NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: We're just here to watch
Elysia rose from the dining table the moment Malvoria disappeared through the door. Her chair scraped against the polished stone floor with a sharp, jarring sound that made everyone flinch.
Her chest was tight, her thoughts tangled in knots that only seemed to grow with every passing second.
Her father stood almost immediately, his expression thunderous. Zera followed suit, her jaw clenched, her eyes locked on Elysia like a protective shadow waiting for the next strike.
The tension that had hung over the meal didn't dissipate—it simply followed them, thick and oppressive, as Elysia strode out of the dining hall and down the corridor.
Her legs moved of their own accord, her body driven by an overwhelming need to get away.
The hallways blurred as she walked, the grand tapestries, the glint of enchanted sconces on obsidian walls—all of it faded into background noise beneath the weight of her thoughts.
Two weeks.
The number repeated itself like a cursed mantra, each repetition making her stomach twist harder.
Two weeks until she married Malvoria.
Two weeks until her life, already ripped from her hands, was bound to the very person responsible for that destruction.
Her footsteps quickened.
She reached her room sooner than expected, the door looming like a trap. She shoved it open with more force than necessary and stepped inside.
The warmth of the room contrasted with the ice coiling in her chest.
Her father's footsteps followed close behind. Zera entered last, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.
The air seemed to shrink around them.
Elysia turned to face them both, her heart racing, her breathing shallow.
"What the hell just happened?" Her voice cracked, raw with disbelief. "Did we really just sit there and let them plan my wedding?"
"You think we had a choice?" Thalor snapped, his eyes blazing. "That woman—the queen—she decided. We're just here to watch."
"No," Zera said, shaking her head. "We should've done something. Anything. We should've gotten out when we had the chance."
"And gotten ourselves killed?" Thalor shot back. "They have the kingdom. The army. The magic. There is no chance."
"We didn't even try—"
"Because it's impossible, Zera!"
The sound of their voices ricocheted through Elysia's skull, each word slicing deeper into the chaos already consuming her.
Her fists clenched at her sides. "Stop it," she said, voice low. "Stop fighting."
Neither of them listened.
"We could've escaped when we were in the mountains!" Zera's voice cracked. "We had three days with no patrols—we could've run."*
"And left the kingdom behind?" Thalor's face contorted with anguish. "Left our people to suffer alone? I couldn't do that."
"So instead we're sitting here," Zera bit out, "discussing flower arrangements for a wedding Elysia doesn't even want."
"You think I don't know that?" Thalor's voice was hoarse with guilt. "You think I don't lie awake every night knowing my daughter is being forced to marry that demon?"
"Don't talk about her like she isn't here," Elysia snapped.
Her voice, sharp and commanding, brought both of them to a stunned halt.
Their gazes snapped toward her.
Elysia stood in the middle of the room, breathing hard, the weight of their emotions pressing down on her like a collapsing ceiling.
"I'm right here," she said again, voice trembling with fury. "This isn't just happening to you. It's happening to me. So stop yelling at each other and talk to me."*
The silence that followed was deafening.
Her father's face softened with guilt. Zera's lips pressed into a tight line.
"What do you want us to say?" Thalor asked eventually, his voice low. "That we can fix this? That we can stop it? We can't, Elysia."*
"We could run," Zera said. "Still. We could go tonight."*
Elysia shook her head. "And go where?"
"Anywhere but here."*
"And then what?" Elysia's voice rose, her frustration spilling over. "We go into hiding for the rest of our lives? We abandon everyone? My father's already lost his kingdom. We can't just run into the woods and pretend this isn't happening."
"At least you wouldn't have to marry her," Zera said.
The words hit harder than Elysia expected.
She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came.
Wouldn't that be better? To leave? To avoid being bound to Malvoria forever?
But if we run, they'll kill Father. They'll hunt us.
Malvoria would never let them go.
"We're trapped," Elysia whispered. "All of us."*
Thalor lowered his gaze. "We've been trapped since the day she invaded."*
The truth of that statement settled like a stone in Elysia's chest.
For months, she had held onto the illusion that somehow, they'd find a way out. That this nightmare was temporary.
But it wasn't.
The wedding was happening.
In two weeks, she would be Malvoria's wife.
And no amount of arguments, plans, or desperate fantasies could change that.
Zera's jaw tightened. "We could fight," she said softly. "If we just tried—"
"We did try," Thalor said, voice hollow. "And we lost."*
Zera's face crumpled. "We could try again."*
"And get Elysia killed?"
The words slammed into the room with brutal finality.
Zera flinched.
Elysia looked between the two of them, her pulse roaring in her ears.
Her father looked exhausted.
Zera looked furious.
And Elysia?
Elysia was simply... numb.
The reality of it all felt like jagged glass beneath her skin.
She would marry Malvoria.
She would stand beside the woman who burned her kingdom to ash and take vows she didn't mean.
She would become a queen in a foreign court that hated her.
She would bear an heir.
And that would be her life.
"We're out of options," Thalor said after a long pause. "I'm sorry, Elysia."
She looked at him.
At the father who had raised her, who had taught her to fight, to lead, to be strong.
He had been broken by this war.
The realization pierced her heart.
"You gave up," she whispered.
Thalor's face crumpled, and she saw the truth in his eyes.
He had given up.
"I did what I had to," he said. "To keep you alive."
"At what cost?"
The question hung in the air, unanswered.
Elysia turned to Zera. "And you?"
Zera met her gaze, blue eyes fierce. "I'll fight for you until the end, Elysia. No matter what."
Elysia's throat tightened.
She wanted to believe that mattered.
She needed to believe it.
But right now, she couldn't.
She couldn't think.
Couldn't breathe.
The walls of the room seemed to close in on her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the pressure in her chest to ease.
"Can I get some alone time, please?"
Her voice came out hoarse.
Neither of them moved at first.
"Please," she repeated.
Thalor hesitated but eventually stood. His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer before he turned and walked out, shoulders sagging.
Zera hesitated the longest.
Her hand brushed against Elysia's, a silent question hanging in the air.
But Elysia didn't move.
Didn't speak.
After a long, tense pause, Zera gave a small nod and stepped away.
The door closed behind them with a soft click.
Elysia exhaled shakily.
The silence felt like suffocation.
Her mind spun with unanswered questions, unspoken fears.
Two weeks.
Two weeks.
And she didn't know how she was going to survive it.