The room was quiet without him there.
She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door he’d left through.
Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
She stared down at her hands.
This.
Was good.
This was the best outcome she could hope for.
Even if she was technically married to the prince, she still had her freedom – well.
Not counting the ‘prison’ they both now sat in.
Presumably this building was designed to make the prince and princess bond – not just in a physical consummation sort of manner, but emotionally.
If Sidera had a habit of political marriages, it made sense they’d want to allow some time for the newly wed couple to learn to care for each other.
A short laugh broke the silence.
It was her own.
Ragged and raw as if she’d been screaming all day.
But it was hers.
Because…
The idea that she and Donncahd would become close over this week…
This home really did function as little more than a prison, because it would serve neither the purpose of conception, nor of bonding.
Not for them.
They were both prisoners of their own circumstances.
Trapped together by the will of their respective nations.
She’d feel a sort of kindred spirit to him…
If she didn’t know that he’d be the one to kill her.
She sighed and rubbed her face, then rose to her feet and walked over to the window.
Although she’d seen no windows on the front side of the building, nor any in the halls, it seemed this great stone palace was not completely devoid of windows.
Below was a small garden.
It seemed to be entirely fenced in, so there must have been some way out into that veranda somewhere in this palace.
The garden below was dark and empty, but there were torches lit throughout it.
She leaned against the sill and stared out at the night sky.
There were no stars visible, and the moon was only a sliver in the distance.
It was cold outside, but not freezing.
She turned away from the window and walked back toward the bed.
The sheets were soft beneath her fingers as she ran them over the fabric.
They smelled like roses.
She pulled back the covers and crawled into the bed.
She still wore her wedding dress.
Of course.
No doubt it was expected Donncahd would be the one to remove it, so no servants had come to help her take it off.
She squirmed and rolled onto her face, arms going behind her back as she fought with the ties on the built-in corset.
She couldn’t reach them.
Not really.
She could touch the ties, but there was nothing she could do to loosen them.
Still.
She couldn’t sleep like this.
Not really.
She might pass out, but not in a healthy kind of way.
She couldn’t quite get her hands on the strings, and they required a powerful pull to undo, on top of that.
And so…she had to be creative.
She sat up, shifted herself, and caught one of the strings of the corset in the headboard of the bed.
…Honestly, she wasn’t even certain what she was doing, but-
If she could break the straps with her body-weight, then it would obviously loosen up.
Of course, that meant tightening around her rib cage more and more, but…
It was probable that it wouldn’t hurt her.
She gasped as she struggled and squirmed, jerking on the headboard with her body, causing it to slam against the wall multiple times.
She’d pressed her feet against the headboard and used what strength in her legs as leverage, the top half of her torso over open air off the side of the bed.
Was…
Was it actually doing anything?
She tried to turn her head to see, twisting her back slightly as she leaned.
The cord slipped from its precarious grip in the headboard all at once.
With a short scream she tumbled face first off the bed into the ground.
The door opened, and she turned her head to look at who was entering.
Donncahd stood there, his expression unreadable.
He was wearing only a pair of loose trousers, and his chest was bare.
She could see the muscles of his arms and abdomen clearly defined beneath his skin.
His hair hung loose around his shoulders, and his eyes were dark as he watched her.
He looked.
Different.
Slimmer than she expected.
She felt a shiver run down her spine at the intensity of his gaze.
“Are you trying to kill yourself?” He asked, his voice flat and cold.
“Or are you just stupid?”
She flushed, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“…I can’t get the dress off.”
He stared at her for a moment longer, and then shook his head.
“You’re an idiot.” He turned and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
She sat there, stunned.
What had just happened?
Did he.
Just walk into the room.
Insult her.
And leave???
She sat on the floor, staring at the door for a long moment.
She sat down on the edge of the mattress, her legs dangling off the side.
She couldn’t believe he’d left her there like that.
He hadn’t even tried to help her.
Not that she expected him to, but still…
She sighed and rubbed her face.
And fell back in the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
…The dress was still stuck on her.
What was she supposed to do?
She couldn’t sleep in it.
She’d have to find a way to get out of it.
But how?
The only person who could possibly help her was Donncahd, and he seemed to have no interest in helping her.
She sighed again and closed her eyes.
Maybe she’d wake up in the morning and discover this had all been a horrible nightmare.
The door opened, and she jumped, sitting upright in the bed and looking over at the intruder.
A harried looking maid stood in the doorway.
She was older, with gray hair tied back in a tight bun, and a stern expression on her face.
No, it wasn’t really a stern ‘expression’.
It was…simply the way the woman’s face looked.
“Your Highness.” She said, bowing low.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you, but I’ve been sent to help you undress.”
“Oh.” Rache stared at her.
“Um. Thank you.”
The woman nodded and moved forward.
She helped Rache remove the dress, and then took it away with her when she left.
Rache was left standing in the middle of the room wearing only her undergarments.
She crawled into the bed and pulled the covers over herself.
The sheets were soft and warm against her skin.
She wanted to close her eyes, but.
Her mind was still racing.
…Had Donncahd sent that maid?
Surely not.
If he had any interest in helping her, he’d just do it himself.
Most likely, he’d called her an idiot purely because she hadn’t waited for that maid in the first place.
She sighed and turned onto her side, curling up beneath the blankets.
She was exhausted.
Her body ached from the strain of the day.
Her head pounded from the stress of everything that had happened.
She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.
But.
At least for tonight…
She could sleep without worrying about being killed by the man she’d just married.