Shattered trust: THE FORBIDDEN LOVE

PAIN

When they all arrived at the royal palace, Eli was stunned by how beautiful and massive it was. She was so overwhelmed by its magnificence that she couldn't hear William calling her.

"Eli, love, let's get going. We still have the wedding ball to attend. Come on."

It was only when William touched her gently that she finally came back to reality.

He helped her down from the carriage, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she was greeted by many royals, nobles, guards, and maids. She suddenly felt very small among them all.

She felt William's hand tighten around hers, as though he was trying to help her calm down. She felt even happier knowing that her husband was there for her. Finally, she had someone other than her aunt.

She raised her head and looked at the people standing before her. When they finally reached the ballroom, an announcement was made to let everyone know that they had arrived.

The entire room fell silent as William and Eli walked in hand in hand.

They were led to the seats that had already been arranged for them. As soon as they sat down, the king made a hand gesture, and music immediately filled the air.

People came forward one after another to congratulate the newlyweds. They brought gifts and offered their blessings.

Then the duke's family arrived.

They also presented their gifts and offered prayers for the newlyweds. The duke's wife approached Eli and hugged her, pretending to be emotional so that everyone would believe she was truly going to miss her.

However, while hugging Eli, she whispered into her ear.

"You little brat. Make sure you satisfy the prince. And if you think that because you are married to the prince now, you are on top of the world or above me, then let me burst your bubble. You are nothing but a pawn in this royal family. Remember my words. And think carefully about why I allowed a disgrace like you to marry the prince instead of my beloved daughter."

When she finished speaking, she pulled away and smiled beautifully, like a mother who had just won the lottery. She then pretended to wipe away invisible tears before walking away.

Eli stood there in shock, her face slowly turning pale.

She had been asking herself the same question for a long time. Ever since she had been told that she was going to marry the prince, she had wondered why she had been chosen. She had been told that the king had chosen her.

But after hearing what her stepmother had just said, Eli began to wonder whether there was much more to this marriage than she had been told.

She turned to look at her husband and saw him looking at her with so much love in his eyes.

She smiled.

Her stepmother was only trying to scare her. William couldn't possibly hurt her. He had always treated her with kindness and affection. Why was she allowing someone's cruel words to make her doubt him?

How foolish of her.

Eventually, the ball came to an end.

Eli was escorted to her new room, which she would be sharing with William, her husband. However, William had been called away by his father, the king, to discuss some official matters.

As Eli was being led to her room, she noticed that some people stared at her with pity. Others looked at her with hatred or worry, while some watched her with curiosity.

But the look she saw most often was pity.

When she finally reached her room, she found five maids waiting for her.

The room was enormous and beautifully decorated. The bed was king-sized, and the walls and furniture were decorated in gold and black, the colors of the royal family.

The guards remained outside while the maids attended to her.

The maids introduced themselves and explained that they had been sent to prepare her for the wedding night.

That was when Eli remembered that tonight was supposed to be her first night with William as husband and wife.

She wasn't afraid, however. William had already promised her that nothing would happen tonight. He had told her that he would wait until she was older.

Remembering his promise made her feel even happier about her marriage.

William had also told her that, if necessary, he would simply sleep beside her and tell everyone the following morning that they had spent the night together.

Eli was taken to the bathroom, which was enormous and decorated with gold.

She wasn't used to having so many people help her bathe. Normally, only her aunt had ever helped her.

At first, she tried to refuse, but the maids explained that they would be punished if they failed to do their duties. Reluctantly, Eli agreed.

When they were finished, they cleaned her, applied fragrant oils, dressed her in a beautiful nightgown, and styled her hair.

They made her look even more beautiful than she already was.

The maids began complimenting her beauty, telling her that the prince would surely be captivated by her.

Then one of the younger maids suddenly said, "I pray he goes easy on you. How could they marry such a child to that demon prince? Poor child, barely fourteen and already married. What a shame. I pray he doesn't do something to your beautiful fa—"

"Enough!"

