Chapter 1

Princess Liviana's POV

"You asked for me, your majesty?" I asked as I stand firmly in front of him, bowing my head.

He is King Thomas of our kingdom and my foster father. He is the one who adopted me since I was a baby. He took good care of me and made me who I am today.

"How are you, Princess Liviana?"

"I just got back from training with Prince Elias, your majesty."

"That's good to hear. Anyway, I called for you because of a crucial decision that I have made."

"Crucial?" I turned to look at Queen Caroline walking towards us. "It's not crucial, my King. It is just a simple task for Liviana to fulfill for our kingdom." She smiled mischievously while looking at me.

I turned to the King. "Your majesty, may I know what's my task that I need to fulfill?" I asked politely and calmly, but I know that this is not good based on Queen's actions.

Queen Caroline hated me since she laid her eyes on me. She never treated me as her own, unlike the King. I think this task that she is talking about will make her happy.

"Princess Liviana, I am here to announce that I am marrying you to Prince Conrad." My eyes widen in disbelief. I feel like I stop breathing for a second.

"I apologize, your majesty. Did I hear it right? You're marrying me off to someone I don't even know?" My hands are trembling in fear. Marrying someone is the last thing I want to do at the age of twenty. I feel like I'm still too young to tie a knot with someone else. I have many things to do yet.

"Stop whining!" The Queen yelled at me. "What else do you want to do as a princess? It is the only chance you'll be useful to us. You should be thankful that we're marrying you off to our neighboring kingdom!" She explained in a sarcastic tone.

"Princess, this marriage will strengthen our relationship with them. Their kingdom needs our help." The King explained. Every word he said was slowly sinking in my head, but this is against my will. I don't want to be just a mere princess, I want to explore the world. I want to meet my biological parents and ask why they throw me away.

"Is there any other way?" I asked, almost pleading that there is still a chance to take back his decision. Marriage is something that never crosses my mind. I plan to read thousands of books and become the best archer in our kingdom.

"This is the only way, Princess. The whole kingdom will rejoice for your marriage." The King smiling confidently.

I slightly shake my head in disbelief. Another family is throwing me away. How could this happen to me? "What will happen if we decline this arrangement? What if we offer them what we can to support them even without this marriage? What if we can persuade them to sign an agreement with us?"

The King shakes his head in disappointment. "No can do, Princess. The agreement was signed and sealed ten years ago. Breaking the agreement means war, and we cannot afford that to happen."

"Stop making a big fuss about your marriage! Just do what we told you to do!" The Queen said while storming out of the big hall. I am used to Queen's attitude towards me that it doesn't bother me anymore.

I closed my eyes and tried to process all the things that the King explained. I cannot let a war starts because of me. I cannot disappoint the King anymore. I think the Queen has a point, this is the only chance for me to be useful in this kingdom. "I accept it, your majesty." I finally said while holding back my tears. I'm hoping that this decision won't make my life more miserable than it was.

After my conversation with the King, I ran to find Prince Elias to talk about the marriage thing and ask for his opinion, but I found out that he went to the southern part of the kingdom to lead our troop patrolling the area.

I quickly ride my favorite horse into the woods to follow Prince Elias. This part of the forest belongs to our neighboring kingdom. I am not allowed to enter this area, but this is the shortest way to reach my brother. I need to get hold of him before our parents throw me away.

Before I could pass through the deep forest, I heard a howling sound that made my horse suddenly stop. My horse became restless and scared, and so do I. I tried to look around and find where the continuous howling came. What I saw gives me shivers all over my body. I felt my heartbeats at an irregular rate. About four or five big werewolves are running at full speed. They are not less than ten meters away from me in opposite directions. It looks like they are chasing two more werewolves.

As scared as hell, I decided to turn around and run back to the castle, even though it means not seeing my brother before marrying a stranger. I better face that Prince than these werewolves.

Once I get back to the castle, I immediately run into my room. I drop myself on the floor because of exhaustion and fear because of those animals wandering around the woods. If they notice me, I am sure dead meat by now, and no marriage will happen next week. Then it hit me.

It's already next week; my time is ticking. My life changed in just one day. I was just happy this morning because finally, I was able to hold of my brother to teach me archery, and now this marriage is like a bomb that exploded right in front of me.