THE ENEMY'S BRIDE

AN ENTWINED FATE ĪĪ

It was finally time to decide the sleeping arrangement.

Which immediately became a problem.

Heliana stood at the edge of the bed with her arms folded.

"You can take the sofa," she said shamelessly. "I'll generously sacrifice myself and sleep on the bed."

Leonardo didn't even react.

He had just finished taking his bath and walked casually out of the walk-in closet.

Heliana's eyes unconsciously followed him.

His black hair was still wet, tiny droplets sliding down the side of his neck. He wore a loose black shirt and dark trousers that somehow made him look even more attractive.

Annoyingly attractive.

He simply grabbed a towel and dried his hair lazily before walking past her.

Then-

Without a word-

He collapsed onto the huge bed.

Heliana's eyes widened.

"Wait."

She pointed at the bed dramatically.

"Are we sleeping there together?"

Leonardo finally turned to look at her.

His expression remained calm.

Too calm.

"Sooner or later we're getting married," he said casually. "It was bound to happen."

Silence.

Heliana felt like cold wind suddenly passed through her soul.

Her face instantly heated up.

Without another word, she buried her face into one of the soft pillows and let out a muffled scream.

"This man is insane..."

Before she could continue complaining-

Leonardo had already closed his eyes.

Heliana blinked.

Was he asleep already?

She sighed quietly.

He must really be exhausted.

Adrian mentioned he had been away for almost an entire week handling missions.

Although Heliana occasionally participated in royal operations because of her intelligence, she was still a princess.

People protected her.

Leaders like Leonardo probably faced far worse situations directly.

For the first time in a long while-

Heliana felt like she lost a conversation terribly.

She turned slightly and stared at him.

Now that things were quiet, she finally had the chance to properly observe him.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Athletic build.

Even lying down, he somehow looked intimidating.

"Why is he sleeping like a corpse?" she muttered quietly.

There was no movement or sound.

Heliana slowly shuffled closer.

Just a little.

The moonlight spilling through the glass walls illuminated his face perfectly.

Everything about him looked unfairly perfect.

His sharp jawline.

Long lashes.

Black hair scattered carelessly over the pillow.

Heliana had always liked beautiful things.

And unfortunately-

Her fiancé happened to be extremely beautiful.

She waved her hand carefully over his face.

No reaction.

Sleeping.

Her eyes slowly drifted lower.

"I wonder if his muscles are actually hard or just for decoration..."

Before common sense could stop her-

Heliana leaned closer.

Then suddenly-

Slip.

"Ouch!"

She lost balance completely and landed directly on top of him.

Pain shot through her forehead.

But immediately she covered her mouth with both hands.

Oh no.

A scent filled her nose instantly.

Something rich and warm.

Like dark red wine mixed with cedarwood and night-blooming flowers.

The smell was ridiculously calming.

Heliana froze.

"Heliana..." she whispered internally. "You absolute pervert."

She quickly tried getting off him.

But suddenly-

A hand wrapped around her waist.

Her body stiffened instantly.

Slowly-

She looked up.

Leonardo was awake.

And staring directly at her.

Heliana nearly died on the spot.

"L-let me go," she whispered awkwardly.

Leonardo looked at her quietly.

Then innocently asked-

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

Heliana's brain stopped functioning.

"No-I-it was a mistake-"

She completely lost her composure.

For once in her life-

Princess Heliana Evren Valerith was stammering.

Leonardo's lips twitched slightly.

A faint smirk.

He was teasing her.

But Heliana was too flustered to notice properly.

A few seconds later, he finally let her go.

Heliana immediately scrambled back to her side of the bed and threw the giant duvet over herself dramatically.

Completely covered.

Like a frightened turtle.

Underneath the thick blanket-

She was dying.

The air conditioner was cold already, but the embarrassment alone made her overheat.

Then Leonardo's voice suddenly came from beside her.

"If you stay inside there any longer," he said calmly, "you'll get a heat stroke."

Silence.

Slowly-

Very slowly-

The duvet lowered slightly.

Heliana peeked outside.

Leonardo's back was facing her already.

Only then did she crawl out.

She pouted while fanning herself aggressively with her hands.

"So hot..." she complained under her breath. "I almost died in there..."

She glared at the thick duvet.

"Who even chose this blanket? Are they trying to cook people alive?"

No response came.

She turned slightly.

Leonardo had already fallen asleep again.

Heliana stared at him for a while before immediately covering her burning face again.

"Oh, those looks..."

She spent nearly the entire night mumbling nonsense to herself while blushing into the pillow.

Eventually-

Exhaustion won.

And for the first time since arriving in Viremont-

Heliana finally fell asleep peacefully.

----

Heliana was sleeping peacefully when the warm morning light suddenly spilled across her face.

She frowned immediately and buried herself deeper into the soft sheets.

"Mmm..."

The curtains had been drawn open.

