A ROYAL OBSESSION

Peter was upset after hearing Maya's words. They sat under the moonlight in their favorite spot, a place they had both come to cherish. "Can you stop sulking?" Maya asked with a light chuckle, surprised to find him dismayed by her revelation.

"You had your features painted, Maya. How am I supposed to stay calm? What if the king can't take his eyes off you?" he challenged, his expression darkening.

"That won't happen," she shot back with a laugh. "I didn't even look decent. Mariana had the most stunning gown I've ever seen. There's no way he'd pick someone like me over her," she insisted.

Peter's eyes narrowed now in annoyance as he looked at her. "Stop putting yourself down, Maya. Everyone knows you're a better choice than Mariana. I certainly do, and that's all that matters." She pursed her lips, but he pressed on. "But if he chooses you, how can we be together?"

Maya shook her head firmly. "That isn't going to happen. I have faith that we'll be together, Peter." She held his hands assertively. "We can run away if we need to," she added confidently.

"That's impossible," Peter countered immediately. "You clearly don't understand the king. He'll stop at nothing to hunt us down and have us executed. There's no way we can run." His voice softened as he continued, "And Maya, there are so many rumors about the king. They say he has no heart, that he's cold and dangerous. If you get chosen, I can't imagine you'd have it any easier at the palace; it could turn into your worst nightmare."

Maya's expression hardened at Peter's words, her heart racing. The things she had heard about the king were becoming overwhelming, and now Peter was indicating that the palace might be a nightmare for her. She took a deep breath, shaking it off. "I haven't been chosen, so there's no point in worrying. Nothing will come between us, trust me on this," she asserted.

Hearing her confidence calmed Peter eventually. "I will marry you sooner rather than later. You won't have to live with your aunt any longer; you'll be with me," he declared, his eyes searching hers as her cheeks flushed with color. "I have faith in us, Maya, and I want things to end well."

Maya smiled reassuringly. "It will."

But things didn't end well.

Soon enough, the door to the winter household was knocked upon once more.

It was a weekend, a day when most people stayed home, and the whole household was present. Even Eliana was not off to the market; she had been the first to hear the knock and had hoped it might be the king's men instead, and not her neighbor who liked borrowing items that anyone shouldn't. The only thing she hadn't borrowed yet was Eliana's husband or child.

"I swear if it's Gina again, she'll regret it," she muttered, approaching the door, half anticipating the king's men and half expecting her ridiculously outrageous neighbor.

When she opened the door, her gaze fell on large boxes with regal men in royal attire standing before her, majestic and imposing. The crowd surrounding her house, staring at the royal carriages, sent her heart racing with excitement.

The king's men were here, again! That meant that someone in her household had been chosen and it could only be her daughter!

This was fortune knocking at her door.

"Honey, why are you at the door for so long?" Michael called, joining her just in time to witness the king's men. Were they here? Did this mean their daughter had been chosen? They were about to enter a new world of luxury!

Eliana soon joined her parents, bewildered by the commotion. She gasped at the sight of the king's men, her heart pounding.

She had been chosen! She was about to become the queen, wielding power at her fingertips, nearly fainting at the overwhelming realization. Growing up in modest surroundings, she was now on the brink of unimaginable wealth, and soon her friends would have to bow before her.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Maya realized the king's men had arrived to select Mariana as the king's bride. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing this meant she could be with Peter forever.

The fanfare erupted outside Eliana's house. The trumpeter played elegantly until he was stopped by another man carrying a scroll, signifying that something significant was about to unfold.

"On behalf of his majesty, we present the royal decree to you, the winter household. You are expected to abide by it without question," he proclaimed, and as the words echoed in the air, the winter household promptly dropped to their knees in solemn respect for the decree.

"His majesty has chosen the young maiden of the winter household to become his wife and the future queen of Vylonia," the announcer declared.

Eliana and Mariana held their breath, fingernails digging into their palms as they averted their eyes, bracing themselves for the name they anticipated—Mariana's.

"The king, God bless him and his entire household..." the announcer trailed off, and Eliana felt a surge of anxiety, her patience wearing thin as she wondered what could be written in the decree to prolong this moment. Just say Mariana's name already and confirm her rise to queen, she thought, frustration growing.

Mariana, however, remained poised as she awaited the announcement of her name, her stomach twisting with a mix of excitement and nerves. Michael was also eagerly anticipating the confirmation of his daughter's selection, ready for the wealth and status that would follow.

Meanwhile, Maya stood inside the household, bracing herself for the moment when Mariana's name would be called.

"... Lady Maya has been chosen by the king to be his future wife and queen of Vylonia. Long live his majesty, and long live Lady Maya, the future queen of Vylonia!" the announcer proclaimed, and the crowd outside erupted into thunderous cheers.

"What in the world!?" Maya thought, her mind racing as her world abruptly shifted beneath her.

Maya couldn't believe her ears after the announcement had been made. Me? The king's bride? It was absurd—how could he have chosen her? She hadn't looked decent in that painting, and she was certain he might consider her irresponsible for not putting in any effort.

Yet, out of millions of women in Vylonia—those who were graceful and educated—he had picked her. How could someone like her, who lacked the privilege of education, who didn't possess the elegance expected of a queen, be chosen to stand at the king's side? The weight of the world settled on her shoulders as she tried to comprehend the situation.

Eliana's eyes widened, her gaze snapping to the king's man who had delivered the news. "M-aya?" she managed, disbelief ringing in her voice.

"Yes, Lady Maya," the official confirmed firmly. With that, he ordered the bodyguard to carry the heavy boxes into the house, brushing past Eliana and her daughter, who looked as if they had just been drenched with cold water. The boxes were placed in front of Maya, and she felt the intensity of everyone's gaze on her.

"Lady Maya, the marriage will take place in three days, so please take the time you need to prepare for the wedding," they stated, bowing respectfully.

Maya stood there, still in shock, at a total loss for words. What was there to say when she had no desire to marry the king? Her heart belonged to Peter.

She couldn't help but think of how devastated he would be upon hearing the news. Just yesterday, he had expressed his feelings, and she had brushed him off, convinced the king would never choose someone like her.

Now her life was upside down, and her future was being dictated by a man known only as the Nightbringer—a total stranger she had never seen or known. The king.