The Skin Thief

Chapter 41

Kiora

The emperor waits for Kiora outside a set of grand golden doors. He smiles when he sees her and holds out his arm.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

Kiora looks at the closed doors and lets out a shallow, nervous breath at the sounds of the people partying beyond.

"As I can be," she finally replies.

"Did my sister explain the rules to you?" he asks.

"She did," Kiora replies with a sigh.

"You don't approve?"

She turns to face him, her jaw clenched with anger.

"Can you try and have some empathy?" she asks him, her voice a harsh hiss. "I have been stolen from my life – a life where I had complete freedom to roam the realms, a life where I had the pure, and wonderful love from my sisters, and I have been bought here. To a place I cannot leave without your permission and even with your permission, I am not free to roam by myself. Not only that, but my new 'sisters' all despise me. To make matters worse, I can't even talk to anyone here, at the ball celebrating OUR marriage, without your permission. Nor can I even eat or drink unless you say so. Tell me, Emperor, how should I be feeling right now? Should I be happy that even my most basic freedoms have been stripped away? So, to answer your previous question, no, I do not approve. How could you even think that I would after everything that has been stolen from me because of your vanity?"

He chuckles. The infuriating sound sends bolts of hot anger searing through her, making her limbs tremble.

"By all means, Kiora, tell me how you really feel," he jokes.

She glares at him and feels tears sting her eyes.

"Is this all some kind of cruel joke to you?" she asks, her voice wobbling. "Do you take joy in my suffering?"

His face softens and his smile becomes gentle. "Kiora, you haven't even given me, or this realm a chance."

She scoffs. "Your sister has already told me that my 'precious Winter is irrelevant.' How can I even think about giving this place a chance after everything that's happened today? This is my first day here and my beliefs, my whole being, has been disregarded with venomous disdain. Why are you surprised I feel this way if these are my first impressions of this place? Do you not understand how alone I am here?"

Her voice breaks and she looks away from him. A tear spills down her cheek and she quickly wipes it away. He puts his hands on her shoulders and turns her back to face him. Then, he lifts his hand to her cheek and gently wipes away a new tear.

"I will make you happy here, Kiora. I promise." His words sound so sincere, but Kiora shakes her head.

"How, emperor?" she whispers. For that, he doesn't have an answer. He looks away from her and Kiora brushes his hand away. Then, she squares her shoulders and looks ahead.

"Do not worry, emperor. I will put on the show of a beautiful obedient wife in front of all your guests. I will abide by your rules."

He doesn't answer her, and they link arms once more.

"I will speak to my sister," he says lowly as the doors begin to open. "I will ensure that your beliefs and devotion to your mother are respected."

Kiora's eyes widen slightly, and she peaks at him out of the corner of her eyes. He looks ahead, his expression stoic.

"Thank you," she whispers sincerely, not wanting to insult his small act of kindness – if having her beliefs respected counts as kindness when it is a basic right.