The soft crimson warmth of the early morning blanketed the master bedchamber in a serene, glowing light.
Inside the grand room, the quiet atmosphere was thick with the gentle rustle of silk and fine fabric.
Grand Duke Killian Von Rosenberg stood perfectly statuesque before the long mirror, meticulously adjusting the golden lining along the shoulders of his deep black royal tailored prince suit.
Standing right beside him, her small fingers holding his heavy matching formal coat, was Princess Evelyn.
She looked up at his handsome, stoic face, her amethyst eyes flashing with curiosity as she broke the quietness.
“Where on earth are you going today, Killian?”
Killian turned his head slightly, his midnight-blue eyes locking onto her gaze as he responded in his deep, smooth voice.
“To a grand royal festival hosted directly within the central kingdom.”
Evelyn offered a polite nod, her tone dropping into a soft, understanding murmur.
“Oh…
I see.”
Killian did not immediately take the coat from her hands.
Instead, he kept his piercing gaze fixed onto her face, his voice carrying an unprecedented, gentle smoothness.
“Will you proceed to travel along with me, Evelyn?
Given that you spend the absolute entirety of your days residing strictly inside the walls of this mansion…
it is only proper that we step outside together.”
A radiant, incredibly sweet smile broke across Evelyn’s face, her heart doing a sudden, violent flutter at his thoughtful invitation.
“Alright…
very well.
I shall accompany you.”
A short while later, the heavy double doors of the Rosenberg mansion swung wide open.
Outside in the grand cobblestone courtyard, the sophisticated head butler, Sebastian, stood rigidly beside a magnificent, crestless royal carriage drawn by four pristine black horses.
Evelyn and Killian walked out of the fortress side-by-side, their elegant figures casting a spectacular impression under the morning sun.
The moment they approached the vehicle, Sebastian stepped back, lowering his body into a flawless, deeply respectful royal bow before pulling the heavy iron door of the carriage wide open.
Evelyn stepped up gracefully into the velvet-lined interior, followed instantly by the towering frame of the Grand Duke.
Killian adjusted his cuffs, looking out at his butler with a calm, absolute authority.
“Let us depart now, Sebastian.”
“Right away, My Lord,” Sebastian replied with absolute, deadpan efficiency.
The head butler walked swiftly to the front, climbing up to sit comfortably directly beside the royal carriage driver.
He adjusted his spectacles, casting a crisp glance at the driver as he commanded smoothly, “Let us proceed forward now.”
With a sharp snap of the reins, the massive royal carriage surged forward, exiting the grand fortress gates and navigating the winding paths toward the heart of the central kingdom.
After a considerable journey, the royal carriage officially arrived at the designated location within the bustling kingdom.
The festival was being hosted inside a massive, breathtakingly beautiful royal garden, which was already fully packed with thousands of high-society nobles, debutantes, and elite dignitaries.
The absolute moment the distinct, opulent black-and-gold Rosenberg carriage pressed onto the cobblestones near the perimeter, the lively hum of the festival died down instantly.
Every single eye in the garden turned sharply, their gazes locking onto the arriving vehicle with immense, feverish curiosity.
The carriage came to a smooth halt right outside the grand iron gates of the garden.
Sebastian descended instantly, throwing the door open.
Killian stepped down first, turning around smoothly to extend his long hand back toward the interior.
Evelyn placed her small palm into his, stepping down gracefully as they walked hand-in-hand toward the entrance.
Standing right at the front to welcome them were the hosts of the festival, Mr.
and Mrs.
Brown.
The noble couple stepped forward, lowering their bodies into a deeply respectful bow before them.
Mr.
Brown looked up, his voice laced with immense gratitude.
“Lord Killian…
we offer you our most profound thanks for gracing our humble festival with your presence today.”
Killian’s stoic expression remained entirely unbothered, his deep voice smooth and resonant.
“Think nothing of it.
You occupy a position as our dear and cherished associate; therefore, our arrival was entirely obligatory.”
Mrs.
Brown then turned her warm gaze toward the princess, bowing politely.
“Princess Evelyn, we offer you our deepest gratitude for honoring us with your presence as well.”
Evelyn offered a beautiful, polite smile, her voice carrying a sweet warmth.
“Thank you so very much for extending such a kind invitation to us.”
Mr.
and Mrs.
Brown smiled warmly, turning around to guide the high-profile couple directly into the sprawling depths of the vibrant garden.
The moment they stepped under the grand floral arches, Mr.
Brown raised his voice, projecting it clearly across the entire crowded lawn.
“Attention, everyone!
Please look toward the entrance!
Lord Rosenberg and Princess Evelyn have officially arrived among us today!”
