The Drovak delegation arrived under heavy guard—warriors with obsidian armor and jagged axes. But among them was a girl who seemed plucked from another world.
Shuna Lysavelle.
She stepped down from her armored chariot, barefoot upon the stone steps of the Faelorian castle. Her long pink hair rippled behind her like silk, and her eyes—pale yet deep—scanned the crowd with curious calm.
She wore a simple kimono embroidered with forest blossoms, and though her horns and fangs were clear signs of her lineage, she moved with the grace of a noblewoman from any court in the realm.
Serenil approached.
"Princess Shuna," he said with a slight bow.
She returned it perfectly. "Prince Serenil. You're much more… human than I expected."
He raised a brow. "Likewise."
She chuckled. "Touché."
They spoke privately in the orchid garden.
"I don't want to be married just to avoid bloodshed," she said plainly. "But I will do what must be done for my people."
Serenil nodded. "Do you want to be here?"
"I want to be seen. Not as an ogre. Not as a pawn. As Shuna."
He stepped closer. "Then I'll see you. As you are. Not as they want you to be."
Her eyes widened slightly. Her horns glowed faintly in the sunlight. She smiled—shy, reserved, but genuine.
"You're not what I expected either."
By the end of the evening, Serenil had made his decision.
When he returned to the court, he spoke clearly before his father and the ogre envoy.
"I accept the marriage alliance. Not out of obligation—but because I see value in peace, and in Princess Shuna herself."
Shuna blushed, then bowed her head.
The war was avoided, and the Jade Flower became the fifth light in Serenil's growing constellation of wives-to-be.