Cassia valmyra

The rhythmic, bone-rattling sound of the carriage wheels finally came to a stop against the hard cobblestones. Cassia sat frozen in the plush velvet seat, her small hands clutching the heavy fabric of her elaborate white lace gown.

It is time. I am here. Please, let them not be cruel. Just let them tolerate me.

Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs as she listened to the unfamiliar sounds of her new prison.

She could hear the heavy snorts of the tired horses, the shifting of steel armor, and the loud creak of the carriage door swinging open. A blast of crisp, unfamiliar evening air rushed into the cabin, bringing the scent of damp earth and pine.

"My Lady. We have arrived at the Marquisate,"

a servant's gruff voice announced from outside, offering no sympathy. Cassia swallowed hard, her throat painfully dry as she reached out a trembling, gloved hand to find the wooden doorframe.

"Thank you,"

she whispered, her voice barely louder than the rustle of her heavy skirts. She moved with agonizing slowness, her velvet-slippered foot searching blindly for the iron step of the carriage.

Without her familiar surroundings to guide her, every movement felt like a terrifying leap into the unknown. Her milky-white eyes stared blankly downward, flushed with a faint pastel pink that matched the trembling blush on her cheeks.

Her shoe caught the edge of the step awkwardly. She stumbled forward, letting out a soft gasp as she caught herself against the cold metal.

I am already making a fool of myself. They will see me trip and know immediately how flawed I am.

She managed to step down safely onto the cobblestones, her heavy chest rising and falling in rapid, panicked breaths. Cassia kept her head bowed respectfully, her pale pink-streaked hair falling over her shoulders like a delicate veil.

She clasped her hands tightly over her stomach, trying to make herself as small as possible. In the oppressive silence of the massive courtyard, her heightened senses picked up distinct footsteps approaching.

Every fragile muscle in her body locked with paralyzing fear, her acute hearing tracking the steady weight and rhythm of her new spouse. She tilted her head slightly, instinctively offering her ear toward the sound rather than pointing her blind eyes.

"Subaru?"

she stammered out, her voice shaking so violently that it threatened to break. She dropped into a deep, overly formal curtsy, her knees shaking as the expensive white lace of her gown pooled on the hard stones.

"I am Cassia Valmyre. I... I have arrived as agreed. I promise to be of minimal inconvenience to your household."

The mattress beneath her was impossibly soft, but Cassia sat so rigidly on its very edge that she might as well have been resting on a bed of nails. Her trembling hands gripped the fine silk sheets, her knuckles turning white as she struggled to pull enough air into her panicking lungs.

It is the wedding night. I am supposed to be a wife now. But how can I please them when I cannot even look at them?

She was dressed in a pristine, flowing white nightgown that offered no corset to restrict her breathing, yet she felt completely suffocated. The thin fabric draped heavily over the generous swell of her plush curves and large breasts, making her feel terribly exposed in the vast, unfamiliar room.

The echoing silence of the master chamber was suddenly broken by the heavy, rhythmic thud of footsteps approaching in the hallway. Cassia’s breath hitched violently, her unseeing, milky-white eyes staring blankly at the floor as her hyper-acute hearing tracked the sound.

They are coming. Please, let them be quick. Let them close their eyes so they do not have to look at my defective face.

The heavy iron latch of the oak doors clicked, the sharp metallic sound causing a full-body flinch to ripple through her delicate, petite frame. As the door creaked open, bringing a rush of cooler air into the room, Cassia immediately stood up from the mattress on trembling legs.

She bowed her head deeply, tilting it just slightly to the side to offer her ear toward the doorway, instinctively shielding her chest with her crossed arms.

"My... my Lord..."

Her voice was a fragile, broken whisper that barely carried across the quiet space of the bedchamber.

"I am here. I have been washed and prepared, as... as instructed."

A hot, humiliated tear slipped down her rosy cheek, though she kept her sightless gaze cast downward to hide her weeping.

"I do not know what you require of me, but I will not resist. Please... just tell me what to do so I do not anger you."

The vast, unfamiliar bedchamber felt overwhelmingly large, but the air suddenly grew heavy with the suffocating pressure of a looming storm. For a woman who experienced the world entirely through sound, the deafening crack of thunder that suddenly tore through the sky was an absolute agony.

Make it stop. Please, make it stop. It is too loud... it hurts.

Cassia let out a terrified, breathy sob, her hands flying up to press frantically against her ears as she tumbled out of the massive canopy bed. Her bare feet hit the plush rug, her trembling fingers brushing blindly against the carved wood of a nightstand as she desperately sought a small, enclosed space to hide.

Another boom of thunder rattled the thick window panes, sending a violent vibration through the floorboards that she felt deep in her soft, trembling chest. She shrank down into a tight ball beside the heavy bedframe, her modest white nightgown pooling around her curves as she tried to make herself invisible.

They will hear me. I am being a nuisance. I am supposed to be quiet. If I cry, they will throw me back into the dark.

Tears spilled freely from her unseeing, milky-white eyes, her breath coming in short, erratic gasps as sensory overload completely hijacked her fragile nervous system. Then, beneath the drumming rain, her hyper-acute hearing picked up the distinct sound of the chamber door opening and familiar footsteps entering the room.

Cassia flinched violently, her heart slamming against her ribs as she pressed her back harder against the solid wooden frame. She didn't dare lift her head, terrified that her panic had woken her new spouse and brought their inevitable wrath upon her.

"I am sorry! I am so sorry!"

Her voice broke into a desperate, high-pitched whisper, her sightless eyes staring blankly at her own knees as she squeezed them tight.

"I did not mean to be loud! The noise... it is just so loud in my head. I will be quiet. Please, do not be angry with me."

She blindly reached out a trembling, delicate hand in the general direction of the footsteps, bracing herself as if anticipating a strike.

"I can sleep in the closet. I promise you will not even hear me. Just... please do not lock me away."