**Zanelle’s POV**

The palace smelt of sandalwood and new rain. I stood at the edge of the jade-tiled hall, my hands buried deep in the folds of my borrowed silk dress. It wasn’t mine; nothing here was. The pale gold fabric hung too heavy on my shoulders, the embroidery whispering wealth I did not own.

My stepmother had said nothing before sending me off in that carriage, only the clipped words, 'This is for the good of the family; don’t embarrass us.' The look in her eyes had been colder than the rain that had soaked me days ago, the night my life truly ended.

And then there was 'HIM'

Kusian Raizer, Crown Prince of the Empire, stood at the far end of the council chamber. His posture was perfect, as if the world existed to bend before him. The dark blue of his ceremonial hanbok caught the light like liquid midnight, the embroidered silver dragons curling at his sleeves.

Our eyes met.

The air in the hall seemed to still. My breath faltered, just for a moment. I remembered his hand gripping mine in that alley, his voice cold but certain: "You’re coming with me." It had been the voice of a man who never asked, only commanded.

And yet… he’d saved me.

I dropped my gaze quickly, unsure if it was from fear… or something far more dangerous.

**Raizer’s POV**

They’d dressed her like a courtesan-turned-princess, but silk couldn’t hide the fire in her eyes.

I knew every noble in this chamber. I knew their greed, their ambitions, their secret sins. But she, Featherington Zanelle, stood out. Not because she belonged, but because she DIDN’T..

The council droned on about trade alliances and marriage contracts. My half-brother Veyran kept glancing at her like she was some pawn in his game. I made a mental note to speak with him later firmly.

She thought she was here to be bargained for. Perhaps she was. But not in the way these old men thought.

Because the moment I’d pulled her from that brothel, I’d known two things:

One — she was trouble.

Two — she was mine.

**Zanelle’s POV**

They called my name like it was an item on a ledger.

I stepped forward, the silk whispering at my ankles. Raizer’s gaze followed me, steady, unreadable. My pulse hammered against my ribs. I tried to stand taller, to remind myself I wasn’t a thing to be sold.

But when he spoke…

“I accept the proposal,” Raizer said, his voice slicing through the chamber. “Lady Featherington Zanelle will be my bride.”

No one in the hall dared to breathe. Not even me.

And just like that, the golden chains closed around my wrists – invisible but unbreakable.