A woman in her early fifties suddenly entered the room.

"How dare you say such things about the prince and frighten her like that? Watch what you say, or you will be punished by me."

She turned toward the other maids.

"Now get out and wait to receive your punishment."

The maids immediately left.

Eli was shocked by what she had heard.

No.

William would never hurt her.

She knew he could be cold toward other people, but he had never been that way with her.

A mature woman's voice brought her back to reality.

"Don't listen to that foolish maid. She was only trying to frighten you. She has been trying to gain the prince's attention for a long time."

The woman smiled at Eli.

"Your Highness, I can see that you are ready to receive the prince. You look beautiful. The prince will be happy to see you. He asked me to tell you that he will be by your side soon. Something came up, and I apologize on his behalf."

A huge weight lifted from Eli's heart.

Thank God.

She knew William wasn't that kind of person. He was kind, gentle, and well-mannered.

How could anyone call him a demon?

She smiled at the woman.

"Okay, I understand. But what should I call you, ma?"

"Oh, how disrespectful of me! I haven't even introduced myself properly."

The woman smiled.

"I'm Miss Wrinkles, from Winterfall. I'm in my early fifties, and I'm the head maid. I take care of everything in the prince's quarters. If you ever need anything, Your Highness, you can call for me."

Eli simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Afterward, Miss Wrinkles helped the remaining maids finish preparing her. They arranged the bed and instructed Eli to sit on the edge and wait for the prince.

Then they left her alone.

The candles were lit brightly throughout the room. The maids explained that it was her husband who was supposed to blow them out.

Outside her room, somewhere far away, a cry of pain could be heard.

"Please, I beg you! I'm sorry! I will never say anything like that again. Please!"

It was the maid who had spoken against the prince.

"How dare you say such things?" a cold voice replied. "You would have ruined everything. The joy of watching her discover the truth tomorrow would have been taken away."

The voice disappeared into the darkness, leaving the terrified maid behind.

Meanwhile, Eli knew nothing about what was happening outside.

She walked toward the balcony and stared out at the beautiful palace grounds. Something caught her attention.

A beautiful garden stretched across the palace grounds.

She smiled to herself.

Tomorrow morning, she would ask William to take her there.

She was beginning to feel sleepy, but she desperately wanted to wait for him.

Eventually, she lay down for just a moment.

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

About thirty minutes later, the door to her room slowly opened.

Eli didn't hear it.

Someone entered the room and walked toward her bed.

Still asleep, Eli shifted slightly.

The room was dimly lit, and the candles flickered softly.

She slowly opened her eyes.

"William?"

The figure standing beside her bed was indeed William.

But something about him felt different.

His expression was cold.

The warmth she was used to seeing in his eyes was gone.

Eli slowly sat up.

"William...?"

He stared at her without answering.

She immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Instead of answering her, William moved closer.

Eli became frightened and instinctively moved away from him.

"William, please. You promised me."

He ignored her words.

She pushed him away and quickly moved toward the other side of the room.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice trembling. "You promised you would wait until I was older."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then William's expression hardened.

"You really believed that promise?"

Eli stared at him.

She couldn't understand what she was hearing.

"What do you mean?"

His voice became cold and unfamiliar.

"You are so naive."

Eli's heart began pounding.

The man standing before her didn't feel like the William she knew.

She backed away slowly.

"William, please..."

He stepped toward her.

She tried to reach the door, but it was locked.

She called for help.

No one came.

Her fear grew as she realized that she was completely alone.

"William, please don't do this."

But he didn't listen.

The man she had trusted, the man she had believed would protect her, was no longer acting like the husband she thought she knew.

Eli struggled to get away from him, crying and calling for help.

The night that was supposed to mark the beginning of her new life instead became the night that shattered everything she believed about the man she loved.

By the time the night was over, Eli was exhausted, frightened, and in pain.

She lay there silently, tears running down her face.

All she could think was:

Why, William?