7 Back to Square One

"Then prove it to me."

With a smug smile he wore, he cocked his head sideways towards the guests in front of us. I followed his lead and saw nothing suspicious as the guests were eating and chatting merrily.

I gave him a blurred look with my arched eyebrows. "I don't get it."

"Exactly my point. NO ONE is bothered by our mini heated arguments."

It was at THAT moment when I could feel the volcano erupting from my head - the ashes and the smokes were sending warning signals from my ears and nose, threatening the angry burning lava within me to spurt out as the beast growled, fighting the urge to give the man a powerful smack on his dumb-witted head.

But oh dear me, he seemed pretty oblivious of my ready-to-pounce emotion.

"Are you in your right mind? Surely they are behaving like so because they have to give face to us. They need to have a diplomatic front considering they are of royalties and nobility, entering OUR land."

His eyes finally lit as he ingested my words. I could only shake my head and sighed in disappointment, unable to believe that he's now my husband.

"No, you don't understand. That's MY doing," he said, flustered with redness on his face.

'Tsk, at least have the decency to hide your embarrassment when you're caught.'

"Yeah, alright. If you insist," I answered him unintentionally flatly.

I decided to humour him. What's the point in dragging it anyway if it's going to eat me in the end?

"No, your reaction is humiliating to me. You know what? Why don't you tell me what you want me to do to prove that it's true?" He suggested as his emerald green blazed with determined gaze.

"Pfft, I bet you had no intention to share it with me in the first place if I never brought it up. I believe you would keep your dirty little secret to yourself as we miserably get married off to each other. So why the eagerness now?"

"Because the cat's out of the bag now. We both found out that we didn't want to marry each other. The least I could do is prove to you that I did my best to cancel the wedding!"

"Yeah? Well, between you and me, you had the power to reject it!"

"Now we're back to square one. It's over and done with, alright? Let's just move on."

I know. I know we're back to square one. But I'm not content. I feel cheated. I feel dissatisfied. I feel unfair at what life has thrown at me. I never get to have a say, and when I do, it was to do the right thing.

If only I could turn back time.

If only I was not aware of how our people change.

If only Papa was not rash in the first place.

I let out a sigh as I reflect on my new journey.

My next beginning rose with a gloomy start. And a rather lonely one too, where my people weren't excited for my wedding, none showed up and to know it was a marriage neither wanted kind of sucks. I couldn't help but feel that large obstruction stuck on my throat, making it difficult to swallow. I could feel my chest tightened as I began to feel sorry for myself, unable to think what I could do to escape all this without a divorce when we're only hours into the marriage.

If only my people were there, being cheery and all - at least that would be an excuse for me to pretend everything was fine. That my happiness didn't matter as long as it leads to their happiness, that Papa was glad about me marrying King Wystan.

But what is there left now when everything crumbled? What hope is there for me to continue with the facade? Might as well have King Wystan manipulate the whole country as I make my getaway. Far from this pretence.

I was soo deep in emotions that I was startled with a jump when a soft white cotton material brushed against the corner of my right eye. It accidentally poked into my eyeball as I turned to identify the foreign object. GREAT! Perfectly in sync with this depressing mood I'm harbouring. Now my right eye is watering my cheek.

"I'm not that bad a person for you to cry a river, Princess."

I stifled laughter at the ridiculous remark. That did not even cross my mind. I can defend myself if need be. I'm a princess after all!

"So what are we going to do about this? What's our plan?"

There, I said it! Rather cowardly if I may add, as I hid my face behind my palms, pretending to nurse my right eye.

"Truth be told, I'm not interested in divorce yet, considering we're just literally hours being husband and wife."

"My sentiments exactly! So what do you suggest?"

"What say we carry on and see how it goes?"

As much as that is the next best plan, not that I'll be having any suitor anytime soon, I just want to know the full detail of our lies and how far are we dragging this?

"Right. Since we are on that road, I have a condition that works two ways. We may fool the world but I hope we will be truthful to each other, no matter how it hurts. Agree?"

I just need one sane person to understand what I'm going through. One where I can be myself without any lies about the marriage. Although it was rather unfortunate to have him as that particular someone, at least we both aren't on romantic terms as we previously thought.

King Wystan agreed almost instantly and we swore to tell nothing else but the truth from that moment onwards.

Never had I known that it would backfire instantly.

"What made you cry?"

"Did you not poke me with that?" I pointed at the innocent soft tissue.

"Before that."

Urghh... Can't he read the room? Can't he get the hint that I don't want to say it?

"So what made you cry? I don't believe it's because you're scared of me. Is it the marriage?" He persisted.

When I held my tongue, he gave one more push in his most quiet voice. "Are you insisting we should divorce?"

But it wasn't that. Like him, I don't want a divorce just yet. Not now. Rather, it was something embarrassing.