Thousands of noble guests completely froze, dropping their conversations as they locked their intense, suffocating gazes directly onto Killian and Evelyn.
Feeling the crushing weight of hundreds of eyes staring intensely at her person, Evelyn felt a sudden wave of severe nervousness rush through her chest.
Her breath hitched, and in her sudden nervousness, her fingers clenched down with immense, tight force, gripping Killian’s hand with absolute panic.
Killian instantly felt the sudden pressure of her trembling grip.
He looked down at her flustered face, his midnight-blue eyes narrowing slightly.
He turned his cold gaze toward Mr.
Brown, his voice dropping into a flat, commanding tone.
“Listen…
there was absolutely no requirement for you to announce our arrival with such loud emphasis.”
Before Mr.
Brown could even stammer out an apology, a massive frenzy violently erupted within the crowd.
Dozens of high-society noble ladies and eager debutantes swarmed forward like a sudden tidal wave, entirely surrounding the Grand Duke.
The sheer force of the suffocating crowd violently pushed against Evelyn, forcing her small fingers to slip out from Killian’s grip.
Evelyn was completely separated from him, forced backward until she stumbled out of the fray, standing alone and isolated beside a solitary refreshment table a long distance away.
Killian stood dead center in the middle of the massive swarm of ladies, his towering frame completely cut off from her.
His expression had turned into a chilling, freezing wall of absolute silence, not a single trace of a smile touching his handsome features as the debutantes bombaded him with frantic questions.
Evelyn stood by the distant table, her amethyst eyes quietly watching the scene unfold from afar.
She tried to maintain her calm composure, but suddenly, a young, overly bold noble lady stepped dangerously close to Killian, reaching out her hand to firmly grasp his gloved arm with absolute familiarity.
The absolute fraction of a second Evelyn’s eyes witnessed that lady touching him, a sudden, violent eruption of pure, uncontrollable rage violently flared deep within her chest.
Her breath caught, her jaw clenching with an intense, burning anger that left her completely paralyzed.
She stared at the lady’s hand, her soul screaming in pure fury.
Why…
why did that woman dare to lay a single finger on him?!
Evelyn violently forced herself to go quiet, her hands trembling against the edge of the table as absolute shock washed over her thoughts.
She muttered frantically within the absolute privacy of her mind, ‘What…
what on earth is happening to me right now?!
Why did a wave of such intense, burning anger erupt within my soul?!
Could it be…
could it be that I am experiencing a profound sense of jealousy simply because another woman touched Killian?!’
She shook her head frantically, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs in pure panic.
‘No, no!
This is completely absurd!
Such feelings should absolutely not manifest within my heart!
I am definitely not in love with him…
right?
But…
then why do these intense feelings continue to take over my mind?
Is it possible…
that somewhere along this journey, I have truly and honestly fallen in love with Killian…?’
Before her frantic thoughts could spin any further out of control, a sudden distortion occurred in the crowd.
Killian had completely run out of patience.
A terrifying, freezing aura violently erupted from his powerful frame, causing the swarming noble ladies to instantly freeze in terror and step back.
Moving with absolute, commanding strides, Killian marched directly through the cleared path, walking straight across the lawn until he stopped right in front of the trembling Evelyn.
Without a single word, he reached down, firmly and possessively wrapping his large hand tightly around her fingers, locking them together before the entire crowd.
Killian turned his icy midnight-blue eyes toward the massive sea of watching nobility, his voice booming across the silent garden with an absolute, terrifying authority.
“Listen to me carefully, all of you.
My betrothal has officially been finalized.
Therefore, I expect every single one of you to remain strictly within your respective limits from this moment forward.”
He paused, his grip on Evelyn’s hand tightening as his voice dropped into a deep, absolute rumble that echoed through the trees.
“The absolute right to lay a single finger upon my person belongs strictly and exclusively to my fiancée.
No one else.”
Hearing his fierce, incredibly public declaration, Evelyn’s entire countenance erupted into a spectacular, burning crimson red.
Her heart hammered so violently she felt it in her throat, her absolute shyness short-circuiting her brain as she stared at the ground in an extreme blush.
The swarming noble ladies went completely rigid, their faces twisting into expressions of deep, burning frustration and jealousy.
Several debutantes glared at Evelyn with intense malice, whispering venomous insults bitterly beneath their breath as they looked away.
As the evening hours arrived, the dark velvet of the night officially blanketed the central kingdom.
The festival had drawn to a close, and Killian and Evelyn were standing quietly beside their royal carriage.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Brown stepped forward once more, lowering their bodies into a final, deeply respectful bow.
“We offer you our humblest gratitude for honoring our celebration with your presence today, My Lord, My Lady.”
