The Bride They Threw Away
1297 Words
The applause lasted for what felt like an eternity.
Every cheer was another blade.
Every congratulation was another humiliation.
Seraphina stood motionless among the crowd.
Not because she was weak.
But because she refused to give them what they wanted.
She would not cry.
Not here.
Not in front of them.
Not in front of Rosaline.
The nobles around her whispered shamelessly.
“Poor thing.”
“I heard the prince never loved her.”
“Can you blame him?”
“Lady Rosaline is far more beautiful.”
“Well, Seraphina doesn’t even look like a Valmont.”
A few laughed.
Others pretended to pity her.
Both were equally insulting.
At the center of the hall, Rosaline accepted everyone’s congratulations with graceful humility.
A performance.
A carefully crafted performance.
Because Seraphina knew the real Rosaline.
The girl who spread rumors.
The girl who bribed servants.
The girl who ruined reputations with a smile on her face.
Rosaline wasn’t kind.
She was simply better at hiding her cruelty.
Then suddenly—
“Lady Seraphina.”
The entire hall became quiet.
The king himself had spoken her name.
Every eye turned toward her.
The king smiled politely.
The smile of a ruler handling an inconvenience.
“We understand this situation may be difficult for you.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Seraphina already knew what was coming.
The public humiliation wasn’t over yet.
Not even close.
“As compensation for the dissolved engagement…”
Compensation.
Again that word.
As though her dignity could be purchased.
“…the royal family has arranged another marriage for you.”
The hall erupted into whispers.
Seraphina’s stomach dropped.
Marriage?
Already?
The king continued.
“This union will strengthen relations between our kingdom and the Empire of Eryndor.”
The Empire of Eryndor.
The neighboring empire.
The strongest military power on the continent.
A nation feared even by its enemies.
The whispers grew louder.
Everyone seemed confused.
Then realization dawned.
No.
Not realization.
Horror.
One noblewoman covered her mouth.
Another gasped.
Someone laughed nervously.
“No way…”
“It can’t be…”
The king raised his hand.
The room fell silent.
“Lady Seraphina Valmont shall marry His Majesty King Cassian Aurelius of Eryndor.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
Laughter.
Not from everyone.
But enough.
Enough for Seraphina to hear.
Enough for the humiliation to settle deep into her bones.
Because everyone knew who Cassian Aurelius was.
Or rather—
Everyone thought they did.
The king surrounded by rumors.
The king who supposedly preferred men.
The king who had rejected countless noble ladies.
The king whom every mother warned her daughter about.
The king whose private life had become the continent’s favorite scandal.
One nobleman snorted.
“So they sent her to him?”
Another laughed.
“How fitting.”
A third whispered loudly enough for others to hear.
“The discarded fiancée marrying the king who doesn’t want women.”
More laughter.
Rosaline lowered her gaze.
Pretending to look sympathetic.
Yet Seraphina caught the satisfaction hidden in her eyes.
She was enjoying every second.
⸻
The banquet ended shortly afterward.
People celebrated the new royal engagement.
Nobody cared about the discarded bride.
As Seraphina left the hall, a voice stopped her.
“Seraphina.”
Leonhardt.
Of course.
She turned slowly.
The prince stood alone.
For once, Rosaline wasn’t attached to his arm.
His expression looked troubled.
Good.
He should be troubled.
“What do you want?”
The prince flinched slightly.
Perhaps because she had never spoken to him so coldly before.
“I wanted to explain.”
“There is nothing to explain.”
“Seraphina—”
“You chose her.”
Her voice remained calm.
Dangerously calm.
“That is all the explanation I need.”
The prince ran a hand through his hair.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
For the first time that evening, Seraphina laughed.
A genuine laugh.
The sound startled him.
“Do you know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“You keep talking as though this happened to both of us.”
Leonhardt frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Seraphina stepped closer.
“You lost nothing.”
The prince froze.
“You gained a wife.”
“You gained a queen.”
“You gained everything you wanted.”
Her blue eyes met his.
Sharp.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
“I am the only one who lost something.”
Leonhardt had no answer.
Again.
Coward.
Always a coward.
Unable to choose her.
Unable to defend her.
Unable to even admit his own selfishness.
For the first time, Seraphina wondered what she had ever seen in him.
Then she realized.
Nothing.
She had loved an illusion.
A fantasy.
A future that never truly existed.
“Congratulations, Your Highness.”
Her voice was perfectly polite.
Which somehow hurt more.
“I sincerely hope your choice was worth it.”
Then she walked away.
Without looking back.
Without waiting for a response.
And for the first time since they met, Leonhardt watched her leave.
A strange feeling settling in his chest.
One he couldn’t quite name.
⸻
Three days later.
The Valmont estate.
Seraphina sat quietly in her room.
The wedding contract had already arrived.
The marriage would take place in one month.
One month.
Then she would leave forever.
Oddly enough, the thought didn’t make her sad.
It made her feel free.
A knock sounded.
“Enter.”
The door opened.
To her surprise, it was her father.
Duke Valmont.
The man rarely visited her room.
Perhaps once every few years.
The duke looked around.
His gaze lingered briefly on the modest furnishings.
Nothing luxurious.
Nothing extravagant.
Not what one would expect from a duke’s daughter.
A faint crease appeared between his brows.
Perhaps he had never noticed before.
Perhaps he had never cared.
“Father.”
The duke nodded.
“I came to discuss your marriage.”
Of course.
Politics.
Always politics.
Never affection.
Never concern.
Only politics.
“The empire requested an official portrait.”
Seraphina blinked.
“Why?”
The duke seemed irritated.
“I don’t know.”
Neither of them knew that the portrait request had come directly from Cassian himself.
And neither knew the reason.
Far away, across the border, the King of Eryndor had received dozens of paintings of noble ladies over the years.
All of them smiling.
All of them beautiful.
All of them eager to become queen.
He had burned every single one.
Yet this time—
When Seraphina’s portrait arrived.
Cassian did not burn it.
Instead, he stared at it for a long time.
A very long time.
The painting showed a young woman with black hair and blue eyes.
No smile.
No attempt to look charming.
No desperate effort to impress.
Just quiet exhaustion.
The expression of someone who had been disappointed too many times.
Cassian studied the portrait.
Then suddenly laughed.
A rare occurrence.
His personal secretary immediately looked shocked.
“Your Majesty?”
Cassian leaned back in his chair.
“What an interesting woman.”
The secretary smiled.
A soft, pleasant smile.
The smile of a loyal servant.
At least on the surface.
His name was Lucien Voss.
And hidden beneath that smile were years of lies, betrayal, and blood.
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
Cassian’s eyes remained on the portrait.
“Look at her eyes.”
Lucien glanced at it.
He saw nothing special.
Cassian smiled faintly.
“She’s angry.”
Lucien blinked.
The portrait looked emotionless.
Yet somehow the king had noticed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Meanwhile, Cassian continued staring at the painting.
Completely unaware that the woman in it would soon change his life.
And destroy the plans of every enemy surrounding him.
Including the smiling snake standing beside his throne.
To be continued…
- Writer
