synopsis: part three :) hope you enjoyyy
(i’m going to try uploading at least one part a day.) thanks for reading
By the time the last name had been called, your legs had grown stiff. And any conversation around you fell on deaf ears.
You kept your eyes fixed on the ground ahead of you, trying to hide the fatigue you felt.
“Enough.” a voice pierced through the silence of the room.
The single word cut cleanly through the hall.
Silence followed. Every girl straightened, as if pulled by a string.
“The selection will conclude for today,” he continued, his tone unwavering. “Those who remain will be escorted to their quarters.”
You felt it again. That weight.
“Until a decision has been made.“
A flicker of of emotion passed through the line, some perplexed, some elated. You maintained your expression, unmoved by the sudden news.
“All ladies will remain in the palace.”
You finally turned your head, just slightly, glancing towards the girl beside you as if you had misheard. She was still reciting prayers to herself. You shifted your gaze to an attendant ahead of you. But their expression was neutral.
A murmur broke out again, despite every attempt to control it.
A girl behind you quietly squealed in excitement.
Whispering to the girl beside her “How long do you think we can stay?” the certainty of her words ringing in your head.
Your pulse quickened, each beat louder than the last.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
The quiet conversations didn’t last long.
Guards had already begun to move. The sound of armour replaced the whispers.
No leaving. No slipping into the crowd. You had failed your only mission of the day.
A hand gestured towards the far end of the hall you had entered from. “This way.”
The line broke. Hesitation rippled through the crowd, the girls began to follow. Some eagerly and some reluctant.
You forced your feet to move.
The grand hall felt different now as you walked back. Colder.
You kept your head forward.
Against your own will, your head turned slowly back to his gaze. Gold. Piercing.
You quickly turned around, your beat rising with each step taken away from him.
The doors at the end of the hall opened. Their weight echoed through the walls behind you.
Servants lined the walls. Heads bowed as you all passed. None of them looked up.
Your fingers brushed softly against the fabric of your dress, grounding yourself after the reality had settled in.
A girl ahead of you let out a smile, “Well this is unexpected,” her tone softened as she walked closer to the group “he is much more handsome than I could have imagined.”
The girls sighed, almost in relief. Her comment lifted the pressure you had all felt. You let out a small laugh along with the other girls.
Devastatingly so. And that was a problem.
You exhaled slowly through your nose.
The corridor turned once. Then again. Each step taking you further from the entrance. Further from anything familiar. You tried to memorise the steps, the path, the placement of the doors.
At long last, the group came to a stop before a set of tall doors. Far less grand than the ones before but no less impressive.
They opened without a word.
Inside were ten women. Ladies maids from the looks of it. One stood in the centre. A darker uniform and a blank impression.
“They will be entrusted to you” the attendant announced before turning and leaving without another word.
“I shall have the girls show you to your rooms ladies.” the woman said softly, entirely different from her stern visage.
A maid approached you and the girl beside you, a smile of obligation wore on her face.
You walked through a quiet courtyard. The open air doing little to settle the tension you had felt.
She led you to a row of doors, identical in design.
She gestured to the door on the right.
“This will be your room,” she said looking at the girl beside you. “And this will be yours.”
The girl lingered by the doorway even after the maid left. Her eyes sweeping across the room with barely contained excitement.
“It’s beautiful.” she breathed. Stepping inside as if she had already claimed it as her own.
“It’s definitely a room.” your disbelief at the reality of it settling in, the disappointment barely concealed in your voice.
She laughed lightly, spinning to you. “You don’t sound very thrilled.”
You offered a small, polite smile “Should I be?”
Her grin widened. “We’re guests in the palace. Chosen or not. That’s more than most will ever see.”
You lasted less than an hour.
The room was still. The silence pressed in on you.
It was too silent. You sat, stood, paced and sat again. It made no difference. Every thought circled back to that moment.
The corridor outside was was empty. No maids. No guards in sight. Just the flickering of the lantern lights.
It was quiet. You moved anyway.
A set of double doors caught your attention, slightly opened. Warm light spilled through the opening. Softer than the harsh glow of the corridor lanterns.
You were met with the scent of aged parchment and polished wood.
Rows upon rows of shelves stretched into shadow. For the first time since entering the palace your shoulders eased. Your fingers brushed against the spines of the books as you walked, skimming titles. Nothing that would quiet your mind.
You turned a corner and stopped.
At the far end of the aisle, a figure stood with his back partially turned.
Everything else faded away. The world seemed to narrow down to this single second.
For a moment neither of you moved.
You should bow. But you didn’t.
“You wander freely for someone who’s meant to be confined to her quarters.”
His voice was quieter here. Lower. Without the echoes of the hall, it felt… closer.
“I wasn’t aware I was confined, my Lord.” your voice steady, despite your pulse pounding in your ears.
His gaze never left yours.
The silence of the room, weighing heavy on your heart.
“If I am,” you said quietly “Then your guards have surely failed you.” a small smile curved your lips.
There was a faint shift in his expression. Not quite disapproval, but not quite a smile.
You felt it like an ember against your skin.
“You speak boldly.” he asserted.
“I speak plainly.” your voice faltered.
There was another pause. Longer this time.
You could feel his attention. Unwavering. It consumed you so deeply it made it too difficult to breathe.
“You left an impression today.” he said at last.
“That was not my intention, my Lord.”
His voice was closer now.
Your breath wavered as he stepped closer. Not close enough to touch, but just enough for you to feel his warmth.
“You wanted to be overlooked today,” he continued, his tone softened. “And yet…”
You instinctively met his gaze.
His eyes searched yours. There was something unruly in his eyes. A hunger. Primal.
Heat rose to your face. You shifted your focus to the shelves beside you.
“And yet?” you prompted quietly.
“You know that is not what I meant.”
Each of his words reeling you in hypnotically. The last of your composure hanging by a thread.
You took a small step back and knocked one of the books you were off the shelf. It hit the ground with a soft thud.
You both reached for it. Your hands grazed one anothers.
It felt as though you were set ablaze.
You pulled your hand back first.
You turned quietly, desperate to escape the suffocating heat of the room. You walked towards the doors, you could feel his gaze on you the entire way.