Mariku use to be a prosperous kingdom, but war and a series of unfortunate events had lead to the economy degrading. It became a former shell of what it use to be.
The king, Darquin, did his best, but with the corruption that had festered in Mariku's government, his might wasn't as it use to be. It would have taken a miracle to help get Mariku back into it's feet.
That miracle came in as the Karu.
The Karu kingdom was strong in both politics and military might. They swooped in and by showing that they were behind King Darquin's back, King Darquin could get rid of the governmental corruption.
The kingdom of Karu then provided food, metal, and other goods towards the Mariku kingdom at a lesser price.
Of course, all this helping accumulated to the Mariku kingdom having a huge debt to the Karu, one that would take many years, maybe centuries, to pay off.
But, then the Karu struck again. They offered a deal that would get rid of all of the debt, but required a sacrifice to make happen.
Yes, what the Karu offered for the debt to be gone was a political marriage between King Alfred's eldest son, and King Darquin's eldest daughter.
It was a painful choice, but the king of Mariku knew that if they didn't agree with that offer, the Kura could do all sorts of things with his kingdom and he wouldn't be able to refute at all.
So all those events are what lead to the current conversation between Princess Gwendolyn and her parents.
"I-I see..." Gwendolyn, the eldest daughter of King Darquin, said. The young woman took a deep, body shuddering breath. Her green eyes blazed with determination as she physically steeled herself. "I'll do it!"
Her father smiled sadly at his beloved daughter. It became clearer than ever that his little girl was all grown up now.
"The arrangements for your first meeting with Prince Thomas is still ongoing. We will tell you the final decision as soon as it's declared." Queen Gwenneth said formally, very much unlike her husband.
King Darquin was a warm, open person. He was the type to happily wave and greet strangers. Queen Gwenneth was much more conservative. She'd give you a polite, formal smile, and her attitude could be considered aloof. In private though, Queen Gwenneth was a kind, gentle mother.
"I see! Thank you, Mother, Father! I think I'll go pay a visit to the gardens."
Queen Gwenneth nodded, giving Gwendolyn the signal to leave. King Darquin called from behind as his daughter left, "Don't forgot to meet up with your siblings later!"
"I won't!"