5. BETTER LIFE

Winter’s POV

The second time they locked me inside the room, they made sure I would never have another chance to escape.

The guards outside my door had doubled, and even the number of locks securing the door had increased.

The vase I had shattered was gone. So was every piece of furniture that could be broken apart or used as a weapon. Even the curtains had been replaced with shorter ones, leaving nothing I could tear into strips long enough to fashion a rope.

The room that had once resembled a bedchamber now felt like a prison.

I walked to the window. Iron bars had been fastened over it, sealing away what little freedom I had left.

Beyond them, the palace grounds glowed beneath the afternoon sun. Servants hurried across the courtyards carrying baskets of flowers, rolls of expensive fabric, and polished silver trays. Others moved through the gardens with arms full of decorations, each person rushing to prepare for the grand celebration.

It seemed the entire palace was preparing for a grand celebration.

I wondered what it was for.

Was it to commemorate the peace treaty with the Vampire Kingdom? Or was it for Lorena's betrothal to our Crown Prince?

I rested my forehead against the cold stone beside the window and closed my eyes.

Yesterday, I still believed I could escape. Today, I no longer knew what's left for me to fight for.

My father had chosen the kingdom over me. My sister’s future was built upon my sacrifice. Everyone had already decided my fate for me.

Perhaps leaving this kingdom wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to me. Perhaps the monsters I had feared all my life were no more monstrous than the people I had called my own.

Without thinking, my hand slipped into the pocket of my dress and retrieved the neatly folded handkerchief.

It was the only proof that the mysterious vampire had been real.

I had washed away the blood as best I could with nothing but soap and water, yet a faint crimson stain still lingered against the pristine white fabric.

My thumb brushed over the exquisitely embroidered eagle stitched into one corner.

I could still remember the cool touch of his hands as he wrapped the handkerchief around my wounded arm. More than that, I remembered his final words, still echoing faintly in my mind.

“Live a better life than the one they gave you.” That was what he had told me.

A better life... but where can I find it?

Perhaps there was no better life waiting for someone like me. Perhaps this was all I would ever be.

A sacrifice.

A bargaining chip.

A bride sent to die.

The sound of heavy locks clicking open pulled me from my thoughts.

I quickly slipped the handkerchief back into my pocket and rose to my feet as the door swung inward.

Two women stepped inside, each carrying a leather case with a measuring tape draped around her neck. They appeared to be in their forties, dressed in simple yet finely tailored gowns that distinguished them from ordinary palace servants.

“These are the royal seamstresses hired to make your wedding gown,” one of the guards announced from the doorway. His gaze hardened as it settled on me. “Do not try anything foolish. We will be stationed right outside this room.”

Before I could respond, he pulled the heavy door shut. The locks slid back into place one after another, leaving me alone with the two women.

The older woman let out a tired sigh before setting her leather case on the table. "Let's begin," she said. "Raise your arms."

I obeyed without a word.

The younger seamstress circled me, stretching the measuring tape across my shoulders before wrapping it around my waist. She scribbled each measurement onto a small parchment while the older woman sorted through pieces of white silk.

She clicked her tongue. “This should have been done days ago. How are we supposed to finish a royal wedding gown by tomorrow?"

My head snapped toward them. “…Tomorrow?”

Both women froze. The younger seamstress looked at me in surprise. “You… didn’t know?”

The older woman shot her a sharp look. “Mind your tongue.”

“But she’s the bride.”

The older woman hesitated before sighing in defeat. “Yes. The wedding is tomorrow.”

My fingers curled into my palms. “So soon…”

“The Vampire Crown Prince has already arrived,” the younger seamstress explained. “He’s been staying in the palace for several days while His Majesty finalized the peace treaty.”

My heartbeat faltered. “He… is here?”

“Of course.” She blinked. “Where else would he be? A royal wedding cannot take place without the groom.”

I stared at her.

“I thought…” My voice caught in my throat. “I thought I would be taken to the Vampire Kingdom first.”

The two women exchanged puzzled glances.

“No, my lady,” the older seamstress answered gently. “The wedding will be held here, in the Royal Palace.”

A thought quietly slipped into my mind. Could he… be the Crown Prince?

My fingers instinctively curled around the handkerchief hidden inside my pocket.

No. I quickly shook the thought away. It was impossible.

What were the chances that the one vampire I had met by accident would turn out to be the heir to an entire kingdom?

Besides, he couldn’t have been the Crown Prince. I don't think that he would be someone who would help me.

It's more likely for him to be one of the prince's royal guards... or perhaps a trusted knight carrying out some secret errand. That made far more sense.

Still, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, one small, foolish part of me refused to let the thought go.

I still hoped that they were the same person, and that realization frightened me.

I had spent days dreading the man I was about to marry, imagining him as a monster whose face I would fear for the rest of my life.

But if… by some impossible twist of fate…

If the vampire who had saved me was the Crown Prince…

Then perhaps I could live a better life, and the man who will help me have that is the same man who wished me to have it.