“Think nothing of it,” Killian responded flatly.
Sebastian moved with flawless efficiency, pulling the heavy carriage door wide open.
The door clicked shut, the reins snapped sharply, and the royal carriage surged forward onto the cobblestones, beginning their long journey back toward the Rosenberg duchy.
Inside the quiet, enclosed space of the moving vehicle, Evelyn sat rigidly against the velvet cushions.
She was completely wrapped in an intense, overwhelming cloud of shyness, her eyes staring fixedly at her lap as her cheeks burned with a lingering crimson blush.
Killian quietly observed her flustered state from across the bench, his deep voice breaking the silence with a soft concern.
“What is the matter?
Is your physical health functioning properly?”
Evelyn’s breath caught, her fingers clenching her silk dress as she looked up timidly.
Her voice fluttered and stuttered violently with extreme shyness as she spoke.
“T-The words…
the words you spoke so openly inside the festival…
did you truly mean them?
Was…
was it the absolute truth?”
Killian raised a single silver eyebrow, his tone remaining entirely calm.
“What exactly did I declare?”
Evelyn lowered her face slightly, her voice dropping into a hesitant whisper.
“That…
that the absolute right to touch your person belongs strictly and exclusively to me.
Given that…
given that our entire engagement is merely a temporary act, a contract…”
A genuine, rare smile of profound amusement tugged at the corner of Killian’s handsome features.
He looked at her burning face, his voice dropping into a low, resonant rumble.
“Listen to me carefully.
Regardless of whether our betrothal is a mere contract…
you occupy the absolute position of my fiancée in the eyes of the entire world.
Therefore…
every single word I spoke out there was the absolute, unyielding truth.”
Evelyn went entirely quiet, her amethyst eyes widening as a wave of deep warmth flooded her chest.
But before she could even process his words, Killian suddenly shifted his weight, moving across the narrow space with sudden, fluid speed.
Before she could react, his towering frame leaned directly over her, gently yet firmly pressing her back against the side wall of the carriage.
He extended his hand, placing his palm flat against the cushion right beside her head, trapping her within his immediate proximity.
With his right hand, Killian gently reached out, his long fingers securely grasping her delicate chin, tilting her face upward until her wide amethyst eyes were locked directly into his burning midnight-blue gaze.
His deep, gravelly voice vibrated right beside her lips, carrying a fierce, deeply possessive sweetness.
“And allow me to make one more matter absolutely clear to you…
the exclusive right to lay a finger upon your person in this entire world belongs strictly and solely to me as well.
Do you understand me perfectly, my beautiful fiancée?”
Evelyn’s entire mind completely short-circuited under his intense, seductive proximity.
Her face turned a spectacular, blazing red, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs as she managed to whisper out in extreme blush, “Y-Yes…
I understand, Killian.”
Killian offered a soft smile, slowly releasing her chin as he returned to his seat, leaving her to breathe heavily in the quiet darkness of the moving carriage.
Meanwhile, miles away across the mist-shrouded capital, a completely dark and terrifying crisis was reaching its absolute peak.
Deep within the hidden, highly mysterious ritual chamber of the Imperial Palace, the air was thick with a suffocating, forbidden black magic.
The Empress and the young Prince stood rigidly beside the grand magical altar, flanked directly by the ancient black magic sorcerer.
The Prince stepped forward, a sharp, cunning expression plastered across his features as he addressed the dark master.
“My Lord…
a crucial report has just arrived from our spies inside the central kingdom today.
Killian and Evelyn were officially spotted attending a grand royal festival together.
The spies have confirmed that Grand Duke Rosenberg has completely recovered from his life-threatening wounds.
Furthermore…
the bond between the two of them is becoming remarkably strong and unbreakable.”
Hearing the report, the ancient sorcerer violently threw his hooded head back, bursting into a loud, mocking laugh that echoed frantically through the stone vaults.
“Hahaha!
What an utterly insignificant detail!” the sorcerer rasped, his yellow eyes flashing with pure malice within the dark void of his hood.
“What does it matter if their pathetic bond has strengthened?!
The sole matter I was waiting for was the absolute recovery of his physical strength!
And that requirement has finally been fulfilled perfectly!”
The ancient sorcerer slowly stepped forward, his features contorting into a spectacular, terrifyingly evil smile under the shadows as he clenched his withered hand, his voice dropping into a lethal, absolute vow.
“Tomorrow…
I assure you…
that Rosenberg monster’s severed head shall lie directly and permanently at my feet!”
The moment the declaration left his lips, the sorcerer burst into a loud, horrifyingly demonic laughter that shook the very foundation of the palace, his dark forces crackling in the shadows as the final countdown officially reached zero.