Chapter 6: Beneath The Golden Cage
852 Words
Kaelith never believed in fairytales.
A princess locked in a castle, a prince sweeping in to save her—those stories had never been meant for girls like her.
She had grown up knowing that reality was harsh, that survival was a battle, and that the world was not kind to people who had nothing.
Yet here she was.
A gilded cage wrapped in silk sheets, surrounded by wealth so extravagant it almost felt suffocating.
Kaelith sat on the edge of the enormous bed, staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror across the room. The woman who stared back at her looked…different. Out of place.
She was still wearing the dress from dinner, but it felt heavier now, as if the weight of the evening had sunk into the fabric. The way Don Emilio had studied her, the way Camila had tested her, the way Lysander had watched her, always calculating.
This wasn’t just a marriage. It was an unspoken war.
And she was in the middle of it.
She let out a slow breath and stood, pacing toward the grand window that stretched from floor to ceiling. The Castillo estate sprawled out beneath her, the gardens glowing under the soft light of the moon. Beyond them, the city glittered in the distance—a world she once belonged to, now nothing more than a memory.
She pressed her palm against the glass.
Is this what I’ve become? A pawn in someone else’s game?
A sharp knock at the door made her tense.
She turned, swallowing down the unease that crept into her bones. Another knock.
Kaelith squared her shoulders and walked to the door, pulling it open.
Lysander stood there, leaning lazily against the frame, hands tucked in his pockets. He looked completely at ease, like he belonged anywhere he stood. The dim lighting from the hallway cast shadows over his sharp features, making him look even more unreadable.
He raised a brow. “Expecting someone else?”
Kaelith folded her arms. “I wasn’t expecting anyone at all.”
He smirked, but there was something different about him tonight. Something less controlled.
Without waiting for an invitation, he stepped inside, letting the door shut behind him.
Kaelith’s pulse quickened.
“You can’t just walk into my room whenever you feel like it,” she snapped.
Lysander hummed, glancing around the room with feigned interest. “Your room?”
She frowned. “What else would you call it?”
His gaze flicked to hers, something dark glinting in his eyes. “Temporary.”
A shiver crawled down her spine.
He walked past her, his presence overwhelming the space between them. He moved with the confidence of someone who owned everything in sight—because he did.
Kaelith clenched her jaw. “What do you want, Lysander?”
He turned to face her, his expression unreadable. “I came to see if you survived dinner.”
She scoffed. “Disappointed that I did?”
Lysander chuckled, the sound low and rich. “Not at all. If anything, I’m impressed.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“Most people break under my family’s scrutiny.” He studied her, as if trying to unravel a puzzle. “You didn’t.”
Kaelith crossed her arms. “Maybe because I’ve spent my whole life fighting to be seen.”
Lysander’s smirk faded slightly. “And yet, here you are. In a world that was never meant to see you at all.”
The words struck something deep inside her, but she refused to let it show.
“I didn’t choose this, Lysander,” she said quietly. “Neither of us did.”
His gaze darkened, and for a fleeting moment, she thought she saw something raw in his expression. But then, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, replaced by the cold, effortless mask he always wore.
He sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. “Get some rest, cariño.”
Kaelith frowned. “That’s it?”
He smirked. “Were you expecting something else?”
She didn’t answer.
Maybe she had been expecting something.
A confrontation. A fight. Another battle of words to remind her that this was all a game neither of them wanted to play.
But instead, Lysander turned toward the door, his movements unhurried.
Just before he stepped out, he paused.
“You asked me once if I could handle the heat,” he murmured.
Kaelith’s breath caught in her throat.
Lysander looked over his shoulder, his smirk slow and deliberate.
“I suggest you start asking yourself the same question.”
Then, without another word, he was gone.
Kaelith stared at the empty doorway long after he left, her heart pounding in her chest.
She had spent her life fighting against the world.
But this…this was different.
Because Lysander Castillo wasn’t just another man trying to break her.
He was a man who had spent his entire life learning how to wield fire without getting burned.
And now, she was trapped inside his world—
A world that didn’t just destroy people like her.
It consumed them.
- Writer
