THE ENEMY'S BRIDE

ROYAL PROCESSION

After landing, the parachutes slowly deflated behind them.

They were in the middle of nowhere.

Heliana looked around once, then checked the time.

They didn't have the luxury of standing still. The journey was supposed to take an hour.

Thirty minutes were already gone.

They were inside Viremont territory-

But far from the capital.

The capital city of Viremont was known as Aurelium.

"So... what do we do now?" Elowen asked, clearly irritated, throwing Adrian a look.

Adrian ignored it for a second and faced the group.

There were ten of them. Too many.

"Listen carefully," he said.

The soldiers immediately straightened.

"We can't move as a group. We draw too much attention," he continued. "We go into the nearest city, find a fast vehicle, and get the princess to Aurelium within thirty minutes."

"Yes, sir."

They moved immediately.

Heliana leaned against a nearby surface, her attention split. Part of her was watching them.

The other part-

Was still working.

She continued maintaining the fake broadcast, making sure nothing suspicious showed.

Elowen, however, wasn't calm.

She kept glancing at Adrian like she wanted to strangle him.

Two minutes later-

They returned.

"With a car."

It was black, low and sharp.

Not like anything Heliana had seen before.

The body of the car was smooth and reflective, almost like liquid metal. The edges were too clean, too precise, as if it had been cut rather than built.

Faint blue lines ran along the sides, glowing softly.

No visible exhaust.

No engine noise.

"Wow..." Heliana muttered under her breath.

The doors slid open automatically.

The interior?

Even better.

The seats adjusted the moment they entered, shaping themselves to fit their bodies. A transparent display lit up across the dashboard, showing speed, route, and system data.

No steering wheel in the usual sense-

Just a control interface.

Elowen sat at the front, trying to figure it out.

Adrian took the passenger seat.

Heliana sat at the back, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Twenty minutes left," she said.

Elowen was driving.

Carefully. Too carefully.

Adrian exhaled.

Then suddenly-

"Switch."

"What?" Elowen frowned.

"Now."

They swapped.

The moment Adrian took control-

The car shot forward.

Elowen screamed.

"Are you mad?!"

"I know what I'm doing," he said.

The car sped through the road, weaving past other vehicles with precision.

Heliana leaned back, smiling slightly.

This-

This was fun.

"Let's go, Viremont!" she said under her breath.

"Look out!" Elowen suddenly screamed.

A vehicle was coming straight at them.

Too close and too fast.

Adrian didn't slow down.

At the last second-

He turned.

The car drifted smoothly, the back sliding out before snapping perfectly into place.

Silence.

Then-

Elowen hit his arm.

"Do you want us dead?!"

Heliana laughed quietly.

----

Exactly twenty minutes later-

They entered Aurelium.

The city was...

Different.

Buildings stretched high into the sky, made of glass, metal, and glowing structures. Lights floated in the air like stars.

Drones hovered above, moving in silent patterns.

Everything looked amazing.

Another car was already waiting.

This one was silver.

Not just silver-

It shimmered.

The surface reflected light like polished chrome, almost mirror-like, but smoother. The design was elegant, with sharp curves and glowing patterns that moved faintly across its body.

It looked expensive.

Dangerously expensive.

The doors opened.

Crowds filled the area.

Reporters.

Cameras.

Flashing lights.

The gates opened wide.

The moment Heliana stepped out-

The noise exploded.

She paused.

Just for a second.

This was Viremont.

Bigger and brighter.

More advanced than anything she had imagined.

Beside her, Elowen was speechless.

Even everything she had read couldn't compare to this.

From the crowd, voices rose-

A language Heliana didn't understand.

"Vael'thir... nox Aurelium..."

It meant-

Magnificent.

Heliana's lips curved slightly.

The system returned to normal.

The broadcast was stable again.

The main control device wasn't just in the jet-

It was embedded in the royal transmission core, a portable relay carried within the convoy system.

That was what she had overridden earlier.

Now, she released it. Everything looked perfect. As if nothing had happened.

Soon, Heliana was guided into a golden chariot.

But it wasn't ordinary.

The horses- Were mechanical.

Beautifully crafted, with metallic bodies and glowing eyes, moving smoothly with controlled precision.

The chariot moved fast.

Too fast for something that looked that elegant.

Heliana waved to the crowd.

Perfect smile and perfect posture.

Beside her, Elowen gently held her hand.

She knew.

No matter how strong Heliana looked-

She was tired.

"Princess," Elowen said softly, "you don't have to pretend with me."

Heliana didn't reply immediately.

"You can drop the mask," Elowen continued. "I'm here."

Silence.

Then-

A small smile.

"Thank you, Elowen."

Heliana looked ahead.

Whatever Viremont had waiting for her-

She would face it.

"No matter what happens..." she said quietly, "we'll see it through."

And just like that-

The journey truly began.