Chapter 9: Damien and I are horrible people.

There's an awkward silence in the atmosphere surrounding us. It was me, Damien, Maidservant Rose, and a man that appears to be a Knight. Damien sat next to me while the other two sat across from us. The silence was deafening. I suppose the knight was aware of what happened as well given the astonished look on his face.

"So," Damien says, still avoiding their gaze. "Sir Silver, this is my wife, Princess Angelique of House White."

I met the Knight's gaze, smiling at him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Silver," I said, shaking his hand. I could still feel the awkward tension in the air.

He smiled back, accepting my handshake. "It is an honor to finally meet you, Princess Angelique," he says, "Perhaps you would be the one to straighten our son."

"Your son?" I asked curiously.

"Maidservant Rose and I raised him ourselves," he explained, "He is like a son to us. We raised him here at this very castle."

"I am very honored to meet the people who raised my husband then," I said politely. These people seem to be nice. I wonder why Damien turned out to be such an asshole. Perhaps it's because these two raised him instead of his parents. Maybe that's the reason why he's stone-cold.

Maidservant Rose poured us each a cup of tea. From the scent of it, I assume it's a mixture of ginger, lemon, and honey. This brew is my favorite kind of tea. Not only does taste amazing, but it also has a lot of health benefits.

"Thank you," I say, accepting the tea.

"I assume you are in love?" she asked, smiling widely at us. "From the scene, I witnessed earlier, you seem very... inseparable."

I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks feeling absolutely embarrassed. "I... I..." I couldn't say anything. I was absolutely dumbfounded. I've never been entangled in a situation like this before. I should take note to lock the door whenever engaging in such activities.

Damien placed his hand over mine, giving me a reassuring smile. He then looked at them, saying, "Please don't make it more uncomfortable than it already is. In addition to that, we all know that this union was forced upon us to ensure peace." He then adds with a rather cold tone, "There is no love in this marriage."

The two elder people looked at each other and back at us. Perhaps they didn't agree with what Damien said, or they simply didn't believe it.

"Don't say that, Damien," said Knight Silver, "We raised you better than this, didn't we? Don't say such things to your wife."

"She's a White," he argued, "Didn't you raise me to hate them? The White's did kill someone dear to both of you many years ago. What's with the change of heart?"

Maidservant Rose slammed her hands on the table, making Damien flinch. "Damien Cross!" she scolds angrily, "You do not speak ill of your wife's family like that! Yes, you were raised to hate the enemy! But you've married into that family as much as she is now married to yours! I will not have you fucking her to your pleasure one minute and speaking ill of her the next!"

I was surprised. No, I was astonished. I have never seen a maid speak to her young master that way before. For certain, the consequences of her acts are treason. But judging by the way Damien treats them, she wouldn't be facing any consequences. He loves this woman. She raised him after all. I suppose it's normal.

"I am disappointed in you," added Knight Silver, "The past was buried in the past the moment you married her. Please understand that. There is no more hatred but peace. Everyone is counting on your marriage to succeed."

"Please," I intervened, "I understand my husband's point. I share his point of view as well. In fact, we loathe each other. We are trying our best to make this work without arguing as much. So, please don't scold him on my behalf."

Maidservant Rose smiled warmly. "Very well," she nodded.

Damien stood up, looking at us coldly. "I shall go for a ride," he said before storming off, leaving me with his parents. Well, the people who raised him.

"I am very sorry," said Knight Silver.

Maidservant Rose sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Please forgive our son," she said, "I do not wish to make excuses for him, but he never received love as a child. T'is the reason why he fails to show you any affection."

"But you love him," I said, "I can see how much you do."

"Tell me," says Knight Silver, "Were you really the one who gave my son a scar on his left chest?"

I don't know why, but I suddenly felt ashamed. It was an unpleasant scar. I don't feel remorse for it, but I felt ashamed.

"Apologies," I nodded, "I did give him that scar. We were in battle, you see. He was merely collateral damage."

"Spoken by a warrior," he said, "I truly admire your bravery, Princess. Not a lot of people—women—go to battle with such bravery, pride, and strength. Damien told me how strong you were and how different you were from other women. He mentioned your intelligence and strength."

"Ah," Maidservant Rose adds, "I remember how he compared you to all his other opponents. You were the only one who defeated him in all his battles. He said you were... umm..."

"A worthy opponent," Knight Silver completes her sentence for her.

She also adds, "And the most beautiful girl he's ever seen on earth."

My heart started to pound in my chest. What's this? Why is my heart pounding a million times harder and a million times faster? Was it because of what they said? Lies. Nothing of what they said could be true. Damien Cross would never say those things about me. He constantly belittles me and insults me. None of this is true. Perhaps they invented it in order to fool me. All part of the plan of both our parents, I suppose.

