagement was going to end in two years, and that I was only doing this to protect myself, and that when the time came—I would walk away from this deal, completely free, and hopefully, unscathed.

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