THE ENEMY'S BRIDE

AN ENTWINED FATE Ī

After the royal procession finally came to an end, Heliana was escorted to the Crown Prince's mansion.

The moment she stepped out of the car, she paused for a second.

Big-

Would have been an understatement.

The mansion stood tall against the evening sky, surrounded by glowing pathways and towering structures made from black glass and silver metal. Lights ran along the edges of the building like flowing streams.

Heliana slowly looked up.

If this was only the Crown Prince's residence...

Then how terrifyingly large was the imperial palace itself?

But something else caught her attention almost immediately.

The mansion was silent. There were no

maids or servants moving around.

No guards standing around carelessly.

Yet everything looked spotless.

Perfectly arranged.

Adrian noticed her expression immediately.

"His Highness dislikes having attendants around him," he explained calmly. "The staff only come to clean when the Prince is absent. Once they're done, they leave immediately."

Heliana blinked.

"That serious?"

Adrian nodded.

Heliana folded her arms as they continued walking.

"Can monsters hear thoughts too?" she suddenly asked.

Adrian looked at her seriously.

"Although we are more advanced than ordinary humans, we do not possess supernatural abilities."

For a second Heliana stared at him.

Then she laughed.

"It was a joke."

A faint awkward silence followed.

Behind her, Elowen looked at Adrian with pure irritation.

Heliana almost smiled.

Even if Viremont ended up boring-

These two would still entertain her.

The inside of the mansion was even larger than expected.

Everything looked futuristic.

Transparent screens occasionally lit up the walls. The floors reflected light beautifully, smooth like polished crystal.

"There are ten wings in total," Adrian explained as they entered the main hall.

"Ten?" Heliana repeated.

Adrian nodded.

"The first wing is known as the Onyx Hall."

Heliana raised a brow slightly.

"It is occupied by His Highness's most trusted men," Adrian continued. "I would advise against going there."

Now that interested her. Every royal household had groups.

People they trusted.

People willing to kill for them.

That was how power survived.

"How many are there?" Heliana asked, suddenly curious.

Adrian glanced at her briefly.

Almost like he was debating whether or not to answer.

Then he sighed.

"His Highness has ten people he trusts completely," he said. "They are known as the Jewel Boxes."

Heliana blinked.

"What kind of name is that?"

Adrian ignored her.

"Seven are currently in Viremont. The remaining three are away on assignment."

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Heliana wanted to ask more questions, but decided against it.

There would be time later.

"The second wing belongs to His Highness," Adrian continued.

"It is his private residence. No one enters without permission."

"Tch."

Heliana honestly couldn't care less.

Whether she was allowed there or not was none of her concern right now.

"Apart from the first and second wings," Adrian said, "you are free to choose whichever one you prefer."

Before he could continue-

Heliana yawned loudly.

Elowen immediately stepped forward.

"Her Highness is tired," she said firmly. "Please have her luggage moved to the third wing."

Heliana rubbed her eyes lazily.

The exhaustion was finally catching up to her.

Only Elowen truly understood her.

People always saw her as energetic, fearless, impossible to break.

But the sabotage earlier had drained her more than she wanted to admit.

She dragged her feet toward the elevator while Elowen followed beside her.

-----

In the middle of the night, Heliana suddenly woke up.

She frowned immediately.

Hot.

The room was unbearably hot.

She turned on the bed uncomfortably, throwing the blanket away from her body.

"What is this..." she muttered tiredly.

The air conditioner had stopped working.

Heliana sat up slowly, already irritated.

Back in Valerith, people would have panicked if the princess even complained once about heat.

Now she had traveled all the way to Viremont only to suffer in silence because of a spoiled air conditioner.

"So hot..." she groaned dramatically. "I'm going to melt."

She glanced at the clock.

Middle of the night.

Everyone was probably asleep already.

That made things easier.

Without thinking too much, she got down from the bed and quietly stepped outside her chamber.

Elowen had been assigned a different room, and Heliana didn't want to disturb her.

Besides-

She only needed another room for the night.

The moment her bare feet touched the cold floor outside, she sighed in relief.

The soft lights along the hallway glowed dimly as she walked carefully through the corridors.

The design of the mansion was complicated, almost maze-like.

At some point Heliana was convinced whoever designed the place hated visitors.

She passed several chambers before stopping in front of another door.

The second wing.

The Crown Prince's wing.

Adrian had already mentioned that Crown Prince Leonardo would only return tomorrow.

So technically-

The room should be empty.

Heliana blinked when she realized the door wasn't locked.

Strange.

From what she had seen so far, almost everything in Viremont operated with identification systems-fingerprints, facial recognition, voice commands.

