"Why do I have to be the sacrificial lamb? That Crown Prince from Kingdom of Tissuria just wants some doll for a wife who can blindly follow him. Our dumb princess can fill the part perfectly," Zenia protested.
Military Advisor Ovid Anisen, Zenia's father, massaged his forehead as he scrunched his brows. He knew that his daughter would not agree, but he could not say no to King Jarod.
"You know how much Prince Vaughn hates Princess Jemilla because of her naivety, do you think that a peace treaty could last that long if he is to marry that stu--naive girl?" Military Advisor Anisen asked his daughter in a very serious tone.
"What made you think that I won't touch that lunatic prince's bottom line?" Zenia finished her conversation with her father, turned her back to him and walked away.
"Zenia, come back here! We are not yet through!" Ovid called after his daughter.
Zenia just kept walking in the same direction without turning her head. She opened the door to see herself out as her father kept calling her.
The Continent of Maecaea had a total of ten kingdoms and empires. Everything should have been peaceful and calm within the Kingdom of Ishelon, but the Kingdom of Tissuria just couldn't let the Kingdom of Ishelon lead a peaceful life.
The silent and not-so-silent war between the two kingdoms had been going on for nearly 100 years. No one was really sure what started it and no one would like to know anymore or they simply did not care. For the people of both kingdoms, the war had been a part of their lives. Still, most of them wanted to experience a peaceful existence with their neighboring kingdom.
Zenia had yet to personally meet Prince Vaughn. The things that she came to know about him were based on the assessment of the officials in the palace and other people that already met him. All of it did not leave any good impression on Zenia.
The second child of the Anisen household's three children, Zenia Anisen, was a military tactician in the Armed Forces of Ishelon. She even gave the name 'Armed Forces' because she thought it sounded more fearsome and dignified. The majority of military men of Ishelon believed that Zenia had already surpassed her mother in tactical planning. She knew the effective combat strategies that must be employed on a certain situation. Her means could only be described as ruthless and precise – no room for errors.
During Renaria's time, she suffered much injustice just because she often stayed among the company of men. The women who set their mind into marrying Ovid Anisen got jealous and nurtured a wicked heart. Someone spread the rumor that Renaria was actually a military whore. Ovid knew very well how much suffering his wife had to endure back then. He also knew that Princess Elenia could be the culprit of such malicious accusations.
When Zenia was growing up, she showed the same interests as her mother's. Ovid knew that his daughter would walk the same path that his wife had chosen for herself. When that day finally arrived, Ovid asked King Jarod to let Zenia assume the identity of a medical staff in the military unit. This would also protect Zenia against the enemy. Only the military men and the Royal Family of Ishelon knew the true identity of Zenia in the military.
To avoid suspicions, Zenia learned the things that a medical staff should do. She was a fast learner and a great help each time there were casualties that needed immediate treatment. She even learned how to do minor operations. She could easily pass as a doctor's apprentice. The common folks of Ishelon believed that Zenia was an amazing apprentice.
During the Great War of Maecaea, the time where the eight kingdoms were still trying to expand their territories, no other kingdom was able to conquer Ishelon and Tissuria. The whole Kingdom of Ishelon and Tissuria were not interested in conquering other kingdoms and remained neutral all throughout.
As Zenia put it, the barbaric ways of expanding territories should only be carried out by the barbarians. The citizens of Ishelon were civilized people who had no interest in engaging with such brutal activity, but they wouldn't let other kingdoms conquer them. They would certainly defend their kingdom against those barbarians. Zenia believed that the Kingdom of Tissuria shared the same sentiments.
After the Great War of Maecaea, no one dared to attack the Kingdom of Ishelon again, except Kingdom of Tissuria. Although Tissuria and Ishelon were having their own 'little war', they never bothered the other kingdoms. They were just interested in fighting with each other. The little war would always leave many casualties.
Zenia was ashamed to claim that the Kingdom of Tissuria was their enemy simply because she knew that the dispute between the kingdoms only started due to petty quarrels of their rulers from hundred years ago. Her favorite line was, "I am not a sacrificial lamb!"
She was against political marriage from the very start, especially if it was her own. Although she and her father seemed to disagree on many things, she admired him very much for loving her mother deeply and being faithful to no end. She was certain that no prince or royalty would be able to take only one woman in his entire life.
She was not someone who would be willing to share her husband with someone else. She wanted to live the life of her mother. She wanted a devoted husband that would only have her in his heart and his eyes. She was certain that Prince Vaughn, a crown prince, would have a number of beauties in his palace.
The men in the Continent of Maecaea were allowed to take three wives and five concubines in their lifetime. But, they must be able to provide for all of them. Ovid Anisen met the requirements to have as many women as he could, but chose to have his wife as the only woman to warm his bed. He and his wife had a total of three children in their decades of blissful marriage.
Zenia admired her father's loyalty to her mother and just wanted to meet a man that would take her as the only woman in his life. Ovid Anisen was a highly accomplished man and many families wanted to associate with him through marriage.
He already created a name for himself at the age of 20. He had a pair of sharp eyes, which could mesmerize anyone. He had a well-built body that he maintained really well even in old age. Many thought that he would marry Princess Elenia, King Jarod's biological sister, at the time. Imagine everyone's surprise when he asked the king to bestow a marriage between him and Renaria Lutheria.
Princess Elenia could not believe that Ovid had already someone in his heart. The princess chose to live in isolation and became a nun. Ever since Princess Elenia entered the temple, no one heard from her again. They said that the princess was content and happy with her tranquil life.
There were rumors that Princess Elenia resented her brother, King Jarod, very much for failing to arrange her marriage to Ovid Anisen. The rumors also stated that she chose to reside in the temple to avoid seeing her brother. Whether the rumors were true or not, no one heard anything from Princess Elenia ever again.
"Stupid father, doesn't he know that I want a husband that will be loyal only to me? I wish I can have a life that mother enjoys."
These thoughts were on Zenia's mind as she continued to walk away from his father's quarters.