4. SACRIFICE AND REWARD

Winter's POV

I knew escaping would be impossible.

The farther I ran, the more lost I became. I don't even know where I am anymore.

The palace was enormous—a labyrinth of endless corridors and identical hallways. Without a map, every turn only trapped me deeper inside.

Even if I somehow found an exit, it would still be undoubtedly surrounded by guards.

I should have trusted my instincts.

When I reached the grand entrance hall and saw the towering palace doors unguarded, I knew that something was wrong.

There wasn't a single guard in sight, the vast hall was empty and unnaturally quiet.

I knew it was a trap, but I was foolish and desperate. To me, that door was my only chance of escape so I ran towards it.

Right at that moment, the guards revealed themselves like hunters waiting for their prey to step on their trap.

The guards acted right on cue and surrounded me at all sides before I could turn back.

I ran towards the doors, thinking this is the only chance of my escape and right at that moment, the guards revealed themselves and surrounded me at all sides.

A bitter ache twisted through my chest as I stared at them, all the fight draining from my body.

They could have chased me and captured me fairly.

Instead, they turned my escape into a trap.

They left the doors unguarded, let me believe freedom was finally within reach, then tore it away the moment I ran toward it.

They had taken the one thing I wanted most and twisted it into a cruel joke.

I did not resist when two guards seized me by the arms and forced me to my knees. I remained silent, even as anger burned beneath my skin and helplessness settled like a weight inside my chest.

"Your majesty!" The guard spoke up when heavy footsteps echoed through the grand entrance hall.

The other guards, instantly bent on one knee and lowered their heads in reverence to their King.

I slowly lifted my head and saw King Alaric with his daughter, Princess Bianca, holding his arm. She walked beside him with her chin held a high, her expression composed.

But when her eyes fell on me, the corners of her lips curved into a small, satisfied smile.

"I thought you were sick?" The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them.

Princess Bianca met my gaze, looking completely unbothered. "I am unwell," she replied calmly. "My physicians have advised me against unnecessary travel."

I stared at her in disbelief. "That's it?"

I looked to King Alaric, expecting foolishly that I would find even the smallest hint of guilt or shame on his face, but I saw nothing.

Just the same unperturbed look that Princess Bianca wore.

"You said your daughter was sick, that she wouldn't survive at the Vampire Kingdom," I spoke, my voice trembling in anger. "You lied to us. You deceived my father."

Princess Bianca tilted her head ever so slightly. "Did you truly believe my father would send his own daughter to those monsters?" Her eyes lingered on mine before a small smile returned to her lips.

"What kind of father would do that?" She asked then paused as though a sudden realization had struck her. "Oh, I almost forgot. Your father did."

My jaw clenched as I stared at her mocking smile.

Born as the King's only daughter, Bianca grew up spoiled by her father and brothers. She grew up surrounded by luxury, always getting whatever she wanted. Protected behind the palace's walls, and attended by servants every hour, she never knew what hardship was.

Everyone knew about Bianca's temper and arrogance. She always looked at people condescendingly, and spoke with careless arrogance, dismissing anyone beneath her without a second thought. She respects no one except her father.

"The people will never accept this," my voice shook with anger. "My father is a hero. He has spent his entire life protecting this kingdom and risking his life at its borders."

I held King Alaric's gaze. "What do you think the people will say when they learn that their king sacrificed the daughter of one of his most loyal men just to protect his own?”

King Alaric regarded me with a distant, almost bored detachment, as though my words were nothing more than a child’s tantrum. “Have you forgotten how eagerly the people demanded that you be sent to the Vampire Kingdom?”

Heat surged through me,. “You were behind it, weren’t you?” I demanded, my voice cracking despite my effort to steady it. “You never intended to send your daughter. You paid those men to turn the people against me and force me into becoming the vampire’s bride.”

His expression hardened, but he did not answer.

“You should not have tried to escape,” he said instead. “This palace is heavily guarded. No one enters or leaves without passing through my men.”

He was trying to change the subject.

“I knew something was wrong,” I continued with my voice trembling. “The people may have hated me because of the way I look, but they knew who my father was. They knew what he had sacrificed for this kingdom. None of them had ever dared lay a hand on me before.”

My chest rose and fell with each ragged breath.

“It was you,” I said bitterly. “You were the one who stirred that riot in the market.”

“Enough of your pitiful accusations, Winter,” Bianca snapped. “We all know that if anyone should marry a vampire, it should be you.” Her gaze swept over my pale skin and silver hair with open disdain. “You already look like one of them. Why not finally live among your own kind?”

Although I've heard the same words so many times, it still hurt the same.

“My father may have resorted to underhanded methods,” she continued without remorse, “but he did what was necessary to preserve the peace and safety of this kingdom. Besides, your father and the rest of your family will be rewarded handsomely for their sacrifice.”

My anger faltered. "Rewarded?”

Bianca’s smile widened. “That’s right. My father has just returned from a meeting with your family, and they have reached an agreement.”

A sudden coldness spread through my body. “What agreement?”

Delight gleamed in her eyes. “Congratulations, Winter. You are to become the future queen of the vampires and your sister will become the future queen of this kingdom.”

“W-What?” The word barely escaped me.

“My brother is now engaged to your sister, Lorena,” Bianca explained. “Your father agreed to the union.”

My chest caved inward. "That's not true," I shook my head. "I know my father. He would never agreed into something like that.

Bianca smirked. "Even I couldn't believe it at first either. Your father would go at great lengths to protect the kingdom, I thought he would also go at great lengths to save his daughter."

Everything else around me shattered.

While I had been locked away, pounding on the door and begging him to save me, he had been bargaining with the King. He had accepted a royal marriage in exchange for my life.

All this time, I thought that my father was just forced to make the decision, and that if he had another option, he wouldn't have sent me.

But it turns out my sacrifice can be paid with something in return.

I fell silent as I felt numb and empty as I finally understood that my father had not merely abandoned me. He had traded me away.

“Don’t worry,” Bianca said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “We will treat your sister well.”

She looked down at me, her satisfied smile returning. “And hopefully, the vampires will extend you the same courtesy.”