The Divine Bond

"Come forth, Dione Celani Salian, second princess of the Salian Empire."

Though the suffocating aura that emitted from the Saintess' body retreated, Princess Dione still felt as if there was a heavy rock laid upon her chest. Her legs felt like jelly and she wanted to pretend that she heard wrongly but with the golden eyes of the Saintess slamming down on her, she could not find the courage to do so.

"Your Highness…" Ezra's eyes were wide in disbelief as he numbly loosened his grip on her shoulders. As much as he wanted to hold her back, he knew that there was no way to do so without drawing the ire of the God that currently possessed the Saintess' body. His heart throbbed as he watched his Princess walk the long, winding staircase to the second floor.

The ballroom was silent and nobles kneeled with their gazes on the marble floor as she walked past, creating an oppressive atmosphere. Despite that, Dione did not lower her head and kept her back straight. Her fist, hidden in the long sleeve of her dress, clenched tightly as she attempted to calm her nerves.

Her eyes drifted over the Duke and she searched his face for any hint of emotion as she thought back to his proposal earlier. Was it simply a coincidence that he had asked her to participate in a contractual marriage with him or had he planned to use her all along, not caring for her opinion?

The Duke's gaze met hers and his expression was one of surprise. It seemed as if this outcome was one that he truly had not expected.

Dione looked away. She did not believe him.

Dione reached the top of the stairs and stood beside Duke Devland. She curtsied in greeting to the Saintess, "Your humble servant, Dione Salian, greets the Divine entity through its vessel, Saintess Naraina." She doesn't dare to raise her head, her head still reeling with the fact that she was standing in front of a God that had possessed the Saintess' body.

A warm hand reached out and gently lifted her chin. The voice that came from the Saintess' body was soft and sounded muffled as if it were coming from underwater. "My child," she smiled gently, tingling Dione's heart with a strangely familiar feeling, "I can only do this much for you. In this life, I hope you live well and achieve the happiness you have always longed for."

With that, the golden eyes of the Saintess slowly evaporated, returning to their natural blue hue. Slowly, everyone began to stand from their kneeling positions, their hot gazes directly stabbing into Princess Dione and Duke Devland.

What had just happened?

The Saintess, which had never made a formal appearance suddenly showed her face and performed a Divine Bond ritual that they had never heard of. For the first time, many people experienced why a person was named a Saintess and felt the suffocating presence of a God! Not only that but Duke Devland, who they had believed would finally be forced to announce his engagement to Princess Valerie had become engaged to Princess Dione instead.

This… was just too much!

Before anyone could completely come to terms with what had just occurred, Princess Dione directly pulled the Duke's arms, dragging him through the double doors of the second floor. She left without looking back.

Princess Valerie, who felt as if she had suffered the most damaging blow of all, immediately glared at the disappearing backs of Princess Dione and Duke Devland. Her body shook with uncontrollable anger and she made a silent vow in her heart that she would never let this go!

———

"Was this your doing, Duke Devland?"

The pair were back in the lounge chamber where they shared their original conversation earlier in the night. Princess Dione's arms were crossed over her chest as she glared at the Duke in accusation, her voice chilly.

The Duke sighed out, as if expecting this, "You believe that I have the ability to command a God? Princess Dione, might I remind you that despite the rumors that swirl in the capital about me, your husband is nothing more than a man."

Dione snorted in disbelief, "So your proposal of a contractual marriage earlier was just a coincidence? Besides, no one has ever heard of a Divine Bond, who knows what tricks you have up your sleeves? Your reputation precedes you, Duke Devland. It is well-known that you abhor the thought of marrying my sister so much that there is not a single thing I would put past you."

Azriel dragged a long hand over his face, chuckling darkly. Dione's heart shuddered as he stepped forward, closing the distance between them. His voice was low, "Your Highness, do you believe we have time for your temper tantrums?"

"Excuse me?"

