Prologue: The Confinement

In the small room somewhere deep, was confined a beautiful lady. She opened her heavy tired eyes and looked around but before she could grasp the darkness and stillness in the room, an intensifying sound of the metal clanking reached her ears, thus grabbing her attention to the long and huge chains that had cuffed her hands and legs to the soft, smooth bed, beneath her.

Horrified by the chains that had locked her to one place, she finally noticed the lamps surrounding her round bed. She moved in an attempt to get off the bed but was restricted from doing so, making her realize that the distance she could cover was only on that single bed. Her feet couldn't reach the ground and her hands couldn't reach her feet. She could only sit in one place and that's all. The more she moved, the more the cuffs digged deeper in her wrist, causing her pain.

She racked her brain, focusing on recollecting her memories, to explain the situation she was in, a cracking sound pulled her mind to the little light making its way from the door that opened into the dark room she was locked in.

Seconds later a silhouette of a tall man appeared from behind the door, whom she couldn't recognise, due to her shifting lens that couldn't get accustomed to the sudden entrance of light in them.

The sound of his loud, heeled shoes, tapping to the wooden floor, echoed in the room. His rustling heavy clothes was the only thing she could see. The man found a place for himself after shifting the chains on the bed. His gaze fell on Stella's mesmerizing warm blue eyes, as a soft yet fearsome smile appeared across his hidden face.

"How have you been?" His voice sounded low, almost a purr, was hardly unrecognizable. 

"Grand Duke?" she whispered, recognizing him instantly. Her throat tightened, fear mingling with confusion. "Why am I here? And why am I chained? Did I…did I do something wrong?" she cried.

Caelestis' hands shivered when he heard the sniffing sound lingering in the air. He hated that crying sound, he hated it more than anything. Why would someone cry for absolutely no reason? Had he done something? No! Then why is she crying?

His hand reached out to her face, cramping it between his two humongous palms. His tumb carefully wiped off a tear that had escaped her eyes, his anger surging in but he hid it well, a difficult task for him. 

"Stella? You have done nothing wrong, my love. Nothing. At. All." He replied, his voice shaking in anger, pain and hesitation.

"Then why am I here?" She asked, not moving from that position. For some reason she knew that if she moved or said anything harsh, it would not turn out good for her. 

"I will tell you everything but first, you must stop crying. Please. Okay…?" He reached out for the jug of water lying on the side table and emptied it into a glass, then handed it over to Stella. "Here, have some."

Without any further questions, Stella took a sip of the water and tried to swallow it all in. It was hard because of the clump that had formed in her throat but she managed.

After placing the glass back in its place, Caelestis explained, "Tell me, Stella dear, do you remember last friday?"

"You proposed." Fear had now found a place on her face.

"Then what was your answer?" He asked, his eyes glinting with anger but his lips had curled into a soft smile.

Stella hesitated for a moment before answering. She wondered what he was feeling but couldn't figure it out. Her lips parted and unwillingly, she told the truth. "No!"

"What?" He moved his ears closer to her lips, acting as if he couldn't hear her. 

"No! I said No." Stella increased her pitch.

"Aha! That's right you said no." He said, fidgeting with the chains, wearing a heinous smile, creating a stream of fear that flowed in Stella's veins. Once he had held the chain around his palm, he looked back at Stella, still wearing the smile. 

She knew then, he was angry. Madly angry.

Within seconds, his smile dropped and what replaced that was anger and wide glaring eyes that had caught fire in them, shooting debris at Stella. 

His jaw clenched and his hold on the chain tightened as he pulled the chain rashly. Stella jerked ahead in his hand that painfully dug in her cheek. She yelled in shock at first then hissed in pain.

"How dare you?" Caelestis questioned, so angry that he could barely let out a single word. "You..... You... Insulted me..... In front of..... Of.... Hundreds.... How dare you? How dare you do that? Stella!!" His madness was followed by a roar, scaring every cell in her..

Stella merely rejected him, keeping in mind the difference of status between them and the lack of attraction she felt for him. She was born as an orphan and had no idea who her parents were? Whether they are dead or alive? She had no family, no evidence of their existence. She was always just an unknown girl from an unknown background.

However, everything changed one day. 

Stella always wanted an identity of her own, she wanted to prove herself, she wanted to make a small place for herself in this wide world. That's when she received fame for crafting unique and best dresses for the noble women in the noble world.

Soon her small boutique reached the heights she had never dreamed of. That's when she got a chance to attend the Emperor's birthday banquet. She was criticised by many and appreciated by few. Yet she was happy seeing herself being successful and having a space of her own in this bright world.

Caelestis, fell in love at first sight when he saw Stella in the hunting event years after her debut in the society. He helped her in many ways, even helping her get the title of a Baroness. What started with friendship turned into obsession for him and so he decided to propose to her after years of this fake friendship that he had held onto.

"It hurts." Stella uttered in a painful screech.

Caelestis gritted on his teeth and pushed her back. Stella fell on the bed as her eyes that were welled up with tears continued to look at this man who had wronged her.

"Stella, I tried so hard. But you still can't love me?" He brushed his fingers down her chin and then lifted it to face him. "However. Now. Now I will stop courting you. I will not let you out of this dark room until you accept my proposal."

"Never!" Stella strongly resisted. "Grand Duke, Caelestis Lancaster, This will never happen! I do not love you and I never will?" 

This angered Caelestis further. He shivered in anger as he grabbed her by her arms and lifted her in the air, closer to his face.

But this time, Stella didn't get scared by his action. She glared back into his blood red eyes, confidently standing on the side of her determination. "You can never have me." She said,

Caelestis reduced the distance between their faces and said, "We'll see about that!" Almost touching Stella's lips. Then he threw her back on the bed and left the room. Leaving her alone, to rot in the darkness and emptiness that had surrounded her, uneasiness plaguing her.