EVERY TRACE OF Harding vanished—he was accustomed to prowling around and his footsteps barely made a dent in the silence.

       "Thanks a lot, Harding," Landon scoffed facetiously, attempting to awkwardly melt into the shadows of the castle corridors.

       Near the end of the hall, the door to Harding's room seemed to open by itself; the hinges made a creaking sound that broke through the silence. A moment later, it swung back and closed very slowly so as not to make too much noise. Landon chuckled to himself, beginning to walk towards his own bedroom. Through the windows, faint white moonlight trickled in and caressed the prince's face, dancing upon the strands of his silvery hair.

       Then he heard the footsteps again, thundering down the corridor menacingly. Whoever it was was approaching him to scold him for lingering after dark. He had been caught doing such a thing only thrice, but each instance had ended the same—with punishment that felt more like a sort of retribution than anything else.

       Landon knew not why it mattered so much to his father that he, Harding and Jolecia follow certain rules, but he suspected it had to do with being in control.

       He hurried to his room, throwing the door open and then closing it quickly behind him.

       As quickly as possible, tripping in the dark, Landon changed back into the sleepwear he had hastily changed out of earlier that night. Then he groped around in the obscurity for his bed, his entire body shaking for some inexplicable reason. He pulled back the duvet and the sheets, which were slightly rumpled, and slid underneath them.

       He closed his eyes, but could simply not sink into a slumber. He found himself unable to find a comfortable position.

       Marriage... was not what he wanted.

       But he had no choice in the matter. His king had made the decision for him.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

THE BALLROOM WAS nothing short of breathtaking to just about everyone, with the exception of the royal family that occupied the castle. To Prince Landon, along with his family, it was completely ordinary. They had lived there for their entire lives and this kind of luxury was all they knew. They could not imagine something less grand.

       Marble bone-coloured columns captured the domed ceiling, reaching up so high that they seemed to be holding up the sky. The ceiling's splendour was only enhanced by the clear glass that permitted a limited view of the stars that blinked down at the people that waltzed across the ballroom floor. They were all in too much of an intoxicated haze—laden with champagne and wandering hands alike—to even look at the earth-shattering view that lingered just above their heads.

       But not everyone was positively enchanted by their surroundings.

       Leading up to a dais was a wide staircase—also made of white marble—carpeted in burgundy. It overlooked the ballroom floor, the sea of well-dressed nobles and the entrance lined with guards. On this dais stood Landon, the queen, the king and Jolecia, awaiting the esteemed guests as they climbed the staircase, only to kiss each of their hands. Inevitably, there were more armed guards standing by the family, but the members barely noticed them.

       And Landon—he was the exact opposite of enchanted. He knew this was his engagement celebration, but he simply could not bring himself to be excited at the prospect of marrying a woman he did not even know. Thus, his face was set, but his eyes showed his true nervousness and reluctance to marry.

       He put up a façade for his father, mimicking the cold and unfeeling look he had so often seen on King Edmundus's face.

       The congratulatory words and kisses on his hands were not exciting as they would have been to Jolecia. Instead, they were incredibly overwhelming for the young prince. Every few seconds, he glanced over at the entrance to search for his betrothed. Every time he saw a beautiful woman enter, his stomach churned.

       "Where in the world is Harding?" King Edmundus muttered harshly through the corner of his mouth at no one. He slid a smile on his face to keep up appearances, but Landon could see the furious glint in his pale eyes. "How discourteous of him, not even attending his own brother's engagement ball!"

       Landon grimaced and felt a pang of jealousy. The prince resisted the urge to tell his father that he was not too keen on attending his own engagement party either. He would very much have preferred to be hidden in the library with Harding. Yet he said nothing—he didn't disagree with his father, but he didn't disclose Harding's location either.

       "He is most definitely in the library, wallowing away in self-pity that no woman will ever wish to be with him," Princess Jolecia scoffed.

       The king said nothing to her, but Queen Fulvia gave her daughter a pointed look.

       "Find my second-born at once," the king ordered to one of the guards standing along the stairs, "and tell him that the king is... requesting his presence in the ballroom. Immediately."

       The churning in Landon's stomach worsened as he spotted four people entering the ballroom through the front entrance. From afar, they seemed to fit the description: a young woman, a young man, the duke and the duchess. He sucked in a sharp breath, reluctant to meet them.

       Upon hearing the strange sound he had made, King Edmundus turned to his eldest and raised his platinum eyebrows. His gaze followed Landon's until they fell on the family of four that had just walked in. He mistook his son's intake of breath for shock at the beauty of the young woman.

       "Ah, my son, I told you she was beautiful, did I not?" the king stated rhetorically, placing a firm hand on Landon's shoulder. Landon said nothing, but continued watching them as they approached the stairs to the dais. "There is no need to be so nervous, Landon. She is the lucky one. You are a prince and you will make her royalty."

       Once they were close enough to get a proper view, Landon inspected each of the four family members. The young man looked more like the duchess, while the young woman resembled the duke in looks.

       The duke approached first, and bowed before the king. He seemed slightly jittery. "Your Majesty, my dear Edmundus, I am eternally grateful for the merging of our two families."

       He kissed King Edmundus's hand, while the king responded to him, "As am I, Severin. It is with my great pleasure that I introduce to you my son, Prince Landon Vaughan. And Landon," he said, turning to his son, whose forehead was suddenly beaded with sweat as he stared distractedly at his future in-laws, "this is Severin Restault, Duke of Meverel."