Chapter 5 Who Are You?

EIRAVELLE

The guests were still cheering when Veydran took my hand and turned toward the musicians.

“Shall we dance, my queen?” he asked with a smile.

I stared at him, wondering whether I had heard him correctly. My queen? We had barely known each other for a day, and he was already calling me that as though we had been happily married for years.

“Dance?” I repeated, glancing at the guests who were still watching us. “Right now?”

“Of course.” His smile widened as he gently pulled me closer. “Unless you would rather stand here all day and let everyone stare at us.”

I almost told him that standing there was exactly what I wanted to do, but I stopped myself when I noticed the expectant looks on the guests' faces. Apparently, dancing with the king was part of the wedding celebration, and refusing him in front of everyone would only attract more attention.

I had already attracted enough attention for one lifetime.

“Fine,” I muttered, placing my free hand on his shoulder. Veydran chuckled, and I immediately looked up at him.

“What is funny?”

“Nothing, my queen.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“Because you look as though I am about to drag you to the execution ground instead of dancing with you.”

I forced a smile. “Perhaps that is because I have no idea what you intend to do next.”

“Dance with my beautiful wife, naturally.” Before I could come up with a reply, the musicians changed their tune, filling the hall with a slower, more graceful melody.

Veydran placed one hand around my waist and lifted our joined hands slightly, guiding me into the first step.

Thankfully, I knew how to dance. My mother had insisted that my sisters and I learn royal dances when we were younger, even though I had spent most of those lessons wishing I could escape to my grandmother's cottage and read my books instead.

At least those lessons had finally become useful for something.

I followed Veydran's movements as we turned slowly across the polished floor. His steps were steady, and he guided me with surprising gentleness, making it easy to keep up with him despite the heavy gown I was wearing.

Unfortunately, he also seemed determined to make the dance as romantic as possible.

He kept smiling at me, occasionally leaning closer to whisper something sweet, while I struggled to understand how the same man who had told me to stay away from him in the garden could now look at me as though I were the most precious thing in his kingdom.

Was my spell really that powerful?

I had only wanted him to become kinder. I hadn't expected him to become this affectionate, and I certainly hadn't expected him to marry me because of it.

“You are very quiet,” Veydran observed as he led me into another turn.

“Am I?”

“Yes. I was beginning to think you didn't enjoy dancing with me.”

I looked at him for a moment before forcing another smile. “I'm enjoying it.”

That was a lie, of course. I was far too busy worrying about the consequences of my actions to enjoy anything.

“Good.” He squeezed my hand gently. “Because I intend to make you happy, Eiravelle.”

My steps faltered. He noticed immediately and slowed down, looking at me with concern.

“Are you all right?” I nodded quickly

“Yes. I'm fine.” But I wasn't fine. How could I be fine when the Dragon King was making promises to me that he had no idea he was making because of my spell?

I looked away, trying to hide the guilt creeping into my chest. What if he would never have chosen me without my interference? What if I had changed something about him that I could never put right again?

“Eiravelle?” I turned back to him.

“Is something troubling you?” he asked softly.

For a moment, I considered telling him everything. I could confess that I had secretly cast a forbidden spell on him, explain that I had only wanted to make him kinder, and hope he would somehow forgive me.

Then I imagined the look on his face if he discovered that his own bride had used magic on him without his knowledge.

No. I couldn't do that. Not here, with hundreds of guests watching us.

“I'm just tired,” I said, hoping he would accept the excuse.

His expression softened. “Then we shall rest as soon as the dance is over.” I blinked at him.

He was being considerate again. So considerate that I almost felt worse.

As we continued dancing, I became aware of the guests watching us with approving smiles. Some whispered to one another, while others clapped along to the music.

I even caught sight of my mother, who looked so pleased that I suspected she might burst into tears of happiness at any moment.

My sisters stood beside her. Lirael was smiling politely, though I could tell she was still trying to understand how I had become the king's bride.

Maerith, on the other hand, didn't look nearly as pleased. Her gaze followed us across the hall, and I quickly looked away before she noticed me staring.

I couldn't blame her for being upset. Before today, neither of us had expected me to become queen, especially when I had done everything possible to avoid attracting the king's attention.

If only they knew the truth.

Veydran turned me gently beneath our raised hands, and my gown spread around me as I completed the movement. When I faced him again, he caught my hand and drew me closer, his smile returning.

“There,” he said. “You see? You are a wonderful dancer.” I raised an eyebrow.

“You say that as though you expected me to step on your feet.”

“I would have forgiven you if you had.”

“How generous of you, Your Majesty.” He laughed at that, and I stared at him in disbelief.

Was the Dragon King really laughing with me?

The man I had met in the garden had looked as though he would rather banish an entire kingdom than waste his time on a conversation. Yet here he was, dancing with me in front of his guests and laughing at my remarks as though we were old friends.

I needed to find a way to undo this spell before things became any more complicated.

