Chapter 1| What the hell?

I frowned as I remembered the day my father told me that I will wed the prince of Kashmir. "Your duty is to help me take this kingdom to greater lengths," Father said.

Yeah right, even if he did not arrange a wedding, I would still have no choice than to marry someone with a higher status than mine. Probably a crown prince or a king. In my case, father decided for me to be wed to the prince of Kashmir, in order to make an allegiance between their kingdom and ours.

"Is there a problem, milady?" Aida asked as she draped a rather heavy necklace in my neck. I tried to smile but failed. Noticing my uneasiness, she shook her head.

"Do not fret, milady. Maybe your betrothed is a fair man,"

Aida's words did not seem to ease the knots in my stomach. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My brown hair was silky, due to it being brushed too many times. The blue dress made my crystal blue eyes sparkle, and the pieces of jewelry that were draped throughout my body were beautiful but heavy.

Out of a sudden, a knock sounded on the door, followed with a voice. "Sorry to disturb your highness, but the king has come to see you,"

"Let him in," I straightened my posture and waited for him to come. As if on cue, the doors opened to reveal my father. He was dressed in brightly colored robes, and his crystal blue eyes which I got from him was filled mock-up guilt. I was disgusted.

Stopping a few feet away from me, he assessed my appearance. As if satisfied, he gave me a nod. "Remember Aurora, what you are doing is for the sake of this kingdom,"

I scoffed, not believing a word he said. "Or is it for you to have a significant name to leave behind once you die?"

What once was guilt-filled eyes were immediately replaced with anger. He took two long strides towards me before gripping my cheeks tightly. I could hear Aida softly gasp from behind me.

"Do not forget that I am still your king, Aurora. I do not tolerate such a disrespectful attitude in my kingdom," his voice boomed throughout the room.

"Oh well," I chuckled humorlessly " You stopped being a king in my eyes the moment you used your own daughter as a tool to gain more power,"

He let go of my cheeks and stormed out. Before he could go past the door, his head turned to my direction. "And you stopped being my daughter the moment you killed your mother,"

With that, he went out. I sucked in a deep breath. My mother died when she was giving birth to me, and this is the first time my father addressed me for it. Tears were rimming my eyes, but I refuse to let a single one drop. I am stronger than this. Aida rushed to my side and cooed me. "He does not matter, milady. Do not stoop to his level,"

For some reason, I believed Aida. She is right. He is below me. It would be a waster of Time to stoop low. After a few minutes of reassuring me, I finally calmed down.

A knock sounded once again. "Milady, it's already time,"

Aida added finishing touches before we got out of the room towards the ceremony. We arrived at the garden, for it is where the wedding will take place. It was beautiful.

The seats for the guests were placed in a round manner, and at the center was a vine arch that has tiny flowers. It is where the bride and the groom are supposed to stand throughout the ceremony. I could smell the fresh fragrance of the flowers that were placed on the sides.

The guests are already trying to settle in their seats. Seeing as my father still hasn't arrived, I decided to walk towards the dessert section to sneak a tart, or two. Before I could take another step, my feet got tangled with my gown causing me to trip. I closed my eyes and braced my self for the impact of the fall, but all I could feel was a pair of arms wrapping around my waist.

I opened my eyes to look at my savior, but when I did I got mesmerized to see a handsome man with glowing amber orbs staring right back at me. He was frowning. "Are you okay, milady?"

"err, yes...Milord. " I struggled to get the words out as I continued gaping at him like a madwoman.

Who is this man?

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and on his head were a mass of disheveled black curls, with some of it falling on his forehead. From his clothes, I could tell that he was a royal. Maybe he is one of the guests that were invited to the wedding.

"Milady," He bowed and left. I continued staring at his retreating figure. Aida was gushing behind me, a smug-look on her face.

"That was one fine man milady," she giggled "Let's just hope that your husband is twice as handsome than him,"

"Oh Aida, trust me. You would wish for an ugly husband instead. You will surely send a handsome man running for the hills with all your gaping," I joked at her.

She just laughed, some of her blonde hair escaping the braid. I looked around to see my father already seated at his throne. Aida seemed to notice this as she ushered me towards the beginning of the aisle. She was excused soon after to join the others.

"My lady, the bride is supposed to hold the groom's hand when they walk on the aisle." A middle-aged stout man told me. I didn't know that. I tried to hide my surprise by smiling at him.

"Where is the groom?"

He would answer when his eyes caught someone behind me. He bowed immediately. I felt a strong, powerful aura with a looming presence behind my back, so I gently turned around only for my eyes to widen.

What the hell?

"You are the groom?" Standing infront of me was the man earlier. Ah, so he Is not a guest, after all. Honestly, I expected an ugly lanky prince to be my husband. Turns out, what I got instead was a hot-as-hell prince.

He raised his brows at me before answering. "Is there a problem, milady?"

"No..Of course not. You are just not what I expected."

"Were you expecting an ugly, lanky prince to be your husband? But as it turns out what you got instead was a hot-as-hell prince? I'm really flattered milady,"

Wait, did I just voice out my thoughts?

"Ermm. Yes, you just did," He answered.

This time, I bit my tongue. My face is literally red from embarrassment. He just heard me say that what I got was a "Handsome-as-hell" prince. Oh my god, what does he think of me?

"Your Highness? The king is becoming impatient," the stout man from earlier spoke up, looking extremely uncomfortable.

I hurriedly placed my hands to his awaiting ones as we walked down the aisle. I kept my head high but held my gaze low. I could hear soft gasps from the women as we passed, and some were also glaring at me as if it's my fault that I got married to a good-looking man. Blame my father for it, not me. We bowed to the king before going to the arch that was placed in the center.

Father stood up, a wineglass in his hand. "On this day, we are gathered for the ceremony of the wedding of our princess, to the prince of Kashmir. May we bless them with a happy and fruitful marriage. Let the ceremony begin!"

Applause erupted, and soon after, loud music was playing, with different entertainers set to entertain us for the whole day.

"Are you enjoying the ceremony, milady?" He asked.

"Yes I am, milord," I replied with a smile.

"Are you ready for Jarama?"

The Jarama! I almost forgot about it. It is a part of the ceremony where the bride needs to do the kingdom's native dance infront of the groom and the guests.

"Yes, Milord. Oh, and are you ready to be impressed?"

He chuckled lightly. "Well, Of course, I am."

The ground was cleared of the entertainers and all eyes were on me. At that moment, I knew it was time for the Jarama.

The maids helped me wear the mask that was handed to me. It was a tradition that was passed down from generations for the bride to wear a mask as if to ward off other men that she is already claimed. The mask was made of tied crystal, designed to cover half of the face. My eyes and my forehead are the only ones visible, as the other half of my face was covered.

I walked to the center and closed my eyes. The music started and I felt my body sway to its own accord. I moved gracefully, making bends with my waist and my arms freely moving to the sides. As the beat of the music became faster, the move of my hips became quicker too. The beat slowed and I elegantly posed as the music finally came to a stop.

Applause was given to me, and when I opened my eyes, amber orbs were gazing right into me, only that it was not glowing. It was already a shade darker.

I went back to his side waiting for his comment, but he did not say anything. A messenger came rushing to us before bowing deeply. He gave a letter to the prince and waited for his command.

The prince, or should I say My husband, opened it, his eyes scanning over each letter. He clenched his jaw, his muscles becoming taut. He crumpled the piece of parchment and closed his eyes, one hand raising to push his hair back.

"No, this cannot be true," He muttered under his breath, my heartbeat speeding up to an abnormal place.

What can it be?

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