"You are well aware of the fact that I had nothing to do with you being chosen as my bride. My accomplishments are many but commanding a God is not one of them."

Dione did not answer. She snatched her gaze away from the man's dark eyes and retreated further into the lounge chamber, plopping down onto one of the plush couches. "I know," she mumbled, dropping her head into her hands.

Of course, she knew very well that it was impossible for the Duke to somehow have complete control over the Divine Bond. That presence earlier had been one of a true God and more importantly, what that God said to her seemed as if it were God's plan all along.

"While it's true that I extended the proposition of a marriage contract to you, Your Highness, it is purely coincidental that you also managed to be the prophesied bride," Azriel spoke without hurry, his voice softer. She had been thrown into one unwanted engagement to another so he spared a bit of empathy for her. "You are aware that Saintess Naraina has not made a public appearance since she was appointed, not even the Late Emperor could get in touch with her. I only reached out to you because I would have preferred my connection to the Saintess be kept a secret."

She knew that the man in front of her was telling the truth. However, it was not something she could readily accept. She had planned on ending this night with an engagement to Ezra, her loyal knight and instead, she ended up being engaged to another man right in front of him.

Her heart prickled with pain.

Azriel watched her expression and could not help but ask, "Is the thought of marrying me so bad?"

"My Lord, you are aware of the fact that my heart belongs to another. I could never love you in this lifetime."

"In this lifetime, huh? Does your love for such a cowardly man run so deep? Had I been him, I would never allow the woman I loved to be tied to another, even if I were to make an enemy out of the heavens."

"Don't speak ill of Ezra." Dione snapped, her defenses quickly rising, "You know nothing about him."

"I know that he has done nothing to pry you from the Marquess' grasp and that he makes you wonder if he even loves you in the first place." The Duke countered, "If you knew where you stood in his heart, would you even be in this position in the first place?"

The Duke's words felt like a sharp stab in the heart. It wasn't Ezra's fault that he could not protect her, regardless of his family background their relationship was merely one of master and servant. It was impossible for him to involve himself too much in the affairs of the royal family with his current position.

"Why do you even care about my affairs, Duke Devland? Before tonight, we were only strangers."

"You are now my bride."

"Not by choice."

A tense silence fell over them.

"I will have a contractual agreement drawn up for our marriage," The Duke was the first to break the heavy silence. His eyes roamed over the shocked expression on Dione's face and he smirked. "Did you think I would simply allow the Gods to control my fate? There exists something called a divine contract. It will allow us to draw up a marriage contract within a divine bond and even end it without drawing the ire of the Gods by going against their will"

The Princess caught on fairly quickly, her eyes lighting up as she come to a realization, "We can end the divine bond without facing divine punishment!"

The Duke nodded, "It has to be agreed upon by both parties and acknowledged by the Saintess. I want you to marry me for 3 years, after that period of time I will let you go. You will not have to marry the Marquess and I will not have to marry Princess Valerie."

"Three years?" Dione pondered quietly, rolling the idea around in her head. Three years was significantly better than the rest of her life being spent with a man she did not love. "What if I don't agree?"

"We will draw up no contract and you will be forced into a dreadful lifetime with me. Unless, of course, you refuse altogether and face the Gods' ire."

She shrugged. She had not been planning to refuse in the first place. Right now, she had an even bigger target on her back as the proclaimed bride of the Duke, the man her scheming elder sister adored. She knew very well that she had thoroughly irritated both her siblings and her passing days would become filled with troubles.

"Fine. When shall we draw up the contract?"

"I have something to tend to so it would be best to do so a week from today. That should be enough time for me to get everything settled. After that, you shall immediately head to the North with me in preparation for the wedding."

Dione almost wanted to object. Wasn't this process going a bit too quickly? But she also knew that the more time she spent in the palace, the more her own life would not be guaranteed. There was no telling what lengths her siblings would go to get rid of her now.

She simply nodded. "Then, I will see you in a week, My Lord."