Chapter 0.68:The Ring Exchange

The obsidian corridors of House Rotschi echoed softly beneath the measured steps of Rina Amberheart. Each click of her heels resonated like the ticking of a countdown, reminding her with every step that tonight—this very night—she would become someone's wife.

She walked alone through the dimly lit hallway, ancient lunar runes pulsing faintly along the walls like the heartbeat of the castle itself. Her fiery red hair shimmered faintly in the glow of the enchanted lanterns, cascading down her back with elegance. But there was tension in her steps, uncertainty in her breath, and a quiet storm blooming behind her golden eyes.

Tonight... she would marry Jin Rotschi.

She whispered it silently to herself like a mantra, as though repeating it would make it easier to digest. *"Tonight, I will be his bride."* The word felt strange on her tongue. She hadn't fallen in love with him—not yet. But there was something there, something she couldn't explain. A pull in her chest, a shift in her breath every time he spoke. Every time he looked at her with those crimson eyes that seemed to see more than they let on.

Her thoughts wandered without permission, pulling her back to that first encounter in the kitchen. She could still remember the confused look in his silver eyes, his quiet posture, the way he had observed her silently as if trying to understand the shape of her soul. She had cried then, broken down in front of a stranger she didn't even recognize. And that stranger had turned out to be Jien—her future husband.

A soft exhale escaped her lips.

He hadn't left this castle in years. Not once. And yet, when she asked him to come with her to the academy, he had said yes. No hesitation. No questions. Just a quiet, steady yes. She had expected rejection, a cold refusal, maybe even an excuse. But instead, he had chosen to walk out of his darkness—for her.

And now, with each step closer to her room, her heart began to pound. Because tonight was not just about contracts and rings. It wasn't just politics or duty. Tonight... would also be their wedding night.

Her cheeks turned crimson.

She could barely stop herself from pressing a hand against her chest, as if to calm the thunder within. Her mind raced ahead, heart flustered. Images she didn't want—or maybe did want—flooded her thoughts. She remembered her mother's cold voice, Amelia's distant gaze when she had handed her that box of contraceptives. *"You may not love him now, but precautions are still necessary,"* she had said.

Rina groaned inwardly.

*"Of all the things to remember right now… why this?"*

And then, traitorously, her mind conjured an image of his lips—shapely, soft-looking, a shade too inviting. She remembered how they moved when he spoke, how they curled when he smiled faintly. And then her thoughts slipped further, wondering, wildly, what they would taste like.

Her eyes widened.

She stopped in her tracks, burying her face in her hands as if to shield herself from her own thoughts. *"Why do I always think about kissing him?"* she whispered to no one. Her voice was barely a breath, lost in the silent hallway.

There was something happening inside her chest. A strange fluttering, unfamiliar and warm. Not the same icy tremble she once had when thinking of Shin. In fact, she hadn't thought about Shin in days. His name didn't sting. His memory didn't ache. It was like a shadow she had already walked past.

But Jin… Jin filled her mind like firelight on cold stone. He wasn't kind, not in the traditional sense. But he listened. He remembered things she said. He made space for her words in the silence he so often lived in. And tonight, he would wear her ring.

And she would wear his.

Her steps grew slower as she reached her door. She paused, her fingers trembling as they wrapped around the handle. A long, quiet inhale steadied her.

Inside the room, everything was untouched, perfectly arranged as though time itself had stood still. She stepped in, closed the door softly behind her, and made her way to the wardrobe. The dress for the evening was already waiting—a deep crimson velvet with silver embroidery, chosen not by her, but by Naoko Rotschi herself.

"Of course she'd choose red," Rina muttered softly, shaking her head. She had to admit, the color did suit her—especially with her hair.

She stripped slowly, methodically, as if buying herself time with every layer she removed. Once dressed, she walked into the bathroom. The mirror reflected her flushed face, golden eyes still holding the remnants of earlier tears. She washed her face gently, patting away the sorrow, the doubt, the noise.

Staring at her reflection, she whispered, "You can do this. You're stronger than this." But even as she spoke the words, her chest ached. Not with dread. Not with fear. But with something much more complex—something that felt dangerously close to hope.

She stepped out of the bathroom and brushed her hair until it shone. With a final glance at herself, she turned and left the room.

The castle halls seemed quieter now. As if even the stones were holding their breath for what the night would bring.

Somewhere in another wing of the mansion, Jin was likely being prepared in his own way. She wondered if he felt the same. If he was thinking about her. If he was afraid, or calm, or if he had already accepted all this as fate.

But she knew one thing: he would be there. Waiting.

And when they stood before each other again, under the quiet gaze of Naoko Rotschi, they would place rings upon one another's hands. And everything would change.

Rina Amberheart, the proud daughter of House Amberheart, would become Rina Rotschi.

Not by love. Not yet.

But by something even older—something deeper.

A choice made beneath the shadow of legacy and the silence of stars.

And somehow, she felt ready.

....... 

Heat: What do you think? Do you want me to write rotschi or rotschy? Choose the one you like because it has the same meaning in my case