3 A Midnight Stroll

A chilly winter breeze entered the chamber, it was cold but Nesrin couldn't care less. After all that happened, she was now back to a life that was no longer in her control.

The letter in her hands shook and she tossed it aside along with the red envelope.

She still had a tired body and hence Nesrin spent the evening asleep. But when she woke up she found a letter that changed all she had thought about living a new life.

The letter Amber left pulled a rug from Nesrin's feet.

----

one of the secrets that was supposed to be revealed in the novel was that Princess Johanna never married Izekiel. It was actually her handmaiden who took Johanna's place and married him. And she was the one who he killed.

It pains my heart to leave you behind after knowing that you are like me, but the path I am taking is dangerous.

If I delayed any more, the chance for my escape would not have come and so I had to leave before we could have a proper talk.

I hope this letter clarifies some of the doubts you might be having, and if all goes well I can explain things in detail to you when (or if) we meet.

Remember what I said, stay away from as many main characters as you can.

Your choices and actions can even change your fate.

But I can say nothing for sure. Things might turn very messy and I can only hope to handle them in time.

Telling you more about my quest will only confuse you so don't think too much about it just try to stay safe. Just understand that my quest is very important for both of us. Don't hate me!

And if you decide to marry Ezra, then just remember how the empress has tamed him. It's not going to be easy, but that might extend your lifetime.

Take care~

Hopefully we will meet soon.

P.S. Tomorrow is your wedding. The wine will help.

----

Amber has left a bottle of wine along with the letter.

Nesrin couldn't believe the kind of fate the stars have written for her. Not only was she brought to a story which was going astray, but she transmigrated as one of the characters with the worst fate!

When the sun rises she would be married off to a man who is cold hearted and ruthless. She will die with the hands of her own husband even before the year ends.

This time the end would be certain and so will be her helplessness.

Izekiel Ezra Waelyn… the emperor of Elysian empire… and an infamous tyrant...

How can she ever be with that man?

She knows the plot of the novel and it might be possible to escape her fate if she was bound to anyone else but Izekiel was the kind of person who would kill her and massacre the Iyanora kingdom only because she broke the marriage.

Later that night, Nesrin poured herself a glass of wine. She has never drunk before, so she was a little hesitant but since death was close, her borrowed time would go in vain if she still restrained herself for such small things.

Nesrin swirled the red wine and inhaled the deep intoxicating scent of it. Something tempting and alluring tugged at her heart and she took in a small sip. It has a bitter taste, but it was also refreshing.

She sighed and placed the glass down.

"Guess a few more months is all I will get…"

The second sip was also bitter, the third sip as well but by the time she emptied her glass a haziness had started to wrap itself around her mind. The taste sweetly and strongly melted inside her mouth. It was a rich blend of flavors.

Nesrin grabbed the bottle, the glass and threw open the doors of her bed chamber.

They had asked her to not leave the chamber, they were already making her marry 'him', and later the restrictions would only pile up. She knew well how the story would end, and she refused to accept it silently.

When a rope is pulled too hard it breaks and she was on the verge of breaking. How long can a person forget themselves and follow everything they are told?

As she kept walking across the long corridors, a serene view came in front of her. There was snow outside the palace, but what she saw now was a large (snow less) garden.

Exotic flowers, and enchanted fountains adorned the place. There was not even a single trace of winter and it seemed like this part of the palace was blessed by spring fairies.

Nesrin hiccuped and watched the garden with wide eyes. She had forgotten to wear shoes when she left, hence her first step inside the garden caused a soft cold tickle beneath her feet.

She poured herself a glass and took a long deep gulp. The wine burned down her throat and her head became incredibly dizzy.

Alas the beauty in front of her failed to divert her mind, she heavily complained inside her heart and cursed her fate.

When the heavens finally decided to give her a second chance, why couldn't they send her a handsome prince charming? Instead her life was tied to a cold hearted villain!

Nesrin clenched her fist and determination flashed in her drunken eyes. A soft red blush crept up her cheeks as she swore to herself.

'I have decided I will run away!'

But as she was having these thoughts, tears welled up in her eyes because deep down she knew that will only hasten her death.

'I want a prince charming to take me away from here!'

Nesrin staggered as she tried to walk further and deeper inside the garden. Her vision blurred for a while, her leg tripping over something before she was embraced in warmth. The wine has claimed her heart and her mind so much that she could no longer differentiate between reality and dream.

A handsome face gazed at her. It was a man not much older than her, with the most beautiful eyes she has ever seen and raven hair that were slightly messy. His hand firmly held her waist.

'It has to be a dream,' Nesrin thought, 'Such an angelic man couldn't exist in real life.'

Since it was a dream, Nesrin didn't think twice before caressing his face. The man froze, and a soft chuckle escaped her.

"I have been waiting for you," she whispered, "Why did you come so late?"

"..."

The man softly placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her away from him. He didn't welcome the closeness. Nesrin stepped on her gown, she was too drunk to handle herself and grabbed his shirt before falling.

The man instinctively clutched the glass that fell from her, but perhaps he was a little lost as well because he couldn't handle himself in time and ended up falling with Nesrin.

Nesrin laughed heartily at this, her eyes turning into a beautiful crescent shape and the blush on her cheeks made her look even more ethereal.

"By the way, I am Nes-"

"Shut up,"

The man coldly cut her off before she could even begin and snatched the bottle of wine from her hand.

"Why? are you-?"

"Shut.up."

The way his cold voice enunciated each word made her swallow back everything she was about to say. There was something about the way he spoke that sent an unspoken warning. Even when she was drunk, she could feel that this man was no good news.

He was sitting beside her and poured a glass full of wine. The glass was thrust towards her.

Nesrin glanced at the almost overflowing glass then pouted and looked at him. She tilted her head slightly.

"I don't wanna, ask politely."

The man's eyes turned extremely dark, he opened his mouth to say something then clenched his jaw tight and eventually resorted to rubbing his temples.

He drank the wine himself in one deep gulp. A drop of red wine trickled down his lips.

Nesrin widened her eyes and snatched the bottle from him.

The man was startled.

She clutched the bottle tightly in her arms and moved away from him. Her eyes watched him cautiously. He watched her back with narrowed eyes. None of them spoke, but a slight tension has appeared in the air.

The cold night wind rustled the tree leaves as Nesrin held her unwavering gaze with the man.

In the end he sighed and slumped down on the grass. The exhaustion was beginning to take a toll on his body. He closed his eyes, his breaths became soft and rhythmic.

Nesrin embraced the bottle even close to herself. She bit her lips and slowly approached the man to make sure he was asleep.

There was a strange ethereal beauty to him, like a forbidden flower blooming under the moonlight. The raven hair and his piercing gaze that has silenced her before, along with all the curves and edges that he has, reminded Nesrin of a certain someone…

But she was too sleepy to ponder much about that.

'It's just a dream after all...'

The soft grass beneath her was much more welcoming, blanketed by the gentle spring breeze and claimed by the bitter sweet wine; she too fell asleep beside him.