Page 45

Clarissa

“ I don’t think that’s a good idea, Clarissa.”

The tension snapped like a bowstring.

What had I been thinking ? He was right—the wine was too strong. I could feel it souring in my stomach as he led me to the central bonfire where the sacrifices were to be made.

“Dance with me.” My cheeks heated. I was never drinking again.

Perhaps on a subconscious level, I knew this impending marriage to Galen would close as many doors as it would open.

Any urge to fill that void of physical touch would have to be done in secret or behind whispers and judgmental stares.

I would never be able to give away my affection freely, to love out loud the way someone deserved.

Not while I was Empress Clarissa Aris Grimaldi.

I was tired and anxious, and maybe the wine made me cross a line, grappling for some sort of contact, a last-ditch effort to be close to anyone before my life changed forever. Before I’d never get the chance to be with someone in any way that mattered.

And now I’d made a fool of myself in front of my fiancé’s best friend.

He’d infuriated me in the beginning, but I wasn’t lying when I said I’d misjudged him. My mind had been breaking him down piece by piece without me even realizing it over the past few days.

Thorne was kind and understanding, never pushing too far, even when he’d seen sides of me I didn’t let a soul see back home.

Even when I’d hurt him. The love he had for his daughter was palpable.

And for all his cockiness, I couldn’t help but think he was rather…

innocent . Something truly difficult to find in this world.

But he trusted easily and was quick to see the good in others, to give them the benefit of the doubt—perhaps too quick.

His heart was so big, so ready to give to everyone around him, and that wasn’t something I was used to in a world of secret rebellions and power-hungry Veridians.

I wasn’t sure when I’d stopped looking at him as the handsome, privileged, vexingly arrogant advisor and started seeing the protective, compassionate spirit beneath.

But I knew one thing for certain.

I shouldn’t have been looking at all.

“While we have faced hardships this year, we’ve still been blessed by the Fates with good health and a good harvest,” announced the same man who had beckoned revelers closer.

The festival calmed as people shuffled in, large pockets forming on either side of him, Dion, and Vespera.

The three of them stood on a small circular stage, right next to an unlit bonfire.

This was the largest of them all, with logs reaching at least three times my height.

“Of course, we want to give thanks to our regent family for watching over our land and making sure we have everything we need to provide for our homes.” He nodded to the couple beside him. “To Dion and Vespera Silenus.”

The crowd echoed him in a low murmur.

“Every year, we honor the three Fates and show our gratitude for all they’ve given us by giving a portion of what we’ve cultivated back to them. Today, we held competitions for the best of our territory, and tonight, we offer each in a sacrifice.”

He began listing names of the farmers who had been given first place in the various contests today, having them step forward from the crowd one by one. His voice became lost in a smattering of applause when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“There you are, Clarissa. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Galen stepped between Thorne and me. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her, Thorne.”

I bristled but stayed silent. Thorne’s nose twitched as he nodded and moved farther away, his eyes landing on Galen’s hand at my shoulder before they fell back to the speaker.

“Did you need me for something?” I asked Galen, more curtly than I intended.

“They want us up there.” He nodded to the center. “They’re going to ask you to light the fire. Hurry, we must go.”

Galen and I pushed through a couple rows of people before ascending the small steps to stand next to Dion and Vespera. The latter gave me a warm smile and squeezed my hand as the speaker finished acknowledging each of the winning farmers.

“And now, of course, we must honor our wonderful king, and thank the Fates for his good health and continued prosperous rule.” The man held out a hand to Galen. The crowd clapped and cheered as he smiled at my side.

“Finally, we have one more guest to introduce. A gift from the Fates. A savior to breathe life into this dying land.” All eyes turned to me as he spoke, and I struggled against the urge to squirm on my feet.

“She came when we feared all hope was lost. She rid our land of a terrible blight and brought good fortune back to our homes. We thank you, great Empress Clarissa Aris of the Veridian Empire!”

Thunderous applause followed his words. I smiled and waved, taking in the throngs of people beaming up at me with hope in their eyes. It filled me with pride. They may have started off fearful of me, but these people were still good. All they needed was someone to take care of them.

“Empress, if you would please light the ceremonial fire.” The man handed me a torch.

Heat licked at my skin as I edged closer to the large pile of logs.

When the flames leaped from the torch to the first piece of wood, everyone cheered once more.

Several men at the base began lighting small sections to make it go faster, and the timber shifted as more wood caught fire.

Sounds of clapping and hollering mixed with the roaring blaze, almost drowning out a gasp from behind me.

I turned to see Vespera staring at the bonfire, eyes wide as a hand covered her mouth.

I whirled around.

And dropped the torch.

There, in the center of the logs that had moved under the changing weight of flames, was a fox impaled on a spear.

“Clarissa!” Galen shouted, but I barely heard him.

Dead, golden eyes stared back at me from the orange and yellow haze, my vision blurring with smoke as its body was slowly covered by the fire.

I couldn’t blink, couldn’t breathe, could only stare straight ahead as ice encompassed my body. Hands tugged at my arm, but I shook them off. Noise disappeared, as if a blanket had been tossed over the crowd, muffling their shouts.

Scalding heat erupted on my skin. White-hot pain bit into my exposed ankles, stinging against the icy anguish pooling inside me.

“Empress, move ,” a low voice said, right before warm hands flew to my waist and lifted me into the air, away from the heat. My eyes were still trained on the fading corpse until a new face covered my vision.

Thorne’s hand cupped my neck. Sound flooded back to me. The cheers from the citizens had turned to shocked cries as more and more people saw the burning fox. Vespera was shouting at the speaker, while Dion barked orders to his guards surrounding the stage.

“Clarissa, listen to me,” Thorne said in rushed tones, his breath skating across my cheeks as pain still licked up my legs.

“You need to stand firm. Somebody is trying to scare you, and you cannot let them . Hold yourself together until you get back to the manor. Do you understand? Don’t let them win. ”

I met his eyes and blinked once, that fiery blue appearing as dead gold and back again. My lungs struggled to draw breath, but my face remained impassive. Unhearing. Uncaring.

All emotions had burned away with the charred, limp body of the fox.

Another hand, this one cloaked in leather, tugged at my arm. “I’ve got her from here, Thorne. Let’s go.”

I didn’t even protest as Galen whisked me away into a pool of guards for the second time that day.

When I took my first step, blinding pain shot up my leg, and I looked down to see deep red welts on my ankles and calves, the skin bubbling and splitting where fire from the torch had landed.

A guard rushed to lend me his shoulder, but I shook my head.

“No,” I said, my voice cold and distant.

I took another step across the stage, then another, forcing a wince away from my features.

“Clarissa, please—” Thorne said from behind me.

“Get away,” I said to the guards, who glanced at Galen questioningly. When nobody moved, I raised my voice. “Get. Away.”

Galen intervened. “We need to get to the carriage. They’ll make sure?—”

“ No ,” I said again.

My gaze swept over the guards and the crowd beyond, now shouting and moving forward to get a better look at the bonfire. It was chaos, voices blending with the crackling of fire and shuffling of feet on grass and straw.

“They wanted to watch me burn,” I said, straightening my shoulders. “So let them.”