Chapter 5

DIANA

“Princess.”

Vladimir’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

He stepped aside respectfully. “Please.”

I gathered my wedding dress before climbing the stairs with my girls. The front doors opened before we reached them.

A figure appeared at the end of the entrance hall and I almost thought I was imagining him.

He was beautiful, not handsome. Beautiful with subtly pointed ears. His features were delicate, almost ethereal, and his movements carried an unnatural grace.

A Fae.

I blinked in surprise.

I had only seen fae a few times in my entire life, usually from a distance during royal gatherings and diplomatic meetings.

The man stopped before us and bowed elegantly. “Princess Diana. Welcome to Volkar.”

Even his voice sounded like birds were singing. He straightened and placed a hand over his chest.

“I am Aeris, the steward in charge of your wing.”

My shock must have shown on my face because his lips twitched like he was trying not to smile.

The fae and fairies were notoriously proud races. Most barely tolerated the other kingdoms. Dragons were territorial to the point of brutality. They hated dealing with the faes.

Yet here stood a fae holding a position of authority inside the private fortress of the realm’s most feared Dragon Prince.

I recovered quickly before I embarrassed myself further.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” I replied politely.

Aeris bowed his head gracefully. “You as well, Princess.”

Then he stepped aside. “If you would follow me, I'll take you to your chambers.”

I nodded as we followed him. The corridors seemed endless and all throughout the palace, I only saw men.

Male warriors stood guard at every turn, male servants moved through the halls carrying trays, weapons, documents. Not once did I pass a maid or one noblewoman.

The realization slowly settled uneasily inside me. I glanced toward Sarah. She had noticed too.

“There are no women here.” I whispered.

Aeris heard me immediately. Faes hearing was known to be sharp.

A faint smile touched his lips. "If you are looking for women, Your Highness, you will not find one here."

I blinked, caught off guard. "None at all?"

"None," Aeris replied. "Women are fragile creatures, Princess. And around Prince Draven, fragile things break. So women prefer staying alive, while Volkar prefers avoiding funerals.”."

Mina stiffened beside me.

Aeris continued walking as though he had said nothing unusual at all. Then he paused and looked at me, his gaze dropping to the wedding dress I wore.

"You are the first woman to cross this threshold in fifty years, Princess Diana." He said, then continued walking.

My expression faltered immediately. So the rumours are true.

Aeris finally stopped at a pair of wooden doors. "These are your quarters, Your Highness. The prince wishes to see you in thirty minutes. I suggest you change out of your wedding attire. A servant will be waiting outside this door to lead you to his study."

He bowed one last time and walked away, his footsteps making no sound against the stone floor.

The moment he disappeared from the hallway, Sarah released a breath loudly. “Oh Creator,” she whispered, pressing a hand to her chest. “I thought my heart was going to stop.”

"We'll survive," I whispered, though I wasn't so convinced myself. I then turned to my shivering maids. "Let’s move quickly."

Sarah and Mina moved fast the moment we stepped into the warm room. They quickly prepared a bath, washing away the dust of the long journey.

With trembling fingers, they helped me into a deep blue corset dress. They didn't have time to style my hair, leaving it to flow down my back in its natural waves.

"You look beautiful, Princess," Sarah whispered, though her eyes were wide with worry.

"Thank you. Stay here and rest," I told them, forcing a brave face as I turned and walked out of the room.

Just as Aeris had said, a young servant was already waiting in the hallway. He didn't say a word. He simply bowed and gestured for me to follow him.

We walked through a completely different wing of the palace, deep into the heart of the fortress. I was terrified. Throughout the journey from the palace, a strange sensation had been building deep inside me. It was an unnatural, pulsing pull that I just couldn't even name.

Finally, the servant stopped in front of two enormous doors guarded by four armed warriors who pushed the doors open.

The moment I stepped inside, the temperature dropped even further. The air so chilly that it should have made me shiver, but weirdly... I wasn't cold anymore. Instead, that strange, nameless sensation inside me flared again.

The room was a study with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a crackling fireplace.

At the far end of the room by the window was Draven.

He wore the same fur cape, but his hood was down. Even from behind, his broad shoulders and towering height were suffocating.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, keeping my spine perfectly straight. "Greetings, Your Highness."

The man remained still so I gathered my courage and took a step forward, then another.

“Stop.” Draven commanded. His voice was so deep, it vibrated to the soles of my shoes.

I froze instantly, my breath seizing in my throat.

Very slowly, he turned around to face me and every single thought in my head disappeared.

I had thought Aeris was the most beautiful creature I would ever see, but comparing the Fae steward to the man standing before me was a joke.

Draven was towering, his jawline sharp and his features so perfectly sculpted they didn't seem real. He was both ruggedly handsome and breathtakingly beautiful in a way that made no sense.

His dark hair fell loosely over his shoulders and his skin was pale, making the contrast of his dark clothes even more striking.

But it was his eyes that completely trapped me.

They were a piercing pure white that drew me in so deeply that the rest of the room completely faded away. They should have looked frightening, but I couldn’t stop staring. For one horrible second, I forgot every warning I had ever heard and read about him.

Then red flashed through them briefly, breaking the trance and reminding me exactly who stood before me.

Draven suddenly gripped the edge of his desk so hard the thick wood cracked under his strength. His nostrils flared as if he was catching a scent in the air, then a look of shock crossed his face before disappearing almost immediately.

He took a step back away from me. The movement startled me more than if he had come closer because his gaze stayed locked on me intensely.

“What...are you?” He muttered, his voice rough unlike before.

I watched him, completely confused. “Your Highness?”

My heart hammered against my ribs as that sensation flared deep inside my chest again. I didn't understand what was happening. Why was he reacting like this? Did I do something wrong? Was he about to kill me just like the rumours said?

His eyes flashed red again and this time it stayed longer.

“No,” he said, sounding angry at himself.

I swallowed hard, my pulse racing.

He kept staring at me, following the rise and fall of my chest like he couldn’t look away, leaving me completely bewildered in the suffocating silence.

Then I realized something strange.

The Dark Prince looked shaken... by me.