Chapter 212: Chapter: 212 The marriage.

“This is a happy moment for both the Indrath Empire and the Arya Empire.”

Count Harencross spoke with a calm voice.

His blonde hair moved gently in the soft wind as he stood and waited for everyone to listen.

“As you all know,” he continued, his face turning serious, “our two empires are surrounded by five other empires on every side.”

The continent of Elora was split into nine large territories.

The Indrath Empire and the Arya Empire held the biggest and most central land.

Because of this, the other five empires hated them and wanted to take their power away.

Some of those empires showed their hate by stopping trade or making prices very high.

Some tried to pull allies away from Indrath and Arya. But others were much more cruel.

One of the worst was the Zakir Empire. Among the five, Zakir was the smallest in size.

It shared borders with both the Indrath Empire and the Arya Empire.

Even though Indrath and Arya were much stronger, they could never fully defeat Zakir in war.

At the same time, Zakir was too weak to defeat them either.

This made the Zakir Empire very angry and dangerous. Instead of fighting openly, they sent their warriors secretly across the border.

These warriors acted like hidden fighters…militants.

They attacked villages, killed innocent people without reason, and caused fear everywhere.

Whenever these militants were caught by Indrath or Arya soldiers, they did not beg for mercy.

Instead, they shouted loudly, “All hail the All-Seer!” and then killed themselves right there.

The people of the Zakir Empire followed a very strict religion that worshipped the All-Seer.

They believed in it so deeply that nothing could change their minds.

If anyone tried to point out mistakes or problems in their holy books, the Zakir people would not listen.

They would call that person a heretic, get very angry, and try to kill them at once.

Because of this blind faith, the Zakir Empire stayed small but very hard to destroy.

Their secret attacks and crazy loyalty made peace almost impossible between the empires.

That was why the marriage between Salena Harencross and the heir of the Arya empire’s duke Ashborn was so important.

Count Harencross continued speaking in a clear voice. “As you all know, the Zakir Empire is a common enemy of all humanity. But the Draken Empire never understood this simple truth.”

He slowly looked around the hall. Every noble’s eyes were fixed on him, waiting for his next words.

“The Draken Empire fell because they showed too much kindness to the Zakir people. They thought peace was possible. They were wrong. We will not make the same mistake.”

He raised his chin with confidence. “That is why, through this marriage between our two great empires, we will make our bond stronger than ever before.”

“And once our strength is united, we will wipe the Zakir Empire from the face of this continent.”

His voice rang out sharp and firm as he finished. For a moment, the hall was silent.

Then the sound came, clap, clap, clap, clap.

One by one, all the nobles stood up and clapped loudly.

Even Marinate joined them, bringing her hands together slowly. But inside her heart, she let out a quiet sigh.

Count Harencross was right. The people of the Zakir Empire were like pests. Wherever they went, they brought only destruction and suffering.

And their numbers grew in a way that made no sense. A single woman in Zakir could give birth to ten, twelve, or even more children.

As someone who worked in foreign affairs, Marinate knew this fact very well. It was deeply disturbing.

But what made her feel sick the most was the men of that empire.

Her fist tightened under the table. A wave of disgust rose inside her chest.

She remembered one meeting clearly. It was a rare gathering of all seven empires on the continent.

She had attended as a representative. That was the day she met the Crown Prince of Zakir.

He was tall, with cold eyes and a cruel smile.

During the talks, when no one important was listening, he leaned close to her and whispered words no decent person would ever say to a woman.

“Once I take over your empire,” he had said with a nasty grin, “I will enjoy having a taste of you.”

The memory made her stomach turn even now.

If it had not been an official meeting, with guards and rules everywhere, she would have drawn her blade and ended him right there on the spot.

The anger still burned in her blood.

But she kept her face calm. She clapped again with the others. This marriage would bring real power.

And with that power, the day would come when no Zakir soldier would ever cross their borders again.

