Chapter 5: Wedding Dress

*Rose*

"Are you sure you want to go through with the engagement?" Artemia asked as she accompanied me to look for a dress.

I nodded as I looked over a rack of wedding dresses. Big brother had offered to get my dress made by the top designers in the country. He had served as a model for some of their suits before, so he certainly had the connections if not the money.

But I didn't want to depend on him too much. I'd already bothered him enough with my stunt. Plus, if I was going to get married, I would have to learn to do things myself. After all, my husband-to-be wasn't wealthy. Although, it wasn't like buying stuff for myself was new. If anything, having others buy me everything was more foreign.

"Not like Father would accept my objections. Plus, the guy I'm marrying seems to be the one who saved my life," I said, eyes downcast.

Why had he decided to save me anyway? Had he recognized me as the princess? Or was he perhaps a kind soul who did no mind helping a struggling stranger? I hoped it was the latter. It at least would mean that this marriage of mine might not end as cold as I had first imagined it to be.

"Really? Is that how he managed to get engaged to you?" Mia asked, tilting her head.

I shook my head. "From the sound of his conversation with Father, it's unrelated to that. To be honest, I'm not sure why he is interested in marrying me. Father thinks that guy is only after the perks that come with marrying a princess." I lowered my head. "Of which my father clarified there is none for him if he marries me."

Artemia put a hand on her face and sighed. "King Kohei really is a heartless man."

"Yeah..."

"Don't worry, Rose. If you want, Ore and I can help you run away. My tribe might not be the biggest, but they can help you find a nice spot to live."

I smiled. "Thanks, Mia. But I feel like I need to stick around and see what happens."

She crocked her head. "Huh?"

"Running away will make things worse, I feel." I gulped. "Plus, no one else has shown any interest in me. This might be the only chance for me to marry."

Artemia sighed and patted my shoulder. "Well, it's your choice. Just remember, you can always call on us for help."

I smiled. "I know, Mia. You have always been there for me."

My future-sister-in-law smiled slightly. "Don't mention it. Also, I don't think it's fair for you to see this as your only chance at marriage. You did have a boyfriend before, remember?"

I lowered my gaze. True. But it did not work out. Other than Orso, no one else had shown interest in me.

"You think I might have another chance if I refuse?" I asked, glancing up at her.

She nodded. "You're kind and pretty. I'm sure you could find someone who would like to marry you. If not a man of so-called 'high birth', then one of more humble origins."

A man of humble origins? I hadn't thought of that before. Although, I probably would've needed to keep my true identity a secret. My title could prove intimidating. Granted, my current husband-to-be was such a man.

"Well, let's try out the next shop!" Mia said.

I nodded. This shop had nice dresses, but their selection of wedding dresses could have been better.

We continued our shopping trip, trying on several dresses and accessories.

"How about this one?" Artemia asked, pulling out a pink dress with white accents. "You like pink, right?"

It reminded me of the one from the ball.

I shook my head.

"Ah, then maybe this one?" She picked out a white dress that had rose-like lace and little bulbs as well.

I smiled. "Yeah, that looks nice."

Artemia helped me put it on. I stared at myself in the full-length mirror. It fit me better than expected.

"You look beautiful, Sis. Like a real princess," Artemia said, smiling behind me.

I turned around and smiled. "Thank you." Although, I was a real princess.

She laughed. "No problem! So, we'll get that one?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

After buying the dress, we went out for lunch. I ordered a small plate of spaghetti. It wasn't like I had much of an appetite.

As I picked at my food with my fork, I could not help but wonder why the guy I was marrying had agreed to this. Was it his way of getting fame and fortune? I might not have had much to offer him in regard to perks, but I did provide some bit of name recognition.

Or was it something else entirely? Maybe Father had hurt one of his family members and he sought to use me to get revenge. There had been people who had it out for him.

I shook my head. No. If that were the case, he surely would have broken off the engagement as soon as he saw Father could care less about me.

"Rose, what's wrong?" Artemia asked.

I sighed. "Nothing, just wondering what kind of man my groom is."

She spun her coffee and hummed. "So, you are worried."