The music finally began to slow, and Veydran guided me through our last steps before bringing us to a stop in the center of the hall. He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss against my knuckles.

The guests erupted into applause. I smiled because everyone was watching, but inside, I wanted nothing more than to hide beneath my wedding gown.

Veydran, however, looked delighted. He turned toward the guests with one arm still resting around my waist.

“Thank you all for celebrating this wonderful day with us,” he announced. “I hope you will make my queen feel welcome in our kingdom.”

The hall filled with cheers and well wishes, and I stood beside him, trying to look like a bride who had willingly married the man of her dreams.

If only this were a dream.

Because the more affection Veydran showed me, the more certain I became that my spell had worked. And I was beginning to fear that I had no idea how to reverse it.

…….

About an hour later, I was sitting in a large bathing pool while one of the maids gently washed my body with scented flowers.

Apparently, since this was my first night as the Dragon King's wife, I had to look perfect for him. I wasn't sure how washing me with flowers and making me smell like a garden was going to help my situation, but I kept my mouth shut and allowed them to do their job.

After the bath, the maids helped me out of the pool and dried my body before dressing me in a beautiful night robe made of soft, silky fabric.

It felt light against my skin, and its delicate golden embroidery matched the ornaments they later added to my hair.

They brushed my hair carefully, arranging it into an elegant style before decorating it with tiny golden pins and sparkling ornaments until I could barely recognize myself when I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror.

When they were finally satisfied with their work, they led me into a huge bedroom and stopped beside an enormous bed covered with soft, golden sheets.

The room was beautifully decorated, with tall curtains hanging beside the windows and small lamps casting a warm glow over the furniture.

"His Majesty will join you shortly, Your Highness," one of the maids informed me with a polite bow.

I managed a small smile as they curtsied and left the room, closing the door behind them.

The moment I was alone, my smile disappeared, and I turned toward the door as though I expected the king to walk through it at any second.

My hands had grown cold, and I kept rubbing my palms against my robe while imagining all the possible things that could happen when he arrived.

This was my wedding night, and although everyone seemed to think I should be happy, I could barely keep my body from trembling.

I had never imagined getting married this way, and I certainly hadn't planned to spend my first night as a wife worrying about whether the man I had married was under the influence of my forbidden magic.

What if he expected something from me that I wasn't ready for? What if he discovered what I had done? Worse still, what if the spell had affected him so deeply that he no longer had control over his own feelings?

I pressed my lips together, trying to stop my thoughts from running wild, but the silence in the room only made my nervousness worse. After a while, I glanced at the door again, then slowly turned toward the windows.

Perhaps I could escape.

The thought came so suddenly that I straightened in my seat, looking around the room to make sure no one was watching me.

The maids had left, and there was no guard standing inside the bedroom, which meant I could at least try to find another way out before the king arrived.

Gathering the front of my robe, I hurried toward the nearest window and pulled the curtains aside. The moment I looked down, however, my courage disappeared as quickly as it had come.

The ground was so far below that the people walking through the courtyard looked like tiny moving figures, and the sight of the steep drop made my stomach twist. I wasn't foolish enough to jump from that height, especially when I had no idea whether elves could survive such a fall.

I gripped the edge of the window and stared down for another moment, hoping to spot a balcony, a lower roof, or something I could use to climb down, but there was nothing close enough to help me.

A frustrated breath escaped my lips as I let the curtain fall back into place.

I was trapped.

There was no way I could climb down without risking my life, and even if I somehow managed to reach the ground, I had no idea how I would get past the guards surrounding the palace.

My grandmother's cottage had never seemed so far away, and I would have given anything to be back there with my books and spell ingredients instead of standing in a strange bedroom, waiting for a husband I had never intended to have.

Just as I turned away from the window, the sound of approaching footsteps reached my ears.

My eyes widened, and I hurried back to the bed, sitting down so quickly that I nearly tangled my feet in the hem of my robe. I smoothed the fabric over my knees and forced myself to sit upright, trying to appear calm even though my heart was beating so hard that I could feel it in my throat.

I would find a way to escape later. For now, I had no choice but to play along until I could figure out what to do.

The footsteps stopped outside the door, and a moment later, the handle turned.

The door opened, and Veydran walked into the room with a bright smile on his face. He closed the door behind him and began approaching the bed, his eyes fixed on me as though he had been looking forward to seeing me again.

I swallowed nervously, my fingers tightening around the fabric of my robe as I watched him come closer.

However, before he could reach me, he suddenly stopped.

The smile slowly disappeared from his face as he stared at me, his brows drawing together as though something about my appearance had confused him.

For a few seconds, he said nothing, merely looking at me with an expression I couldn't understand before glancing around the room and then turning his attention back to me.

A deep frown settled across his face.

"Who are you?" he asked coldly. I blinked at him, certain that I must have misunderstood his question.

"What... what?" I stammered, staring at him in shock.

His eyes narrowed, and whatever warmth I had seen in his expression when he first entered the room vanished completely.

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" he yelled.