Page 242 of Cursed Evermore
The announcement appeared to have caught him completely off guard. Blindsided him even. But I didn't think the news of marriage was a complete surprise.
I might not have known Dreynthor very well, or at all, but I doubted he could get away with springing this kind of surprise on Wolfe without him having some prior knowledge.
So... Wolfe must have known. He knew all along he was getting married.
You. Just you.Those words, only uttered moments ago, floated into my mind. They'd been a treasure to me. But now they felt like the cruelest lie ever spoken.
Chapter 47
Elariya
“Say It With Your Touch”
Icouldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't process how things had taken such a vicious turn.
Wolfe was being promised to another woman while I stood frozen like a fool in the crowd.
My hands trembled at my sides as Princess Seraphina glided toward him with that serene, practiced smile. Only then did Wolfe look away from me and back at her.
Watching her now, I understood why Dreynthor had been so confident in his cruelty. He’d already chosen a bride for his nephew. Someone who was perfection incarnate, and looked like she'd been born to wear a crown and stand beside a king to rule with quiet authority.
She was everything I wasn't. Noble. Refined.Appropriate. Everything a future queen should be. I, on the other hand, was a half-blood mage nobody who wasn't even from the magical realm. I had no right to dream of princes.Or him.
I'd been stupid enough to believe I could be anything more to Wolfe than his tracker, his prisoner, hisenemy.
The applause grew louder, but all I could hear was the sound of my heart shattering in my ears. A thousand irreparable pieces spasmed throughout my body, leaving me hollow. Then a warm hand covered mine, pulling me from the harrowing haze.
It was Arielle. I'd almost forgotten she stood beside me. Her eyes were wide and bewildered, clouded with disbelief and disappointment.
“I didn't know,” she whispered quickly, squeezing my hand. “No one said anything to me about this.”
“I—”
“The wedding date will be announced in a month's time,” Dreynthor's voice boomed, cutting me off.
A month. Great. Just wonderful. But maybe for once my curse would be a mercy. I had ten days and a few hours left of this reset. In a month, I wouldn't remember any of this.This heartbreak.
“Enjoy your evening, everyone.” Dreynthor looked right at me and smiled, his smug arrogance churning my stomach.
The crowds cheered again, and I realized I couldn't stay here. Not for another second. I turned back to Arielle, her hand still clutching mine.
“I'm... just... gonna go outside.”
She shook her head. “No, don't go. Or at least let me come with you.”
“No. I don't want you to ruin your plans with Bastian for me.”
“Are you kidding? My plans can wait. I'm not going to let you wander off alone upset.”
“I'll be fine. I just made... a mistake. Misread things.”
Her shoulders sagged. “No. Don't say that. We don't know how this came to be. It must be some kind of bizarre...” Her gaze flicked to Dreynthor, bitterness thickening her expression. “A bizarre political plan.”
“It doesn't matter. I'm going back to the carriage for some air. You stay.” I managed a weak smile. “I would feel awful if you didn't get your special night with Bastian. And... I think I kind of need to be alone for a while.”
She took both my hands, holding them tight. For a moment, I thought she’d insist on going with me, but then she nodded, her eyes softening with quiet understanding. “I'll check on you in a little while.”
“Okay. But I'll be fine.”