I smiled, looking away. "As much as I wish to believe you, I can't," I said, "I do not wish to disappoint you, so I will say it now. Damien and I, we are polar opposites and are born into families that loathe each other. We were raised to hate each other. Five hundred years of hatred run deep within in our blood and veins, therefore love will never be in our marriage. I do not wish to love him either. Both of us have come to an understanding already that we may not disappoint the people who are counting on both of us. We wish to bring four children into this world. One will inherit my throne and the other his. Once we have completed our duties of providing for these four children, we are then free to live as we both please. Also, we have agreed that we're married in name only. It means that we do not have to act like lovers when we are at home."

"You needn't say more," she stops me, looking rather calmer than I expected. She had a warm smile on her face. It was sweet and assured—the opposite of what my own mother's reaction would've been if she were the one right here instead of her. "We do not expect you to pretend. The least we want is for you both to live a miserable life."

"But we do encourage you to try your best to make the best of it," said Knight Silver, "If you do not wish to love, then strive to become friends. Respect and friendship are important in marriage."

It's so refreshing. They speak with such kindness and guidance. They're far from what my parents are. Damien's lucky to have these two people in his life growing up. I wonder if I will become a horrible mother to my own child. I do not wish to become my parents. I doubt that Damien and I could have the happy family I wish to have, but I will strive my best to give our child all the love I can give. It's hard to tell if he'll become a good father. I know that the chances of my becoming a horrible mother are high, but I will try to be better. I didn't have a happy family growing up. I wish for the opposite for our future child. I wish nothing but happiness for it.

"You look lonely," said Maidservant Rose, "Did we offend you?"

"No," I smiled, "I just admire how kind you are. You and Knight Silver seem to have been great parents to Damien. It troubles me to think that I may not have what it takes to become a good mother to my future child. Believe it or not, I would choose the battlefield any day rather than becoming a mother. That thing scares me the most."

They laughed, smiling warmly at me.

"I understand," she said, "Being a mother is hard and terrifying. But I can assure you that it is the most fulfilling thing in the world."

"Damien and I are horrible people," I said, "You can't deny that. To think of us becoming parents is such a nightmare! I know I'd be horrible at it. It scares me, even more, to imagine Damien as a parent!" Then it occurred to me that there's a possibility that he's already a parent. He frequents brothels; it's no question that he could possibly father countless children right about now. Awkwardly, I asked, "Does he have illegitimate children?"

"No," they both say, both looking embarrassed.

"I know his reputation precedes him," said Maidservant Rose, "But I am more than certain that he's never fathered a child. Knight Silver taught him well."

"That's right," Knight Silver agreed awkwardly, "We are positive that he bears no illegitimate children, your highness. Your child will be the first one he'll ever have."

"I do not know if I am with child," I said shyly, "We've only been married for three days."

"Right," he nods, "There will be plenty of time to make one then." He earned a hard blow on the head from Maidservant Rose for that last statement.

"Idiot," she says, hitting him again. She then turned to me smiling sheepishly. "Please excuse Silver's statement."

"It's alright," I say, sipping on my tea. "I would like to ask you something about Damien if I may."

"Please," she gestures, "Anything."

"When I met him eleven years ago, he seemed like a happy kid. What happened?" I asked, "I asked him but he doesn't seem to be interested in the topic."

"Well," said Maidservant Rose, "His real mother died soon after you first met. She was already dying, but she died sooner because of the war. She was killed by your people. His father did not wait even a month before marrying another."

My people killed his mother. Perhaps that's why he bears so much hatred toward us. For that, I cannot blame him.

"Do you know who's responsible?" I asked.

"He's dead," Knight Silver replied, "He avenged his mother's death when he was thirteen. He killed him in battle."

"Ah," I said, "I understand now."

Maidservant Rose changed the topic, saying, "Tell me, was he kind to you at least? He told us he would make you pay for the scar you gave him. Did he hurt you in any way? Because if he did, I would kill him."

"No," I said, "He is a jackass, but he didn't hurt me physically. He is actually gentle and considerate. He even gave me whiskey last night because I would've literally froze to death."

"That's... umm," she tried to find the words, "To be honest, I don't know how to respond to that. I apologize."

I spent the rest of the day with his parents just chatting. They weren't awful. They were really kind people and are very interesting. I learned a lot about the estate and they even gave me a tour. Damien didn't return home for supper so I dined with Maidservant Rose and Knight Silver. I enjoy their company. It's quite nice. Before I knew it, I was already asleep in our bed. Hopefully, a dream comes.