Chapter 3

I stared at my mangled, blistered palm and burst out laughing.

Samuel tensed up, a flicker of panic crossing his face. "What are you laughing at?"

I laughed at my own sheer stupidity. I'd torn myself apart begging for the shallow, pathetic scraps of love my parents and Samuel threw my way. Why?

Every single time Esther played the victim, they believed her without question, even though I was their actual daughter, and his childhood sweetheart. Thanks to Esther's endless setups, I was painted as the wicked villain tormenting her sweet little sister.

I clenched my fists, letting my nails dig into my ruined palm. Through red-rimmed eyes, I glared up at him. "I did nothing wrong. I am not apologizing."

Samuel’s pupils shrank, stung by the defiance in my gaze.

"Samuel," Esther whimpered suddenly, "My hand hurts so much."

Samuel turned without hesitation and swept Esther into a protective embrace. Fearing she might be cold, he grabbed a luxurious cloak from his carriage and wrapped her up tightly.

Seeing that cloak sent a sharp spasm of pain through my chest.

It was woven from an incredibly rare material, one Samuel had bartered for with a massive bowl of my own blood. Blood he’d forced me to give.

Once, Esther risked her own life just to frame me. Because I possessed a demigod's body, my blood held potent healing powers. Samuel pressured me into draining a bowl of it to save her, enough to severely damage my own vitality.

But that wasn't enough. On the day she stole my title as Envoy, she casually mentioned being cold. Samuel scoured the continent for magical materials to forge a cloak that would repel any chill. When some materials were too rare to buy, he bartered for them with my healing blood.

Demigod blood was priceless. Yet Samuel tossed it around like cheap coin just to satisfy Esther’s every whim.

Noticing my stare, Esther smugly stroked the cloak's ornate embroidery, then buried her face in Samuel's chest, whining about her pain.

The last shred of pity in Samuel's eyes hardened into disgust. "If you don't get on your knees and apologize to Esther today, you will never set foot in my estate! Let's see who saves you then! Enjoy rotting in the convent!"

A mocking smirk touched my lips. He was in for a disappointment.

In two days, I'd be taking his precious darling's place as Queen of the Underworld.

Just then, a runaway carriage careened down the street, hurtling straight toward us. Samuel reacted instantly, shielding Esther and lunging for safety. In his haste, he shoved me hard, right into the path of the speeding horses. Fire shot through my already battered knees. I couldn't stand up.

As the carriage bore down on me, I squeezed my eyes shut.

But in the final fraction of a second, I was swept into a cold, rock-solid embrace.

A masked man, wreathed in shadows, swept me into his arms. He moved so fast no one else even registered it.

I opened my eyes to meet a pair of deep, emerald-green eyes, dark as midnight. Strangely, they reminded me of the snake brooch I'd just bought.

He set me down gently on the sidewalk. Before I could utter a word, he vanished into the shadows.

I instinctively reached into my pocket and found a small jar of ointment inside, radiating an unmistakable divine aura.

I looked down the street. Samuel was still clutching Esther. He spotted me sitting there alone. Our eyes met, and a flash of hesitation crossed his face, but it vanished instantly as he went back to cooing over Esther.

I let out a cold scoff. Digging into my bag, I pulled out his engagement ring and tossed it straight down the storm drain.

Two days later, dressed in the divine wedding robes sent from the Underworld, I looked around a room overflowing with abyssal treasures, feeling entirely surreal.

My parents shuffled over awkwardly. They asked if I could let Esther off the hook for the public confession, hoping to brush it off as a "misunderstanding" to save her face.

Any final illusion I had of them completely shattered.

Over the last three days, they hadn't asked a single time how I would survive in the Underworld. They had completely ignored my burns and bruises. They were too busy fussing over how "terrified" Esther had been by the carriage.

Now, moments before I left forever, their only concern was still the two-faced Esther.

I rejected them with an icy glare. "No! Either she confesses, or I don't marry. Let's see if Hades spares our family then!"

"You!"

A commotion at the front doors cut them off.

I walked downstairs to find Samuel sitting arrogantly in the main hall’s seat of honor, holding a red-hot branding iron.

"Aria, there are exactly thirty minutes left before the exile law takes effect. Kneel and apologize to Esther right now, bleed me another bowl as compensation, and I’ll be generous enough to brand you as my maid."

He caught sight of my Queen's robes. He froze for a second, then scowled.

"What are you wearing? You're about to be a maid. Did you dress like this just to steal Esther's thunder?"

I gave him a dead-eyed stare. "Samuel, I am getting married today. You are not invited."

Esther gasped, clutching her face in fake shock. "Sister, what are you babbling about? Don't tell me you grabbed some homeless beggar off the streets just to avoid being a maid!"

Samuel looked even more irritated. "Oh, stop being stubborn. Kneel. Otherwise, I don't mind having my men help you!"

He snapped his fingers. His guards immediately swarmed me, drawing daggers to slash my arm and force me to my knees.

"Stop! Samuel, I told you, today is my wedding!"

As I struggled, the sky abruptly blackened. A swirl of dark mist engulfed the room, and a towering, imposing figure materialized from the shadows.

His voice rumbled, deep and terrifyingly majestic.

"I'd love to see who dares force my bride to kneel."