The night was cold and uneventful. The forest remained cloaked in darkness, but the moon hung brightly. Aeliana lay curled in her little shelter, wrapped in her jacket and using her backpack as a pillow. The sounds of the forest usually brought her comfort.
The crickets were chirping, leaves rustling, and distant owls calling. But tonight felt off, she had a gut feeling that something might happen. The air suddenly grew colder, and a strange silence covered the trees.
A loud explosion shook the ground. Aeliana shot up, her heart pounding. Her ears rang as the echo of the blast faded. The next moment, she smelled it.
Burning leaves...
Her eyes widened. She rushed out of her camp and looked toward the area she had explored that morning. The sky was glowing red.
The laboratory.
The herb field.
It was all burning.
Flames stretched into the dark sky, and thick black smoke poured through the trees. But this wasn't normal smoke. It carried something else... poison.
The herbs she found earlier were rare and powerful. When burned together, the mixed chemicals could create a toxic gas. She remembered reading that in old research notes. The kind of smoke now filling the forest could kill not just plants and animals, but humans too.
Aeliana pulled her scarf over her nose and mouth. But it was no use. Her head was already spinning. Her lungs burned. She stumbled as she tried to run away from the fire.
"I have to get to the sea," she whispered. "Only the wind can help blow this away."
She headed downhill, coughing and blinking through the smoke. Her legs felt weak, and her vision blurred. But her mind stayed sharp.
I need to survive!
I need to survive!
I need to survive!
Suddenly, just ahead, she saw something strange, a small black shape falling from the sky.
The drone!
No!
No!
No!
It crashed onto the ground, its lens cracked and blinking. The floating camera that followed her day and night was gone.
Aeliana's stomach dropped. "Why would it just fall..."
Then she heard footsteps. Heavy, rushed, and dangerous.
Two figures appeared from the smoke, men dressed in black, with masks covering their faces. They moved with the aura of death and strong killing intent. And they weren't surprised to see her.
Her heart raced.
Assassins!
They had taken down the drone first to cut the live feed. They didn't want anyone to see what came next. But they didn't know about the hidden cameras in the trees, placed by the show's team for wide shots. The main feed may have gone black, but the side cameras were still rolling and broadcasting everything.
Somewhere in the Imperial Capital, viewers watched in horror as masked men closed in on Aeliana. The live chat exploded.
[What's happening?]
[Is this part of the show?]
[Someone help her!]
And in a tall building, Reinhardt Razalo stood frozen in front of a screen, watching his wife surrounded by flames and killers.
His secretary whispered, "The drone's down. But backup feeds caught everything. It's real."
For a moment, Reinhardt said nothing. Then, in a voice colder than steel, he said, "Get the jet ready. We leave now."
Back on the island, Aeliana had no time to think. She was face to face with danger, and her body reacted before her mind caught up.
One of the men charged toward her. She grabbed a broken branch and ducked low, sweeping it across his legs. He stumbled, but didn't fall. The second man attacked from behind, but she turned quickly and kicked up sand into his eyes.
She didn't fight like someone who was afraid. She fought like someone who had trained for this.
Precise.
Focused.
Controlled.
But her body was still weak from the poison. She could feel herself slowing down. One of the assassins pulled a blade.
She dodged and grabbed a nearby rock, smashing it into his hand. The knife clattered to the ground. She kicked it away, but the first man grabbed her from behind and slammed her to the ground.
Aeliana gasped, the air knocked out of her lungs. She tried to crawl, but the smoke was thicker here. Her chest burned.
Still, she fought. She elbowed the man's stomach, then twisted and kicked him off. He groaned but didn't fall far. The second assassin was coming at her again.
Suddenly, a shot rang out.
The two men stopped.
Another shot.
Then shouting.
Reinhardt's guards had arrived.
Dressed in black and gold, the Razalo family's elite team rushed into the clearing, firing warning shots and surrounding the attackers.
Aeliana slumped to her knees, coughing. Her eyes blurred with smoke and tears.
Then strong arms caught her.
Reinhardt knelt beside her, his coat slipping off his shoulders as he wrapped it around her. His hands shook as he looked at her pale face, sweat sticking to her forehead.
"You... idiot," he whispered hoarsely. "You signed up for this madness… knowing it could kill you."
Aeliana coughed but managed a small, stubborn smile. "I didn't think dying would come this soon."
Reinhardt pulled her into his arms. "You're not dying. Not in this place. And not now."
The guards dragged the two assassins away. A medic came forward, checking Aeliana's breathing and pulse.
The drones were back online now. The world saw everything. They saw a woman who had fought two killers alone, and a man who had rushed across the sea to save her.
Later, as the fires were put out and the forest calmed, Aeliana sat near the waves. She had an oxygen mask over her face, and her hands trembled.
Reinhardt stood behind her, watching silently.
"You could've died," he said. "For what? A show?"
Aeliana didn't answer right away. Then she said, "For freedom. For something of my own."
He looked down at her. The moonlight showed the bruises on her arms and the cut on her cheek.
"You're stronger than I thought."
"I've always been strong," she replied, her voice low. "You just never looked close enough."
Reinhardt said nothing. But something in him shifted.
He saw her now.
Not just as a contract wife. Not just as someone living in Carmela's shadow.
He saw Aeliana, the woman who fought to live.
And he wouldn't forget it, he admired the strong.