After the clapping died down, the large hall became quiet again. Count Harencross raised his hand and spoke in a warm but firm voice.

“Now, everyone, please welcome the bride—Salena Harencross.”

The moment he said her name, the heavy gates at the far end of the hall slowly opened.

A young girl, about eighteen years old, stepped out onto the long red carpet.

All eyes turned toward her. Marinate looked too.

Salena wore a beautiful red wedding dress covered in delicate embroidery and shining jewelry.

Her long blonde hair flowed down to her waist, catching the light from the chandeliers above.

Her blue eyes stared straight ahead, but anyone who looked closely could see the quiet pain hidden inside them.

She walked forward slowly, step by step, as if each one was heavy.

Marinate watched her and felt a sharp sting of envy in her chest.

For a moment, she wished it could have been her walking down that carpet someday, walking toward him, the man who had refused to accept her love.

Just thinking about him brought a small, soft smile to Marinate’s lips as she kept her eyes on the bride.

Salena reached the front and stood beside her father. She kept her gaze fixed on the floor, her face gloomy and without any joy.

Count Harencross nodded once. “Now that the bride is here, let us call the groom.”

He turned toward the gates again and spoke louder. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the heir of the great Ashborn family, Raon Ashborn.”

The moment the name was spoken, every head turned toward the entrance.

A young man with pure white hair and deep black eyes walked out confidently.

He looked around nineteen or twenty years old. He moved with natural pride, head held high, shoulders straight.

But as soon as he stepped fully into the hall, his gaze found Marinate among the crowd.

The moment their eyes met, a gentle smile appeared on his face. It was a warm, respectful smile, the kind only family could share.

Marinate returned the smile in the same way.

He was her younger brother, though not by blood in the strictest sense. More like a cousin.

Her father’s sister had married the patriarch of the Ashborn family many years ago.

That made Raon part of her family, someone she had watched grow from a small boy into the strong young man he was now.

Raon continued walking forward, his black eyes calm and steady. The hall watched in silence as the groom approached the bride.

The marriage that would unite two powerful empires, and bring war closer to the Zakir Empire, was about to begin.

Both of them stood facing each other in front of the grand altar.

Count Harencross stepped into the middle, his voice steady and loud enough for every corner of the hall to hear.

“Now let us begin the ceremony.”

He raised both hands slightly. “In the presence of the great Arya Empire and the mighty Indrath Empire, Salena Harencross and Raon Ashborn are about to be joined in marriage.”

He turned first to Raon, then to Salena. His eyes were serious.

“Taking heaven and earth as witnesses, Salena Harencross and Raon Ashborn, do you accept each other as husband and wife?”

The entire hall fell completely silent. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.

Every noble, every guard, every guest turned their gaze to the two young people standing in the center.

Raon stood tall and calm. His black eyes showed no doubt. He gave a small nod and spoke in a clear voice.

“I accept.”

But Salena was different.

She looked small and defeated. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides. She did not want this.

Her heart belonged to someone else—Edward.

She had told him her feelings many times, begged him to see her, but he had always refused. Now she stood here, forced into a marriage she hated.

The silence stretched. Salena’s lips parted, but no sound came out.

Count Harencross noticed the delay. His sharp eyes locked onto his daughter. That look was like a blade, cold, heavy, and full of warning.

Salena felt the weight of it crush her chest. Tears burned behind her eyes, ready to fall. She could not refuse.

Not here. Not in front of her father, not in front of two empires.

If she said no now, everything would collapse, her family’s honor, the alliance, maybe even her own life.

She took a shaky breath. Her voice was barely a whisper as she forced the words out.

“I accep—”

But before she could finish, the huge doors at the far end of the hall burst open with a loud bang.

A strong wave of killing intent rolled into the room like a storm.

Everyone froze.

Marinate’s heart jumped. A familiar feeling rushed through her, sharp, painful, and impossible to ignore.

She turned slowly, eyes wide.

“This…”

Her voice caught in her throat.

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