The kingdom of Agnar... A prospering kingdom with an ongoing feud over the bordering land that separated them from us. Having felt threatened by our reign, they offered an alliance in return for my betrothal to the prince. Naturally, my father agreed; even more so after Alvah came into the picture. I was useless now, considering that she was to succeed him. It hadn’t been officially announced back then but it was something that everyone was in a silent unanimous agreement with, and something I wouldn’t have been able to stop no matter how much I struggled. The only way I was to be of any use was through my marriage; bringing both kingdoms together for future relations that would help our kingdom continue to grow in power and influence. It would also prevent the outbreak of war, that is, not to say our kingdom would have been defeated. On the contrary, being the strongest, we would have emerged victorious. However, although losses would have been minimal on our side, it was impossible to completely prevent them from incurring, so it was better to avoid war altogether if such an opportunity was presented. His majesty may have had no affection for me, let alone care, but he was far from a tyrant. He held the well-being of his people as his utmost priority, so much so, there were speculations that he put the needs of his people before himself. He wasn’t a bad king, rather, possibly the best thus far. I was fine with that, being a pawn in his schemes; my role was to unite two powerhouses, and it seemed prestigious in name, even if the real motive behind it was a scheme to get rid of me. I was glad to leave the kingdom and start a new life elsewhere where no one knew me and no one had built false assumptions, wishing my death upon every step.

In a small, humble horse-drawn carriage, I spent the journey in silence, exchanging only a few words with the coachman when a sudden change in route occurred.

It took a while; two weeks to reach Agnar. Things could have been much quicker had we used the transportation tower reserved for nobles, but of course, that meant taking the easy route and my life did not allow for such things. Taking the harder route was a given. Under the guise of honouring customary traditions, I was to travel by road, but that was far from the truth. Had my father truly wanted to honour the traditions, the wedding would have been held in our kingdom, and I would not have had to travel alone in a solemn journey; rather, either he or my husband to be would have accompanied me. Maybe it was a subtle act of kindness; that he hoped that during this journey, I would encounter a misfortune that would cost my life, taking me away from the world before much harder times befell me. But that might just be foolish thinking, I was reaching, grasping at every rope I could to give him a chance. Only, they were all rotten in the end.

It was ten days into travelling when the sudden encounter of beasts had cost us one of the Knights that was accompanying us. He was a father to be. By the time he returned from his mission, he was to expect a newborn, but because of me, the child was fatherless.

I didn’t necessarily believe that; that his death was my fault. But that was what the others said, and what they all believed. I was cursed with misfortune, and those that associated with me, too, would encounter a tragic fate. Had I not incurred my father’s hatred, I would have been able to use the transportation tower, and the knight would have lived. Better yet, I would not have been abandoned through the means of a political marriage to the neighbouring kingdom. So, in the end, it was my fault, and it was a burden that was forced upon me, that I had to carry alone.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Agnar, your royal highness”.

When I arrived at the kingdom of Agnar, I was greeted by an elderly chamberlain and a few head butlers and maids. It was quite flattering, as I had come to accept that I would never be greeted with the utmost respect by the palace workers so something like this was incredibly rare. Nevertheless, despite such a picturesque occurrence, something was amiss. The crown prince did not participate in the formalities of receiving his bride. Rather, he remained in his chambers fooling around with another woman, as I later found out. He didn’t bother to greet me; he had no interest in a woman he was to be married to for political reasons. Foolish as I was, it wasn’t until much later that I realised that wherever I went, I was to be subjected to the same treatment and that the rumours of my supposed wickedness had already reached their ears. My new life had ended before I even set foot in the kingdom.

It wasn’t until a week into my arrival that he called for me. He sent a maid on his behalf rather than coming himself because he was far too busy handling governmental matters. Now that I look back, that was probably just an excuse; he didn’t want to exert any effort in our marriage. I remember the excitement as I frantically dolled myself up to leave a good impression. I had rehearsed the Agnar’s way of etiquette before my departure; drawing my right leg back and lifting my dress with my right hand, placing my left hand on my chest, and uttering the phrase, “Good morning, your royal highness. May the god of prosperity look upon you with his blessings”.

As I raised my line of sight to meet his gaze, I found myself caught in a momentary daze. Aden Drew Agnar. He was as handsome as the rumours made him out to be. His fiery red hair that looked as if it were set alight by the rays of light that poured through the window. His emerald green eyes that seemed to hold a forest within them; hues of yellow and shades of greens overlapping each other and blending into one breathtaking masterpiece. They were captivating, to say the least. I had found myself drawn into them. In that moment, I felt the strangest tingling within me; my cheeks felt warm, tinted with a speckle of red, and a feeling of gratitude arose – gratitude for being able to call myself the fiancée of such a work of art. The doubts and anxiety - the small dislike I harboured for him, all faded away, washed over by the newfound feeling.

It was when he raised his voice and called out my full name, that I snapped back to reality, flustered at my misdemeanour. The reason he had called for me was to discuss the wedding plan; at least, that was how he phrased it when really, I had no say. Much less a discussion, I was merely being informed of the matters, as if I was the third party to the wedding. My role was to simply smile and agree to it all; the wedding was to be held in two months, once I was well versed in my duties as the wife of the future king, and ready to assume my position. I had already studied extensively, and I was more than ready to begin performing my duties, so I could have requested for the wedding to be held much earlier during the discussion. In hindsight, that was something I should have requested, but with the fear of being an inconvenience, and with the hopes of leaving a good impression and pleasing my husband to be, I kept quiet, allowing him to plan at his own convenience. That... Was, of course, yet another decision that the Neoma at that time didn’t realise she would later come to regret when disaster came knocking at her doorstep.

Since then, time passed by quickly, hastened by my foolish self, lost in an endless daydream. I was completely enamoured with the prince, to say the least. I had fallen for him. I spent my hours thinking about him and wishing the time away, anticipating our wedding, and the day he would look upon me with his beautiful eyes filled with love, with a look of deep devotion, and a doting smile. In the midst of this, I attended my lessons and garnered both attention and praise for my competence in learning, each and every accomplishment going unnoticed by the prince. He had little interest in me; we only met twice during afternoon tea in the month that followed for appearance’s sake. Other than this, I would watch him from afar during my walks, longing for the smile he would flash at other nobles, and other ladies. Although it was agonising, as if my heart was being pulled out of my chest, and it took my utmost tolerance to withhold the jealousy brewing within, it was nothing compared to the rage that took hold of me when my sister Alvah paid a sudden visit just a month before the wedding. A visit that stirred a storm in the once calm waters, that yet again stole away my place of belonging and drove me to the verge of insanity.

Hi there! I hope you enjoyed reading the latest chapter! After recovering (I have a weak immune system so it takes a while!) my finals had already come around so I had to focus on that, meaning I had to give up on everything I was doing on the side, including writing to concentrate. However, I'm finally free so I can get back into writing! It's been a while, I might've gotten a little rusty, but I hope this chapter still met your expectations!