Chapter One. Wickedness

I sat before the mirror elegantly holding my shoulders high and not letting them fall for even an instant just like I had been taught to do ever since I was just a little girl. The makeup lady that was attending to me was very strict with her orders as she told me to turn this and that way and I was sure she only held back because of my status otherwise she did not seem to be someone of much patience with her customers. She was the best there ever was and if she got to do your makeup,it must be more of your pleasure than her's. But I was a princess and I didn't like what she was doing even for a single bit as she was making me look more beautiful than I actually was!! only to impress someone I haven't met in my entire life! someone I had only heard about in rumors , the great king of the great country D who had more than a reputation for his ugly and Beasty looks. He was powerful,more than any other neighboring countries that we had and he topped that with his heartless policy of rule as he set unbearable rules for his people. I had heard a lot of things about him but one of the rules in his kingdom was what shocked me most.It was the rule about infidelity. It was said that in his kingdom,if a man and woman were caught in an act of infidelity, they would both be executed as the man would be whipped with poisonous whips and left to die miserably in the next few days of unimaginable torture as the poison slowly and painfully ate his skin as he watched as his own body became unrecognizable until he wished for death but it wasn't offered to him either. Instead, he would be left to die slowly and miserably till his last breath whereby l very much knew that at that extent in life, someone would regret that he ever lived in the first place! meanwhile the woman's part of the crime that was unforgivable in his kingdom would be beheaded instantly. 'At least she wouldn't have to die miserably and slowly at that'. I thought to myself as the makeup woman got done with her work and stood at some distance to admire her own work of art. she could do anything that she wanted, she was the best after all! 'Only that this wouldn't be the best occasion for me' I thought to myself.

" We are done here, your highness. Now you may please sit back and wait till you are summoned" she told me before she elegantly turned around and left the room. My personal maid Alexa quickly came to my side and the first question she asked me was if I was alright. It must have shown on my face that I wasn't. Not to mention Alexa knew almost everything about me and could almost predict my next moves. She could fit to be my best friend in other words.

"My lady,are you alright?" she asked and I just looked at her. " It's just that the make up lady didn't look that happy as she left. she looked like this...and I hurried over to check on you lest you make her angry and she hurts you and escaped" she finished making a face and that got me laughing. Alexa was my personal maid,I normally would have more than one for a princess that I am but I chose only to have Alexa. Despite her being younger than me, Alexa understood me completely and always had something on her mind that could make me laugh no matter what the situation and I was always grateful for that.

When the king,my father had told me that I was to get married to the scary king of country D, I knew I couldn't oppose him no matter how heartless his suggestion was so I asked him to grant one wish of mine instead and he instantly accepted seeing that the bargain was going pretty smoothly just the way he wanted it. I had asked him to let me take Alexa with me to keep me company and he had accepted but not instantly as he had kept saying that it wasn't allowed but my mother, the queen had helped me coax him reminding him that no other person knew me better than Alexa until he had finally agreed on account that despite the king,my 'would be husband' being 'a bit' Scarry,he also was a man of a few words and so I might as well need someone to talk to. I really felt angry at my father's referring to him as just ' a bit' scary but my father obviously ignored me about all that as he was only concerned about selling me to gain more power for himself. There surely wouldn't be a creature much more wicked than my own father,or perhaps there was? For there had to be an amount of wickedness to someone to set such a kind of law as the law of infidelity for his subjects! Today was my wedding ceremony and I would be heading to my husband's house soon after the ceremony, and at that thought,my insides clenched hard with dread but Alexa smiled reassuringly at me. She was such a beautiful soul sent to me by God! She could as well pose as a sister that I never had but I am always cautious not to mention that to her. Am sure she would remind me of her being just a maid and my being a lady and a princess as if being a maid took away her being a lady too. I did not want to lose her free style of talking to me to that maid fashion of bowing heads and being scared and dreadful at everything be it bad or not. Reaching out her hand,Alexa squeezed mine as she smiled with reassurance, silently telling me that it would all be alright and I managed to weakly smile back at her. She was younger than me,I didn't have to budden her with all the weight of my problems if I ever wanted her to be like a sister to me. And I genuinely smiled at that thought,relieving Alexa's tensed mind along as she saw the smile on my face. She was about to say something when a knock sounded at the door and when I said that whoever it was could come in,it opened and someone announced that my presence was expected in the ball room downstairs. And at my signal,Alexa informed the guards at the massive doors that we were ready to go and they were swung open at once for the both of us to make our way out. Alexa walked by my side as I walked with all the elegance I could master holding my chin high as I held on to the sides of my gown that was an ocean blue off the shoulder dress very tight around the waist giving off the perfect figure that I posed only at that spot as it flew down in gathers right from the waist down. The entire garment was donned by golden pearls as they shone with the reflections of the lights in the massive hall that we passed by, Alexa still by my side. But I also very well knew that she wouldn't go as far as beyond the massive doors leading to ballroom.

I knew she would leave me alone right there to continue my own way inside and I held my massive dress skirt a bit harder, unable to control the nervousness I was feeling in my stomach. And before long,we were there at the massive double doors. Alexa looked at me with reassurance in her eyes before she nodded at me. I took a deep breath before I nodded at her and she nodded at the guards at the doors in return before they swung the doors open for me to enter. As Alexa turned around and left to get herself ready for the long journey,I elegantly made my way into the massive ball room,and as all heads turned to look at me as I led my way to the massive throne where my father their king sat with my mother who was as well their queen and his wife, I knew there was no turning back from here on..

I looked up and curtsied as I greeted my father King who acknowledged and gestured for me to take my seat at the other end of his throne where I had sat all my life,my position and I elegantly walked over and sat down making sure I took extra cautious steps not to trip and fall. I was used to doing this all the time, except that I wasn't getting married in any of those previous times and I held my gaze low as I looked down below not daring to look up lest I spot ' my husband to be' and attempt at something stupid something I was sure I didn't want to happen.