2. CHOSEN BRIDE

Winter’s POV

While they were distracted I broke free from their hold and rushed towards the knights and lowered myself to the ground. “Please, sir… please help me.”

No one dared to go forward and take me. They were afraid of the knights especially the one at the center who wore an armor bearing the royal crest.

His sharp gaze swept across the fearful crowd before landing on me.

“Lady Winter,” he announced loudly. “By the order of His Majesty the King, you are to come with us to the palace immediately.”

Whispers drifted in the crowd upon hearing the announcement.

My whole body froze and I kept my head lowered to the ground as fear slowly crept into my chest once again.

I thought the knights were here to save me, but now it looks like they had only come to deliver me to something far worse.

———————-

I swallowed hard as I stared at the huge palace before me.

I had only entered this place once in my entire life.

It was years ago, when Father and I first arrived at the kingdom.

At that time, everyone thought my father was dead, killed by the vampires. It turns out, my father faked his death so he could live with my mother.

That was also the first and the last time I saw the King. I still remember how the King rushed to my father and hugged him with tears in his eyes, relieved and happy at the same time to see him alive.

I could also still remember how his smile slowly left his face when my father introduced me to him.

I was so young back then. I thought he was surprised to find out he had a daughter, but now I think he was more surprised that I looked more like a monster.

“Lady Winter has arrived, Your Majesty.”

I slowly stepped inside and froze.

My father is also inside the room, talking to the King when I arrived.

“Winter,” Father rushed to me with a smile and gave me a hug, and as always he placed a kiss on my forehead.

“Father,” I whispered and pursed my lips to hold back my tears. “What’s going on?” I asked him.

“It’s good that you’re finally here,” the King spoke making us look at him.

He looked older, but a lot less tired and burdened than the last I saw him.

“Your Majesty, please,” Father said tightly. “I told you already, I won’t agree to this.”

His words was all it took for me to understand what was going on.

“Matthias, you have three daughters. I only have one, and she is sick,” the King argued. “You know Bianca. She has never tolerated the cold well, and she falls ill so easily. She would not last a year in the vampire kingdom.”

My brows furrowed.

“As the only princess, isn’t it her duty to protect the kingdom?” I asked. “She has lived in luxury all her life because of the people. Now that the people need her, shouldn’t she be the one to protect them?”

“Of course Bianca is willing to go,” he replied calmly. “But we cannot send just anyone. We need someone who can survive. Someone who will not fall ill at the first gust of cold wind. Someone who can endure their land long enough for this treaty to stabilize relations between our kingdoms.”

My lips parted in disbelief. I've met Bianca and she is not as fragile as he makes it out to be. He just doesn't want to send his daughter.

“My father spent years risking his life protecting this kingdom,” I snapped. “He slaughtered vampires, guarded the borders while the nobles sat safely behind palace walls. The treaty probably exists because the vampires grew tired of losing warriors against him.”

Father’s face tightened. “Winter—“

“No,” I snapped softly, my eyes fixed on the King. “How dare you ask your most loyal subject to sacrifice one of his daughters to protect your own?”

The King’s expression darkened instantly. “How dare you,” he thundered. “You speak of sacrifice as though I have done none myself,” he said coldly. “Do you think ruling this kingdom is easy?"

My father stared at the King with a betrayed look on his face. “Why does it have to be my daughter?” He asked weakly.

“You think I wanted this?” His voice cracked. “I am just trying to stop another war.”

His gaze snapped toward father. “Of all people, you should understand that Matthias. You live at the borders, you know how barely we’ve been holding on.”

My father softened at his words.

“We have to send someone, but we can’t just send anyone. The peace between our kingdoms hang on the decision of which bride we must send them.” The King murmured.

Long silence fell between us.

The King turns to my father. “You choose… You have three daughters Matthias, just choose one of them and I will accept.”

I looked at my father, for sure he’s not going to choose me. I’m his own flesh and blood. I’m his only real daughter.

“Your Majesty! Please-please I beg you!” A desperate scream shattered the tension as the doors bursted open.

Lady Evelyne stumbled into the room in tears, looking disheveled.

“Evelyne?” Father approached her in shock. “What are you doing here?”

Relief flashed through her face the moment she saw him. “Matthias!” Her voice broke.

Evelyne rushed straight to his arms and clutched him tight. “Matthias! Oh please help me!” She sobbed. “They took the girls. They said they are taking our daughters to the vampires,”

Father stiffened as Evelyne burrowed her head to my father’s chest and cried.

