THE EDICT OF MINTHE

𝐈 • stardust chamber

Her eyes wide, her hair flying, Bliss Celestia did not know what she was going to do. She didn't even know why she was running, especially since it was drawing very unneeded attention to herself.

But the visual on the huge screens hanging all around the streets was something she wanted to get as far away from as possible.

She wanted nothing to do with it.

She finally slowed to a jog at the Gate Halcyon, right beside the marketplace which concealed her humble abode, panting heavily. There was nowhere else she could run, and reassurance of her being unnoticeable would perhaps manage to calm her down.

Perhaps.

Bliss weaved through the crowds, her skin covered in goosebumps from just how frightened she was at the announcements that couldn't be escaped in more wealthy sections of Loer. She couldn't go back there — not when those horrid bulletins were being spread.

Skidding to a stop abruptly the second she saw the entrance to the dreaded Pariah Row, she took a deep breath, then another, in futile attempts to calm her racing heart. She counted to five in her head, then breathed in one more time, and ran into the alley. Though she'd done this just about everyday since her running away, Bliss would never get used to the feeling of running down a dark alleyway — tripping on slimy stuff if she was really unlucky — holding her breath and just hoping, hoping no one would pop out of the shadows and attack her.

She had known that, as an ex-noblewoman, finding solace in her home and having it be undetectable and safe was near impossible for her situation. She could either make it comfortable, or she could go on the path she went — live somewhere where nobody would ever suspect a noblewoman to even consider stepping foot into.

And Pariah Row was that place. Home to drunkards, thieves, murderers, and outlaws in general, it was perfect for Bliss to stay off the radar.

But then again, drunkards, thieves, and murderers weren't a great bunch to be near if she wanted to be safe.

It wasn't like there were any other options for her, though. Not when her ex-husband had conducted a search for her.

It wouldn't be too difficult to track her down, and that was another reason that Bliss had decided to risk everything and stay tucked in the corner of Pariah Row. Though she hated thinking about it nowadays, Bliss Celestia was beautiful. Too beautiful. She was too recognizable, from uncommon pink-blonde hair to stunningly emerald eyes, to the point she would stick out like a diamond among coals in any part of Loer.

She also couldn't get out of Loer without having to "prove" her identity, and would likely be detained at the borders. That was not an option if she wanted to live.

Staying alive should've been the bare minimum, but it wasn't as easy as Bliss had hoped. She had seen the uproar among the populace on the eight random citizens she hadn't known existed until their names where written on boards and paraded around the capital of Loer — Avendale — and she had tried her best to ignore it.

However, seeing the poor, poor souls showing up on every possible screen around the empire, Bliss had questioned if it was the right choice to ignore it.

What if she was among them? She was a wanted woman, and her ex-husband Nicolas would definitely murder her upon her return, so why not stick her in the Coliseum with the rest of them?

Bliss shivered as she turned the corner and practically threw herself into the little hut she had constructed for herself about five months prior when she first ran away, her chest heaving and a few tears leaking from her eyes.

She hated how weak she was. She hated how she wasn't a strong, independent woman. She hated that she needed help.

She just wanted it to end.