Tethered To The Six Princes Of Sylvarra

Chapter 15

My eyes felt unbearably heavy, as if sleep still held me hostage.

I tried to open them, blinking slowly against the soft sunlight pouring through the glass wall; it warmed my skin but couldn't quite coax my eyes fully awake.

When I finally managed to blink them open, the first thing I saw was Eryndor… seated quietly at the edge of the bed.

His long lashes fluttered as he looked down at me, and there was that same unreadable smile, gentle, playing on his lips.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He hoarded, a voice said, and his figure came crawling to my eyes that I was still trying to open. Shock filled me, seeing I was bare on the white bedsheets.

My mind snapped back to reality like a fragile thread pulled too tightly.

I sat up quickly, my breath catching in my throat. “Wh…what happened?” I asked softly, my voice barely finding its way past the dryness in my mouth. My eyes widened as they met Eryndor’s—his face was calm, and his smile was soft, almost innocent, like he knew something I didn’t.

Something I couldn’t remember.

There was a quietness in the room, but inside me, a storm had begun to stir.

Eryndor’s voice was low and soothing, as if he were trying to cradle me in it.

“Relax… Sorenna. You only gave yourself to me… and you agreed to be my lady.”

His words floated to me slowly, wrapping around my thoughts like silk. A strand of his midnight hair brushed gracefully across his cheek as he tilted his head, watching me carefully.

I stared at him, a quiet frown forming between my brows. My body was still, but my mind… it raced.

“I…” I began, my voice gentler now, more to myself than to him. “I don’t remember.”

“No… I don’t remember.” I shook my head, disapproving of his words. I wouldn’t…. Or did I? I wouldn’t give myself to him… I would … oh s**t, I could barely remember anything, my insides curling with pity.

“You don’t?” His smile seemed snapped from his face.

Wrapping the sheet around me before I stood on my toes on the marble floor, I walked to the mirror, and my lips seemed, swollen from kisses.

Lifting a finger to my lips, a flash of last night at the pool… I had truly given myself to him… I could recall I said I would be his from henceforth… But… I did because I wanted to feel safe.

I didn’t think I could live here without dying in a few days if I didn’t have anyone powerful at my side.

Prince Eryndor was one of the powerful princes, and he had shown me kindness… The rest was me dead… Even Rhysand had promised to kill me if I didn’t master my power in two weeks.

I didn’t know what to do about that, so I needed to be safe…

“Yes… I remember now.”

The words left my lips as I turned swiftly away from the mirror, forcing a smile I wasn’t sure had reached my heart.

But I needed it to reach my face.

I told myself again… I trust him. I seemed my best choice so far because I was still standing and breathing.

He had shown me kindness when no one else did. And so far… I hadn’t been harmed around him. That had to count for something in a place like this.

“Ahh… thank goodness.”

His sigh was deep and relieved, and it almost sounded genuine. “I was starting to think I’d made a grave mistake.”

When I looked at him again, at his eyes, that maddeningly charming glint as he stepped closer. Only then did I realize his chest was bare, sculpted, and sun-kissed in the morning light.

My breath caught. He was devastatingly handsome. I couldn’t even deny that, no matter how much I tried to guard myself.

“I don’t ever want to hurt you,” he said gently, his voice low, as his hands closed around my arms and pulled me closer. The warmth of his touch seeped into my skin, yet staying this close to him blurred the edges of my thoughts. His face… it was distracting, dangerously so.

“Uhm… it’s okay.” I blinked, trying to steady my voice. This is okay. We are okay, I whispered inwardly, unsure if I was convincing myself or just surviving the moment.

“I’m glad,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers were careful and soft. “You look so beautiful, Sorenna. I’m glad you’re mine. I should tell everyone already.” His voice took on a quiet firmness. “There’s a ball tonight, and I’ll announce it, that you’re my lady. It will also serve as a warning. If anyone harms you, they go through me.”

His eyes shimmered with something intense. Protectiveness? I couldn’t tell.

My breath caught a little. “Including Rhysand?” I asked softly, cautiously. “He… he promised to kill me in two weeks if I don’t master my gifts.”

I wasn’t even sure why I brought him up, but maybe it was fear. Or hope. Rhysand seemed untouchable, like a shadow no one dared name. Quiet and distant… yet deeply feared.

Eryndor’s expression didn’t shift, but something cold flickered in his gaze for just a moment. A ripple I almost missed.

He always seemed like the kind who kept to himself—aloof, silent, withdrawn into a world none of us could enter. And strangely, that trait… it pulled at me. That kind of mystery was dangerously attractive.

I didn’t know why a part of me kept hoping to catch a glimpse of him… his face, his fierce golden eyes that could pierce straight through you. But he was the kind of poison that could end me, and I knew it.

“I won’t let him,” Eryndor’s voice snapped me from my thoughts. “He better know his place as a traitor prince. And they have fewer privileges.”

The smile that curved his lips was sinister, prideful… filled with something darker I couldn’t quite name. The hate he had for Rhysand was no longer hidden.

What did he mean by they had less privileges as the marked prince? What were the privileges?

“I need to learn how to use my gifts,” I said quietly, my eyes searching his face. “Because right now… I can barely defend myself. I can’t even walk freely without thinking someone might kill me.”

I turned to him fully, a glimmer of hope rising in my chest. Could he help me? Would he?

“I promise to protect you from any harm,” he said softly, placing a warm hand on the nape of my neck. “You just need to relax and follow my lead, and you’ll be fine… safe.”

I stared up at him, my eyes tracing the smooth lines of his face, and I found myself nodding with a small, firm smile.

“Good,” he continued with a smile of approval. “You need to get ready for the ball tonight. I’ll send for Ciara; she’ll make something special for you. You need to look your best, Sorenna… as my lady.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, lowering my gaze to the floor.

There was a strange stillness within me, silent and dull. I couldn’t tell if it was a void forming in my chest… or an unsettling feeling in my gut.

Eryndor hadn’t given me words on Zach and Violet, and I wondered if he had forgotten to mention it.

But deep within me, I would have to make my own arrangements to find my siblings; if I would have to risk my safety by trusting one more prince, I would.

Yeah… now I knew what I had to do.

As I turned about to get out of the bedsheet, the door threw open, and it was the racist woman again.

The same woman who had looked at me with disdain from the very beginning. And she hadn’t changed.

Ciara.

“Ahh… I didn’t know you were one to be this cheap. Have you already slept with the prince?”

Her sharp brown eyes swept over me with open disdain, her voice dripping with disgust.

I didn’t flinch. I met her gaze calmly, though the heat in my chest simmered.

“Well,” I said quietly but firmly, “you should watch your words with me. Because aside from being the Three-Star Bearer… I will be Prince Eryndor’s lady. And that alone demands your respect.”

Quiet anger was boiling in my veins, but I stayed composed, making my point clear.

She froze. Her eyes widened slightly, either from shock or sudden realization.

Maybe she hadn’t expected me to speak back.

Maybe she had other thoughts. But I didn’t care to know.

I had too many hateful eyes on me already. I wouldn’t carry the weight of one more, not from a chief maid who wouldn’t even be worthy of standing near me back in my kingdom.

And I wouldn't let even her make me feel small.