Chapter 184 No Wings, No Rights.

"Next week?" I asked in disbelief.

The ground tilted slightly, and my whole existence felt like a joke. Who gets married in just a week? And I don’t even have any idea of who my husband-to-be was.

I took a few steps back. "You all must be joking, I only turned eighteen a few weeks ago, and you are already giving me away in marriage?"

"Think of it as us offering you an opportunity on a golden platter." Lunaria purred, smoothing out the crease of her dress with a smug grace that made my skin crawl.

I turned to the King. "Uncle, you can’t do this to me. You didn’t even give me a chance to know who my husband-to-be is? Can you change the marriage date? At least give me a chance to digest all of this." I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but I knew it wasn’t going to change a thing.

"Unfortunately, Aeris, the marriage date can not be changed. Not only will this union benefit you, but it is going to benefit our kingdom too. You should be grateful."

He paused. Then, as if tossing a casual sentence about the weather, he added, "And as for your immoral act, you’ll be confined in your room until the day of your marriage."

My heart thundered in my chest, and I could barely hear over the ringing in my ears. I had no say. No warning. And now, no freedom.

I choked on my cry, my lips quivering. "You can’t do this to me. Thistle and Lunaria are older than me but they aren’t married yet. Why should I, the youngest one, get married first?! Why?!" This time my voice tore through the roof.

My mother held my shoulders, her expression was distant and unreadable. "That is because of the state of your health, if you get older than this, no one prominent would be interested in marrying a sick old princess. This is for your own good." It was more like she was trying to convince herself.

My vision blurred with tears, and I felt the walls closing in on me. Nothing hurts more than my own mother standing against me. And justifying her act with a lewd excuse.

I held her hand, removing it from my shoulders. "So I’m nothing but a bargaining chip?" I scoffed.

I can’t believe I was even thinking of negotiating with my uncle. My only request was to see the world before getting married.

No one answered my question, well they didn’t need to, because I already knew the answer.

"And what if I refuse?" My voice lowered, my eyes staring blankly at the Marble tiles.

Aunty Elowyn, who had been quiet all this while finally spoke. "You don’t have a choice. You either comply. Or we do it the hard way." she sat elegantly, carrying the air of royalty and power around her.

She was the scariest of all the siblings. My throat tightened, partly from fear.

I turned to my uncle, my eyes burned with anger, they all see me as a speck of dust because I have no wings.

"You might be my King, but you are not my father. What right do you have to arrange my marriage without asking me..."

Before I could finish my words, my mother’s palm connected to my face, the sound echoing through the room followed by satisfied gasps.

My head turned to my opposite side, and my body froze from shock. My mother slapped me.

The thought felt foreign to me, and I blinked slowly. My throat burned with a suppressed cry. I slowly turned to her, wishing it wasn’t her.

"Mother," I whispered in disbelief.

"How dare you talk to my brother in that manner?! Not only did you bring shame to yourself by spending the night with a man, but you dare to talk to the King in that condescending tone?!" A flicker of guilt, sadness, and fear passed through her eyes, but it was so fast that I missed it.

She turned immediately to the throne, and she bowed. "Forgive her your majesty, she doesn’t know what she is talking about... it was a slip of the tongue. I will make sure to punish her for this." Her voice cracked with nervousness.

The king cleared His throat. "I’ll forgive her, but if this should happen again, don’t blame me for taking action." His tone was harsh and cold, as if my mother were as disgraceful as me.

At that moment, my hope shattered. If I had known I would not have come back to the castle, I should have run away with Rhydian when he offered.

That was when I realized that I was still holding the necklace. I wanted to call for help... my family was not what I thought they were.

"Like mother, like daughter." Elowyne clicked her tongue in pure disdain.

"If you have anything to say to me, say it. Don’t involve my mother." I snapped at her, an action I never intended.

The scowl on her face deepened. "I don’t see any difference between you and your mother. In fact, she was even worse, not only did she disgrace our reputation, she disgraced our race. She ran off with a bloody were..."

"Elowyn!" The king slammed His hand on the armrest of his chair, sending a shock wave across the room.

"Enough! You will not speak to Loira in that manner." He paused, the veins on his neck popping out in anger. "You know you are not meant to talk about that."

Elowyn scoffed. "It is not like I am lying. Because of her actions and selfishness, I lost the only man who was dear to me! And you expect me to keep her dirty secret?"

"Elowyn, don’t make me do something that we will both regret. It was his choice, there is nothing for you to be bitter about!"

"Really? How dare you say that?!" Elowyn’s voice cracked for the first time.

’Okay, what is going on here? What are they talking about? And why is the tension more palpable compared to before? What secret are they hiding?’ I bit my lower lip to swallow my sob.