The Bride He Hates-Chapter 53: The Wedding~ Six Years Ago

Lyanna looked at her mother and saw a stranger.

"Do you love me?" Lyanna asked. "Or am I just a political pawn to you, like everything else?"

"I love you more than you could understand. But love doesn’t change reality. Love doesn’t make impossible choices disappear. Love doesn’t protect us from the world we live in." She squeezed Lyanna’s hands. "I love you, which is why I’m preparing you. I’m telling you all this, even though it’s horrible, because that’s the only gift I can give you now."

Over the next few weeks, the poisoning became worse.

"He keeps a harem, you know. Vampire culture allows it. You’ll be his wife in name, but he’ll have other women. You’ll be only decorative and political, nothing more."

"Their castle is built on a mass grave. Thousands of humans died building Thornfield over the centuries. When you walk those halls, remember you’re walking on bones."

"He collects things; beautiful, and rare things. That’s what you’re to him, a rare human noble willing to marry a vampire. He’ll put you on display to prove his power, and when he gets bored, you’ll be locked away."

Four weeks before the wedding, Lyanna tried one last time to escape her fate. She went to her father’s study late at night, when she knew her mother would be asleep, and begged him to reconsider.

"Please, Father. Please don’t make me do this. I’m so scared. Mother says he’s dangerous, that he might kill me, that I’ll never be free again. Please."

Edmund looked at his daughter with genuine pain in his eyes.

"Lyanna, I know you’re scared. But your mother is exaggerating. King Azrael has given us no reason to think he’s dangerous to you. The marriage contract includes protections..."

"Protections? What protections can a piece of paper provide against a vampire who is centuries old and powerful enough to kill anyone who opposes him?"

"He could have demanded far worse terms." Edmund said. "He could have insisted you be turned immediately, that you break contact with your family, that you have no say in anything. But he didn’t. He agreed to let you remain human unless you choose otherwise. He agreed to your visits home. He even offered that letter, wanting to communicate with you before the wedding."

"Mother says that was manipulation..."

"Your mother..." Edmund interrupted her but then stopped himself. "Your mother has her own reasons for wanting you to fear vampires that I can’t explain. But Lyanna, this marriage is happening. There’s no escape. The contracts are signed, the alliance is agreed upon, and breaking it now would mean war."

"So I have to sacrifice myself to save the family?" Lyanna asked bitterly.

"You have to do your duty, as we all do. As I did when I married your mother in a political arrangement, as your brothers will do when they marry. This is the burden of noble birth, Lyanna. Our lives are not our own."

The conversation ended there. Lyanna returned to her chambers feeling more trapped than ever.

The next morning, Isabelle somehow knew about the conversation and came to Lyanna’s room with a new strategy.

"Your father doesn’t understand, he thinks this is just another political marriage, like ours was. But it’s not. Vampires are different." She took Lyanna’s hands in hers.

"Listen to me carefully. When you stand at that altar, you’ll have one moment, where you’ll have the power. You can refuse. You can say no in front of everyone, and the marriage won’t proceed."

Lyanna’s eyes widened.

"But Father said breaking the contract would mean war..."

"Only if we break it. If you break it, if you, personally refuse at the altar, that’ll be different. You’re not the one who signed the contracts. You’re not the one who made promises. You’re just a girl being forced into something she doesn’t want."

"Are you sure?" Lyanna asked.

"I’m sure, and if you refuse publicly, Azrael won’t want you anymore. No vampire king would accept a bride who publicly rejected him. He’d withdraw the proposal himself, and we’d find you another match."

"Why are you telling me this now? Didn’t you want me to marry him?"

She smiled.

"Yes, I did. But your words kept ringing in my ears, and I realized what a terrible mother I’ve been to you. So I thought of ways to save you from this marriage, and found this one."

"Thank you, mother." Lyanna hugged her, crying.

Only if she knew that her mother was lying about everything.

In Thornfield, Azrael’s cautious hope persisted despite the silence from Lyanna. He immersed himself in wedding preparations, trying to create a welcoming space for a frightened human girl in vampire society.

"The ceremony should be beautiful but not intimidating." He told Morgana, as they planned. "Remember, she’s eighteen, human and probably scared."

"You’re being considerate, Your Majesty. That’s unusual for vampire political marriages. Most just impose their customs and expect human brides to adapt or break."

"I don’t want her to break. I want her to thrive."

"You want a real partnership." Morgana said.

"Is that foolish?" Azrael asked.

"It’s hopeful." Morgana replied. "And hope is never foolish, Your Majesty, even when it’s dangerous."

He created chambers for her that would suit a human; windows that could be opened to sunlight, books and art that made it more lively.

"You’re setting yourself up for disappointment." Adrian warned him, exactly one week before the wedding. "She’s a human princess being forced to marry a vampire king. The best you can hope for is polite tolerance."

"I know. But I can’t help hoping for more. Is that pathetic?"

"It’s just dangerous. Hope means you have something to lose now, and you haven’t had that in a very long time."

The week before the wedding, Azrael received a letter from King Edmund. It was a formal letter, discussing final arrangements, but there was a paragraph in the middle that caught his attention.

My daughter is young and has been sheltered all her life. I hope you will be patient with her as she adapts to this new life. She may seem hesitant or fearful, but I believe she has the strength to grow into her role as your queen, given time and understanding.

Azrael wrote back immediately, trying to offer reassurance.

King Edmund,

I understand Lady Lyanna’s concerns and will do everything I can to make her transition comfortable. She will not be rushed into anything, will not be forced beyond what our marriage vows require, and will be given time to adapt at her own pace. I want a willing partner, not a scared prisoner.

Please assure your daughter that I mean her no harm and plan to be a considerate husband.

Azrael Thornfield

He had no idea that Isabelle intercepted that letter and never showed it to either Edmund or Lyanna.

The morning of the wedding was perfect. Azrael stood in his chambers being dressed in formal attire by servants who nervously glanced at him, sensing his tension despite his calm demeanour.

"You look nervous, Your Majesty." His valet said as he adjusted Azrael’s collar for the third time.

"I’m meeting my wife for the first time at our wedding. I think it’s appropriate."

Adrian appeared at the door, also dressed formally, ready to stand as Azrael’s witness.

"It’s time."

The walk to the grand courtyard felt both short and endless. Hundreds of guests were already there. Vampire nobles from every major court were curious to see Azrael Thornfield getting married after centuries. Human nobles from surrounding kingdoms were shocked that one of their own was marrying vampire royalty.

Azrael took his spot at the altar with Adrian standing slightly behind him, and tried to keep his expression neutral while his stomach churned with anxiety he hadn’t felt in decades.

The officiant was ready to conduct the ceremony. Music began, signalling the bride’s arrival. Azrael’s eyes were fixed on the entrance from where Lyanna was about to appear.

After a few seconds, she appeared at the courtyard’s entrance, and Azrael’s first thought was that she was beautiful. She was young and scared but beautiful, dressed in white and silver, looking something precious and delicate that he desperately didn’t want to break.

Their eyes met across the courtyard for the first time. If they had been able to speak in that moment, if Azrael could have seen her trembling and Lyanna could have seen his hope, if even a few seconds of honest communication between them had been possible before the ceremony began, everything might have been different.

But there was no time. The processional began, and Lyanna walked down the aisle with her mother’s words echoing in her mind.