A luxurious main hall appeared in front of the young princess' and her maid Elsa's eyes.
Paintings with the faces of the previous kings of Lucceia adorned the walls of the main hall, to remind the next generations of royals of their ancestors' glory.
Aside from the paintings, a long, circular table was placed right in the middle of the room, with many chairs made from wood placed around it.
At the head of the table however, there wasn't a wooden chair, but a throne made from gold, where the current King of Lucceia was sitting on.
He was a middle-aged man with short brown hair and deep green eyes.
On the chairs around him, 3 young men dressed in military clothes were sitting on, as they talked to each other with solemn expressions on their faces.
Seeing the door of the main hall opening, the 3 young men in the room and even the King turned their eyes towards it, as they stared at the young woman that was stepping forward to enter inside.
The King's serious expression didn't seem to soften when he saw his daughter, but a single word left his mouth as it reverberated throughout the main hall
''Rosalyne.''
...
Seeing the serious expression on my father's face when he called out my name, I couldn't help but feel my heart shiver.
And yet, I couldn't do anything else, but step forward and bow, as my hands held the hems of my dress, before I called out as etiquette commanded
''Royal father.''
Nodding his head, my father seemed to have first swept his gaze past my 3 silent elder brothers once, before he turned to look at me once again.
Then, with a serious look on his face, he spoke in a voice that sounded like he was simply dictating what he was going to have for breakfast today
''You will leave for the empire of Narth this afternoon!''
''Ah?'' I couldn't help but open my mouth in shock, unsure of what was going on.
I turned my eyes to look at my 3 elder brothers who were sitting next to my royal father, but I could clearly see the calm looks on their faces!
It was obvious that they already knew about this even before I had entered the hall.
I tried to take a deep breath to calm down my shock, but before I could speak, I saw my father standing up, before he said with a serious look on his face
''The blood prince has declared that he is looking for a wife!
Princesses from every surrounding kingdom will participate in the marriage selection process, either to raise their own status, or for other personal reasons that they may have.
You will be a part of this as well!''
The moment that my father finished his words, I could feel the blood being drained from my face, while my heart started to beat wildly at the same time!
The blood prince is looking for a wife? What does that have to do with Lucceia? What does that have to do with me?
However, before I could even get a chance to speak, I saw my eldest brother standing up from his seat and look at me with a serious look on his face as he said
''Rosalyne, my dear sister, you should know that as a princess, you have a duty to this Kingdom almost as important as any of us.
I am not afraid to tell you that our Kingdom has been losing the war while thousands of Lucceian soldiers have already died!
The Kingdom of Elsh has already managed to get the assistance of King Powall, causing us to lose 3 cities in the past 2 months alone!
You should know that if we lose the war, our Kingdom will lose more than half of its territory!
This is where you finally become useful as a princess.
For some unknown reason, the blood prince has declared that he is looking for a wife!
Although nobody knows the reason, it doesn't really matter either.
As long as you manage to obtain his approval and become his wife... or even his concubine, he will certainly protect Lucceia!
Hehe, if we are lucky, he may even exterminate the Elshians for us!''
The moment that my eldest brother finished his words, I could see the look of greed in his eyes.
I suddenly realized, that I am nothing more than a chess piece to him, one that he can use to pave the way so that he can realize his own ambitions.
And yet, as I turned to look at my father and my other 2 brothers, I only saw a calm look in their eyes.
...
Standing up from his throne, the King of Lucceia, Gray Amberton looked at Rosalyne with his deep black eyes and nodded his head, before he said in a tone that left no room for discussion
''This is something that you have to do for the Kingdom, no matter whether you want to accept it or not! You will leave for Narth this afternoon!''
Without waiting for a response, Gray Amberton then walked out from the main hall without so much as throwing another look at his daughter or his three sons.