Chapter 4

On the day of the wedding, the Sun Palace blazed with golden light that illuminated all three realms.

Gods from every corner arrived one after another, and the Sunset Cloud Sea was adorned with obsidian and fire lilies sent from the Northern Realm.

Apollo had gone to the Temple of Fate to receive the marriage contract. Eos was still in seclusion. The wedding hall was temporarily run by my three brothers.

I put on the wedding gown Hephaestus had sent in advance and prepared to head for the Sunset Cloud Sea.

The hem bore no elaborate divine patterns of the Sun Palace, only clusters of tiny golden flowers that divine fire could never burn.

I had barely reached the corridor when divine guards brought by Orion blocked my path.

His face darkened the moment he saw what I was wearing.

"Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"

"To my wedding."

Pyron held up a strip of shredded sun-gold gauze.

"Daphne's wedding veil was just destroyed."

Zephyros stared hard at me.

"A handmaiden said that half an hour ago, someone summoned Daphne to the east wing under your name. After she came back, the veil was like this."

"I didn't summon her."

"Who else could it be?" Zephyros said, barely containing his anger. "Everyone in the palace knows you resent Daphne. You'd humiliate her at her own wedding.

"First you said you were the bride. Then you claimed the Sunset Cloud Sea was your dowry. Now Daphne is about to walk down the aisle, and you show up in a wedding gown to take her place."

My voice went cold.

"Did you check the message sigil?"

Pyron, who was an expert in rune-craft, froze.

But Daphne's sobbing drifted over from nearby.

"Don't check."

She shook her head, eyes red.

"Helias just can't bear to lose you. After today, I'll be gone. She couldn't accept it, so she tried to stop the wedding."

"I don't blame her."

"You always do this."

Orion looked at me, not with hatred, but with weariness.

"Since we were children, whenever we so much as looked at someone else, you'd use your curse, Father, and your title to pull us back.

"You have the entire Sun Palace. Daphne is about to be sent to a realm of searing heat. Why can't you give her this one last day?"

The familiar pain twisted in my chest.

Not from the ancient curse.

But because my brother had never believed me.

He thought he was being fair.

I swallowed the pain and asked him, "If you keep me here and the wedding falls apart, can you bear that responsibility?"

Orion said coldly, "Don't worry. The wedding will go on as planned."

"You're the only one in this family who causes trouble for no reason."

With that, he ordered the guards to open the east wing.

Then he shoved me inside.

"Stay here and calm down. Once the marriage contract is sealed, I'll come get you myself.

"Then you'll apologize to Daphne, and this whole thing will be behind us."

Zephyros said, "Helias, we're not trying to hurt you. We just can't let you ruin her wedding."

Before sealing the east wing behind me, Zephyros lowered his voice.

"Stop this. A spoiled girl like you could never really marry Hephaestus."

The barrier closed before my eyes.

They took Daphne to the Sunset Cloud Sea and locked the real bride in the east wing.

I didn't resist.

The marriage contract was already branded into my divine soul. Once Hephaestus arrived, no barrier could stop him from finding me.

Above the Sunset Cloud Sea, the guests had all gathered.

Daphne put on a backup veil and walked into the hall, flanked by my three brothers.

"The Sun Palace is marrying off a mortal adoptee?"

"No wonder she's being given to Hephaestus and his shattered divine core. If it were Princess Helias, the Sun God would never allow it."

Orion straightened Daphne's veil and murmured, "Don't worry about them. Mortal or not, you are a daughter of the Sun Palace."

Pyron glanced toward the entrance, and his brow slowly creased.

"Why isn't Father back yet?"

At that moment, the entire Sunset Cloud Sea began to shake violently.

Twelve lava beasts pulled a black-gold chariot through the dark golden clouds.

The man in the wheelchair wore black divine robes, pale blue fire burning between his brows.

The entire hall fell silent.

My three brothers stepped forward with Daphne, but Hephaestus looked past them to the empty bride's seat.

His gaze turned cold in an instant.

"Where is my bride?"

Zephyros blinked in surprise, then hurried to push Daphne forward.

"She's right here."

Hephaestus didn't even glance at Daphne.

He tapped one finger, and every flame across the Sunset Cloud Sea tilted toward the east wing.

A second later, the divine barrier trapping me shattered.

The black-gold chariot swept through the corridor and stopped before me.

He reached out his hand to me.

"I've come to marry you. My bride, Helias."