Bound to the flame

Arianna’s POV You always do this,” Ava snapped at me, her voice trembling with barely contained rage. “You stand there like you’ve done nothing, like you don’t ruin everything just by existing.” Her hands were raised, pointing at me, her eyes wide with contempt, as if I were something she could erase by sheer anger alone. I didn’t flinch, but I felt it. Right in front of me lay the shattered remains of the Royal Blood Vessel, once a sacred symbol of lineage, now nothing but crystal and consequence scattered across the marble floor. My breath caught slightly, just for a second, not because of fear, but because of what it meant. This wasn’t just broken glass; it was history fractured. Someone will definitely be punished for it. Before I could process it fully, the sound of footsteps shifted the atmosphere again. Adele entered. I felt her presence hit the hallway before she even spoke. Her dress was dark, heavy, layered with gold embroidery that didn’t try to look beautiful. It looked powerful and controlled. Each step she took echoed differently. She stopped beneath the stone arch. Of course she did. Adele never stood anywhere like she didn’t belong there. Her gaze fell immediately on the broken vessel, then on me. There was no surprise in her eyes, only judgment. And something colder, hatred she didn’t bother to hide. “You’ve truly done it this time,” Adele said quietly. Unlike Ava, her voice didn’t rise. It was controlled and dangerous in its calmness. Ava immediately turned toward her. “She did it! I saw!” “Enough,” Adele interrupted without raising her voice. And just like that, Ava went silent. That alone made my chest tighten. I stood still, my expression unchanged, though anger pulsed quietly beneath my skin. Because in this family, silence was often the only thing that kept me intact. Ava kept glaring at me, as if waiting for me to confess to something I didn’t do. I didn’t look away; I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction. I didn’t move. Neither did she. We stood on opposite sides of the broken Royal Blood Vessel, the shattered crystal between us like proof of something already lost. Ava’s eyes stayed locked on mine, full of accusation, like she was waiting for me to break first, to look away, to flinch, to become what she already decided I was. But I didn't, I held her stare, something in me tightened. My fingers curled slightly at my sides. pressing into my palms just enough to ground me. My jaw set without me meaning to, breath steady but heavier than before, like I was holding back words that wanted to escape. Then footsteps again, faster this time, uneven. The atmosphere shifted immediately. “Your Highness!” A familiar voice cut through the tension. The handmaiden entered. Her eyes landed on the broken vessel, and she widened in shock. For a moment, she froze, then her attention snapped to me. “Arianna," her voice softened immediately as she rushed forward, placing herself beside me. Her hands gently reached for mine, grounding me without asking permission from anyone in the room. She turned her body slightly, protective, facing my sisters, not loudly. But firmly enough that it mattered. The hallway felt tighter now, more crowded and unstable. Then came the final shift. Heavy footsteps struck the marble in perfect rhythm, growing louder with every second, stronger than all the others. The air itself seemed to recoil before he even entered. The king arrived, my father. His presence didn’t need an introduction. Silence swallowed the hallway instantly. His eyes landed first on the shattered Royal Blood Vessel. For a moment, he didn’t move, didn’t speak. But I saw it, the tightening of his jaw, the slow darkening of his expression, disappointment. His gaze shifted from the broken vessel to me, to my sisters, to the scattered servants who had begun gathering at the edges of the corridor, as if they already knew how things would end. “This…” his voice came low, dangerously restrained, “is what I return to?” No one answered. Not Ava, not Adele, not me. Even the handmaiden remained silent beside me, though her grip on my hand tightened slightly. The king’s eyes lingered on the broken glass again. And for the first time, I understood that this wasn’t just anger. Someone in this hallway was about to carry the blame for it. Adele’s voice dropped lower when she spoke again, colder than before. I felt it before I fully heard it. “You will be punished severely for this.” My breath caught. I hadn’t touched the vessel, not even by accident. My fingers tightened slightly at my sides as I forced myself to stay still. The king turned toward me slowly. “Arianna…” His voice was quieter now, but heavier. “Look at me.” I did. For a moment, his eyes searched mine. Confusion lingered there, like he was trying to refuse what he was seeing. “Tell me,” he said carefully, “you didn’t do this.” My throat tightened. “No…” My voice came out barely above a whisper. I swallowed, forcing myself to stay steady. “I swear, I didn’t do this, Father. I didn’t even touch it.” My gaze flicked briefly toward Ava. “It was Ava. She—” “No, she’s lying!” Ava cut in sharply before I could finish. I caught Ava letting out a subtle smirk, her lips curling slightly at the corners as her eyes shimmered with a hint of mischief. Adele didn’t move immediately. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet, yet unmistakably commanding. “If she didn’t break it,” she said slowly, “then explain why it fell when you were standing closest to it.” I turned my head sharply toward Adele, my jaw tightening as I spoke. “You weren’t even here to know the truth,” I said, my voice rising just a little despite myself, sharp with frustration I couldn’t fully hold back. There was a tight, stinging pressure in my throat, as if my words were struggling against something heavier I refused to let fall. “So don’t speak like you saw what happened.” Adele didn’t react to my words the way Ava would have. She looked at me. That silence felt heavier than any insult. Then, in a voice calm enough to sound almost patient, she spoke. “Emotion does not change what is already in front of us.” Her eyes flicked briefly to the shattered Royal Blood Vessel, then back to me. “And neither does your frustration change where you were standing when it fell.” "Enough and be quiet, all of you!" my father suddenly shouted, his voice commanding and unwavering. I felt it; even almighty Adele’s eyes sharpened, Ava flinched, and around them the servants froze completely. The hallway fell into a silence so complete it felt unnatural, like the world itself had paused in obedience. “I’ve heard enough of you throwing accusations across this hallway.” His gaze shifted from Adele to me, lingered a moment longer this time, eyes searching intently for answers. The king’s gaze stayed on me longer than it should have. For a moment, everything else faded: the broken vessel, Ava’s breathing, even Adele’s presence. Just him. And for a second, I thought he would believe me. His jaw tightened. Something shifted in his expression. Then he looked away. That was when I knew. “Arianna,” he said, his voice lower now, heavier than before, “you were standing closest to the vessel when it shattered.” My throat tightened. “That’s not proof,” I said. "It is enough." The silence that followed felt different. The king turned slightly. “Guards.” The sound of armor moving echoed almost immediately beyond the corridor. My breath caught, not in fear, but in understanding. “Arianna will answer for this.” Each word came measured, deliberate. “She is to be removed from court effective immediately.” His next words were slower. “And she will remain confined until she confesses… or the truth is brought forward.” I didn’t look at Ava, I didn’t look at Adele, I looked at him just once. And even then, he didn’t meet my eyes. And in that moment, I understood no one was going to save me. I felt my handmaiden’s grip tighten around mine for just a second, just enough for me to notice. Then she let go as the guards got closer. I didn’t resist. There was nothing to resist. The marble floor echoed beneath each step as they led me away, past the shattered remains of the Royal Blood Vessel, past my sisters, past the servants who watched without speaking. I didn't look back. I couldn't. Because I already knew, no one was going to stop this.