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CHAPTER 234
~Emerald's POV~
My stomach dropped when my mum said that. There was no time for preparation, and they actually waited this late before breaking the news to me.
I was shattered through and through.
They said his name. I didn't hear it. Or I did, but my brain refused to store it.
All I could think was, 'You are being given away.'
Wrapped in a ribbon, in the name of peace, alliance, and power, like I was a contract instead of a daughter.
**Flashback Ends**
The memory snapped back just as his feet crossed through the academy threshold.
He moved like someone who knew his power, not in an arrogant way, but in the way fire knows it will burn whatever gets too close.
He was dressed in black, fitted pants, a collared shirt half-unbuttoned like he didn't care for formalities, and a long coat that whipped slightly behind him in the breeze.
Students noticed and, of course, were curious, especially girls, where whispers rippled outward.
Who's that?
