Wishing To Be Neglected

Nicien Vamieres forced a little smile and grabbed his mother's hand that was on his head. He slowly put it down but he didn't let go of it right away. "It seems like I'm not the only one who can't sleep," he pointed out while still holding onto his mother's hand.

Selova Vamieres let out a chuckle. "The wedding excites me more than I thought," she confessed. "I still can't believe that you're really getting married."

Nicien slightly smiled but he didn't comment on what his mother said and instead, he asked, "Did you take your medicine, Mother?"

"I don't need one," was his mother's simple response and it made him sigh.

"Let's go to your chamber," he said. "I will stay with you until you fall asleep."

Thinking of how Nicien often did this for her since her husband's death, Supreme Princess Selova flashed a small yet genuine smile. "I'd love to but... tomorrow is your wedding. You need a good sleep much more than I do."

"Mother -"

"Have some sleep, son," she calmly interrupted Nicien and gently withdrew her hands from his. "See you tomorrow."

Nicien Vamieres nodded and his mother left his chamber right away.

For the next minute, the Prince stood still in his place and stared at the door where his mother left. Though many things occupied his mind, he attempted to brush them away and went to sleep as his mother told him.

* * *

Princess Rizelle was standing before the mirror, wearing the red wedding gown that royals in Esriven wore on their wedding day. Putting aside the wedding, the fact that she was wearing something that had the symbol of Esriven was more than strange to the Princess of Linolia.

For her Linolia, Esriven was always an aggressive and troublesome neighbor until the alliance marriage was suddenly proposed. So, wearing the clothing of Esriven royals on her wedding day seemed so surreal.

"You look so beautiful, Princess," Fina who was standing beside Princess Rizelle commented with a bright smile on her face. "I'm sure that once the guests who will attend the wedding see you, they will be blown away by your beauty."

The Princess chuckled when she heard her maid and then turned to her. "You've become so positive, Fina. I thought that you might cry now that I will be marrying the Prince of Esriven in just a few minutes." There was an amusing smile on the Princess's lips and the maid sighed.

"At first, I was worried because your husband-to-be is having a strained relationship with the King," she explained. "But now, I already know that he is quite powerful. Even the King can't just push him into anything and that means he is capable of protecting you."

Princess Rizelle was back to staring at her reflection in the mirror when she asked, "Do you think he will do that? From what I see, he only cares about the Supreme Princess. He is willing to do something only when the Supreme Princess told him to."

"But that's still good," Fina argued. "At least, the Supreme Princess cares for you. She won't allow her son to neglect you."

"I think it will be better if he doesn't care about me," Princess Rizelle muttered without even thinking much. "I wish to live here quietly rather than getting indulge with him and his power struggle with the King."

Fina sighed when she heard her Princess. "You're truly unique, Your Highness. Don't you know that there are many women who long for their husband's love? Yet you're here talking about wishing to be neglected by your husband-to-be." She helplessly shook her head, making the Princess giggle.

"I heard that, unlike our Linolia, royal couples don't share a chamber here in Esriven," Rizelle said to her maid. "That's a relief for me. Even if that's not the rule, I plan to request a separate chamber anyway. Like I said before, it will be best if we stay away from each other's lives. I bet he will want that too."

Fina let out another sigh but it was soon followed by a giggle. "You sure are amazing, Princess. You said such a thing on your wedding day." She suddenly held onto the Princess's arm and asked, "Will it be different if you were to marry someone you love?"

Rizelle broke free from her maid's grip and frowned. "Didn't we grow up together? Have you ever seen me falling for someone?"

Fina laughed and said, "Then... let me correct it. Will it be different if you were to marry someone who loves you?" Her lips curved into a playful smile when she added, "Like Vincent?"

"What do you mean?" Princess Rizelle asked, confused.

The maid sighed at how ignorant her Princess sounded. "You don't know? Isn't it obvious, Your Highness?"

Understanding what Fina was implying, Rizelle Verona clicked her tongue. "Vincent is like an older brother to me, just like you are also a friend to me. What are you even saying?"

"I'm well aware of that, Princess." Fina helplessly sighed. "I'm talking about what you are to him and not what he is to you."

The Princess was pretty smart but... why was she always so ignorant in this kind of matter?

As Rizelle deemed the talk useless, she simply focused on her reflection again. She spent the last three days learning about the royal wedding customs there and now, she was feeling a bit confident compared to the time she arrived blindly.

Nevertheless, she truly wished for her father and brother to be there. Though it was an alliance marriage, it will still be the only marriage ceremony for her throughout her life. And if it worked out, Nicien Vamieres will be the man whom she spend her whole life with, regardless of how they thought of each other.

So, it's normal for her to miss her family and wish for them to witness this day, right?

Rizelle was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of knocking on her door. When Fina responded, a servant walked inside and informed the Princess that it was time for the wedding ceremony.

This made Rizelle feel the pressure even more and she glanced at her reflection one last time. The time had really come.....