“You choose Matthias. Choose which of your daughters we’ll be sending as the bride,” The King reminded him making my stepmother pause.

“What?” Evelyne’s face drained of all color. “Matthias, my daughters… you can’t send them to those monsters.”

“Evelyne I—“

“I swear Matthias, if you send one of my daughters I’m going to kill myself. Oh god!” Evelyne held her chest as she started to hyperventilate.

My father looked over his shoulder and stared at me.

I froze… that look it’s almost as if he’s about to choose me.

“Dad, I-I can’t go there,” I pleaded.

“Matthias, you know Lorena and Giselle, they are terrified of the vampires and they won’t last long there.” Evelyne stole his attention. “But Winter is different. She’s stronger and smarter, she’s going to survive better than the two.”

“Oh stop it!” I shouted as something twisted inside me violently. “You wanted to send me because you’ve wanted me gone for years!"

For years, I had swallowed every insult, every humiliation, every wound, just to keep peace inside the house. I stayed silent because Father already carried too many burdens at the borders, and I refused to become another one.

But saying those words out loud felt like finally tearing a blade out of my chest.

“Father…” My voice cracked as tears spilled freely down my face. “You have no idea how much I’ve suffered all these years.”

Father stared at me, stunned.

Lady Evelyne’s eyes sharpened, silently warning me not to say another word.

But I was done being afraid of her.

“When you were not home, Lady Evelyne and her daughters abused me.” My voice trembled, but I forced myself to continue. “They treated me like a slave at home. They insulted me, starved me, hit me, and made me believe I deserved every cruel thing they did.”

“You ungrateful child!” Lady Evelyne snapped.

And there it was.

The ugly side of her she only showed when no one else was around.

“You think we abused you?” she hissed. “That was discipline. You were lazy, disrespectful, and impossible to control.”

She turned to my father, her expression shifting instantly into wounded innocence.

“Matthias, you don’t believe her, do you?” she asked, placing a trembling hand against his chest. “Winter has always been emotional. She is twisting everything because she is afraid to be chosen.”

Then she stepped back as if the thought itself had wounded her.

“You don’t believe me,” she whispered weakly.

A broken laugh escaped her lips as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“You truly think I would hurt your daughter?” she asked, pressing both hands to her chest. “After everything I’ve done for this family?”

Her voice cracked, but beneath the tears, I caught something darker.

“What is the point of living if my own husband doesn’t believe me, and my stepdaughter thinks I’m evil?” she choked out. “What am I still here for if I can’t even protect my own daughters from those monsters?”

“Evelyne, stop. Don’t talk like that.” My father grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to pull her back from her own words.

“Why don’t you just send me to the vampires?” Lady Evelyne sobbed. “I would rather be sent than watch one of my daughters go there. I would be as good as dead if one of them were taken from me.”

Matthias pulled her into his arms, pressing her head against his chest as he comforted her.

She sobbed uncontrollably, clinging to him as though he were the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

I watched my father, and I saw the exact moment his heart broke for her.

Then his eyes found mine, heavy with guilt and apology.

“Winter…” His voice faltered. “I’m sorry.”

My feet moved backward on instinct, dread settling deep in my chest as I realized what he was about to say.

“I’ve made my decision, Your Highness.” He drew a shaky breath before forcing the words out. “You were right. Winter is best suited to be sent to the vampires as their bride.”

My heart stopped. For a moment, the world around me seemed to disappear.

After finally confessing years of pain I kept buried inside me.

He still chose her. He still chose them. Over me.

A sharp ache spread through my chest so violently it felt impossible to breathe around it.

“You promised her,” I whispered.

Father’s expression faltered.

“You promised my mother you would protect me.”

The words struck him like a physical blow.

For one brief, fragile second, I truly thought he might take it back, but I was wrong.

While the people was willing to drag me as a sacrifice to protect their daughters, while the King was willing to send me away to save his own child, my own father chose me to protect his chosen family.

“Guards.” The King’s cold command shattered the silence.

The doors flew open, and several royal guards rushed into the chamber.

“Take Lady Winter,” he ordered heavily. “Lock her in the eastern tower until the preparations are complete. Make sure she does not escape.”

Panic exploded inside me. “No…”

Panic tore through me.

“No…”

The guards grabbed me before I could run.

“Dad, please!” I screamed, fighting their hold. “I don't want to marry a monster!”

“Father! Please don't send me away!"

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face as I looked at him, praying he would stop them.

He never did.

The man who had spent his entire life protecting humanity from vampires was now delivering his own daughter into their hands.