"Why did you open the curtains..." she complained sleepily while rubbing her eyes.

"My apologies, my lady," Elowen replied calmly while standing beside the bed. "But this had to be done."

Heliana only opened one eye lazily.

"It isn't like you to sleep in," Elowen continued. "And with certainty, the citizens of Viremont will use this against you."

Heliana still looked half asleep.

Elowen folded her hands dramatically.

"Perhaps the headlines would be-"

She cleared her throat.

"Valerith's Lazy Princess."

Heliana twitched slightly.

"Or maybe..." Elowen continued thoughtfully, "A Princess or a Koala?"

Heliana slowly sat up.

"And romance outlets might say..." Elowen paused with a mischievous smile.

"A True Sleeping Beauty."

Immediately-

Heliana sprang out of bed.

"No."

Absolutely not.

Heliana loved attention.

Loved cameras.

Loved admiration.

She enjoyed hearing people praise her beauty, intelligence, fashion, elegance-

Everything.

But one thing she hated?

Being looked down on.

She always worked hard because of that.

Too hard.

A small part of her always hoped that maybe one day-

Her father would finally acknowledge her.

The same way he did Alaric.

But instead-

The more she shined, the more he hated her.

Heliana pushed the thoughts aside quickly.

Today was important.

She would officially accompany Crown Prince Leonardo to greet members of the imperial royal family.

The rite was traditionally done early in the morning as a sign of respect.

And here she was-

Sleeping like a baby.

"My lady," Elowen said gently. "Your rose bath has already been prepared."

Heliana blinked.

"When you are done," Elowen continued, "you'll wear this."

She revealed a long white gown.

Heliana immediately looked horrified.

"No."

She pointed at the dress like it personally offended her.

"Elowen," she said seriously, "you know I hate gowns."

She preferred trousers and shirts.

Comfortable clothes she could actually move in.

Most gowns felt restrictive and annoying.

"I only wear gowns when absolutely necessary," she grumbled.

Elowen sighed. She understood her too well.

"Fine," she finally gave in.

Then she pulled out another outfit.

A beautifully tailored white shirt and loose fitted trousers with delicate gold embroidery flowing across the sleeves and waist.

Elegant, modern and powerful.

Heliana's eyes sparkled immediately.

"Now this," she said proudly, "is fashion."

After taking her bath, Heliana stepped into the dressing room.

This time she finally took a proper look around.

The closet alone looked larger than noble apartments back in Valerith.

Rows of shoes.

Designer dresses.

Luxury bags.

Jewelry displayed behind transparent glass.

Everything perfectly arranged.

It looked like every girl's dream.

Unfortunately-

Most of the clothes were not her style.

Still, she had to admit-

Viremont people had terrifying taste.

Heliana changed into the outfit Elowen prepared for her.

The white and gold combination complemented her perfectly. It was Elegant yet intimidating.

Beautiful yet sharp.

Heliana had always possessed a strange ability to make any outfit look expensive.

She picked up a black handbag and slipped into silver heels.

"Elowen said His Highness is currently in his study," she muttered softly to herself.

"He's probably waiting for me."

Then suddenly-

Elowen's earlier words replayed in her head.

"He told me to let you sleep longer. You must have been stressed after arriving here."

Heliana froze slightly.

Then slowly held her cheeks.

A small smile appeared.

"He really isn't that bad..."

A few minutes later-

She stood outside the study room.

Knock.

Knock.

"Come in."

Heliana pushed the door open slowly.

The study was breathtaking.

Dark wood shelves lined the walls, filled with books and holographic screens glowing softly in the background.

The room carried a calming scent of sandalwood, black coffee, cedar, and old paper.

It smelled warm, comforting and

Intelligent.

Leonardo sat behind the desk reading something from a transparent digital screen.

He looked up immediately when she entered.

"You're awake," he said.

Heliana nodded lightly.

"I don't usually sleep in."

"Good."

That was all he said.

Then he stood up gracefully.

"Shall we?"

Heliana nodded quickly.

As she followed behind him, she secretly held her cheeks.

Why was he this handsome early in the morning?

Was this even fair?

They walked outside together until a car door automatically opened for her.

Heliana blinked in surprise.

"What a gentleman..." she muttered quietly.

The car waiting outside was unlike anything she had seen before.

It was sleek black with silver edges glowing faintly beneath the surface.

The body of the car was smooth and seamless, almost like liquid metal molded into shape.

The doors opened upward silently.

There was no engine noise or smoke.

The wheels adjusted automatically once they entered the road, slightly lifting the vehicle above the ground for smoother movement.

Transparent screens appeared inside the car displaying routes, temperature, security systems, and live city updates.

The seats adjusted automatically the moment they sat down.

Heliana looked around in amazement.

Viremont truly lived differently.

As the car sped smoothly through the futuristic highways of Aurelium-

Heliana smiled softly by the window.

She felt excited about what tomorrow might bring.