Yet the Crown Prince's personal chamber was open.

"Well..." she muttered. "Not my problem."

Honestly, she could have chosen another room.

But curiosity won.

If she was going to borrow a room-

Why not choose the best one?

She pushed the door open and entered quietly.

Then froze slightly.

Beautiful. The room was enormous.

Not flashy or overly decorated.

Just... refined.

The design was mature, elegant, and strangely calming. Dark colors mixed perfectly with silver lights. Large glass walls overlooked the glowing city of Aurelium.

Everything was arranged neatly.

The chamber had everything a person could need.

A living area.

A private kitchen.

A study.

A walk-in closet.

A mini lounge.

A bathroom larger than some noble apartments.

And then-

The bed.

Heliana's eyes widened.

"That's not a bed," she whispered. "That's a country."

It was massive.

Bigger than any king-sized bed she had ever seen.

Without hesitation, she jumped onto it.

The mattress sank softly beneath her.

"Okay," she muttered. "I understand why rich people act arrogant now."

She turned off the lights, switched on the air conditioner, and immediately cold air filled the room.

Perfect.

But surprisingly-

She didn't sleep immediately.

She simply laid there, staring at the ceiling while counting the decorative patterns above.

Then suddenly-

A sound.

Heliana sat up instantly.

Something moved near the balcony.

Her expression changed immediately.

Cold and alert.

She had dealt with assassins before.

Too many times.

But she honestly didn't expect trouble in Viremont already.

Slowly, she got down from the bed and hid beside the dressing area.

The lights were off, making the room dark except for the moonlight slipping through the glass.

Then-

A shadow climbed into the balcony.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Athletic build.

Heliana narrowed her eyes.

Who was this?

The figure entered casually.

Then-

Started removing his shirt.

Heliana almost choked.

"What the hell?" she whispered.

"Pervert."

Without wasting another second, she lunged at him.

But the moment she attacked-

Everything changed.

The man reacted instantly.

Too fast.

Her wrist was caught midair.

Her body spun.

And before she could react-

She was pinned against the wall.

Heliana frowned.

Strong.

Very strong.

"Who are you?" she demanded calmly despite the position she was in. "And what are you doing in my room?"

A deep voice answered. Low, smooth and dangerously attractive.

"Your room?" he asked slowly.

Then after a pause-

"Or mine?"

Heliana froze.

Oh.

Realization hit immediately.

"...Your Highness?" she asked carefully.

"Hm."

That single sound alone carried enough pressure to make people nervous.

Heliana immediately straightened herself as much as possible.

"I am Princess Heliana of Valerith," she introduced quickly, showing a proper courtesy.

The man loosened his grip slightly.

Moonlight finally revealed part of his face.

Black hair, share features and cold eyes.

Even in darkness-

He was annoyingly handsome.

Leonardo Reid Viremont.

He stared at her quietly for a moment.

Then-

"What are you doing in my room?"

Heliana coughed lightly from embarrassment.

"My air conditioner broke," she admitted. "And your room looked comfortable."

Silence.

Leonardo simply stared at her.

Heliana suddenly felt ridiculous.

"...I can explain better if you give me time."

Another silence.

Then finally-

"I'll have it fixed tomorrow."

His voice was calm.

Simple.

Heliana blinked slightly.

That was it?

No anger?

No shouting?

Interesting.

Then suddenly-

Her stomach growled loudly.

The room became quiet again.

Heliana slowly covered her face.

"This is embarrassing."

Leonardo looked away briefly.

"...You haven't eaten?"

"The banquet food was too fancy," she admitted honestly. "I wanted real food."

A few minutes later-

Heliana stood inside the kitchen area wearing one of the oversized robes she found nearby.

Leonardo sat quietly at the counter, watching her.

"You can cook?" he asked suddenly.

Heliana looked offended.

"What kind of question is that?"

She rolled up her sleeves dramatically.

"Watch and learn."

Soon, the sound of cooking filled the quiet kitchen.

The smell followed almost immediately.

Creamy Truffle Pasta with Herb-Crusted Chicken.

Simple. But comforting.

Heliana moved around the kitchen naturally, occasionally opening cabinets without permission like she already owned the place.

Leonardo watched silently the entire time.

Finally, she placed two plates down proudly.

"There," she said. "A masterpiece."

Leonardo looked at it.

Then at her.

"I don't eat at night."

Heliana shrugged.

"Your loss."

Without hesitation, she dragged his plate toward herself.

But before she could touch it-

Leonardo suddenly took it first.

Heliana stared.

"You said you weren't eating."

"I changed my mind."

Heliana clicked her tongue.

"Shameless."

But secretly-

She smiled a little.