My shoulders slumped. "How can I not be? I might be spending the rest of my short life with him."

"Yeah. I don't blame you."

I pressed my chin against the table. "I really envy you, Mia. I wished I could have found someone nice like how you found my brother."

She chuckled. "It was a surprise. We didn't exactly have the best relationship growing up. But when we found each other again, everything changed."

I tilted my head. "How did you two meet in the first place?" We used to play together as kids, but Mia had already met Ore by the time I met her.

"He went with your father to the lands my tribe roams. I originally found him to be a bit of a brat."

I snickered. "He is a bit of a brat."

"That is true. But underneath all that bravado, he was just a boy trying to prove himself. He was the prince of the country our tribe inhabits."

I sat up. "Your tribe has a bit of autonomy, so didn't he seem like a foreign prince to you?"

She nodded. "Initially, yeah. After spending a few days with him, I realized he wasn't a bad guy. Just a bit arrogant." Mia snickered. "But I knocked him down a notch by beating him in a swordfight. He vowed he would beat me one day and ran off."

Maybe Ore had matured a bit after all.

"So, did he ever get revenge on you?" I asked.

"Yeah. He's won a couple of times since then."

I chuckled. "Well, at least you have some good memories together."

She nodded. "You'll have that with your husband too. Maybe. If you can get him to open up. And if you can open up to him in return."

"Yeah..." Although could I open up to him? I gave all my love to Orso, yet he still betrayed me. I did not wish to go through that again.

I stared out the restaurant window. There was no guarantee we would even get along.

"You have any idea what his name is?"

I shook my head. Father had been tight-lipped about the whole affair. Brother had failed to get his name too on the night he saved me.

"Maybe start with that."

That was easier said than done. Although, Father did speak of him as if he were a man of talent. He had to have have been part of the military for Father to speak that way about him.

We finished our lunch and headed back to the palace. As we entered, Orlin ran up to us with a grin on his face.

"So, got your dresses?"

"Yeah. Mia was a lot of help. Thanks for lending her to me for the day," I said, laughing.

"Hey, don't talk about me like that," Artemia said, pouting.

Orlin leaned forward and tried to peek into his girlfriend's bag.

Artemia pulled it away. "Hey! It's a surprise! Wait until the day of the wedding!"

"Aww!"

She shook her head.

I giggled. "You make it sound as if you two are the ones marrying, Mia."

Orlin and Artemia stepped away from one another and blushed.

I sighed. Seriously, why couldn't these two tie the knot already? Ore had gotten Father to agree to him dating her. Surely, he could have gotten his blessing to marry.

"Hey, Rose. Why don't you come with me for a bit?" Orlin asked, looking at the floor.

"Huh? For what?"

"Just come!"

My brother dragged me away from Mia and down a corridor.

"What's the matter, Ore?"

"Don't worry, I'm not kidnapping you."

I rolled my eyes. "I should hope not."

He rubbed the side of his neck. "So, I, uh. I was thinking of asking Mia to marry me after your wedding with the mystery man, but I'm not sure how. Or if I should."

I blinked. "You're not sure if you should? You've been dating for nearly five years now."

He frowned. "I know. But she's the chief's daughter. There's a chance I might have to rule our country one day, and..."

"And you don't want her to be stuck with a king."

Ore lowered his head. "Yeah. Her tribe might see it as me making an attempt to take away their autonomy by marrying their future leader."

"Well, I can't help you with that."

He sighed. "I know."

I patted his shoulder. "But, I do have faith in you. Maybe you could ask her father. What does he think about the situation?"

Ore turned away and rubbed the side of his neck some more.

My eyes widened. "Wait, does the chief not know you two are dating?"

He laughed nervously. "Well, I hid it from Father too for some time."

True. If he hadn't caught them making out, Orlin could've had a bit of deniability. Although, it was already obvious the two had something for one another.

I sighed. "Wish I could help you, but I'm not the most relationship savvy."

"It's okay. I just needed a fresh perspective." He smiled slightly. "Thanks for lending me an ear, Rose. I'll try to think of how to break the news to the chief in the meantime."

I smiled back. "You're welcome."

Maybe I did have something to offer after all.