Prince Alexandre arrived three days before my birthday. Philippe, my prince, would be arriving the day after.
Well, at least I didn't have to meet them both on the same day. I figured after doing my duty of entertaining Prince Alexandre's courtship today, I wouldn't have to bother with him for the rest of the duration of his stay in the palace. And then I would be free to spend my time with the only prince I wanted to be with.
Prince Alexandre was the third brother of the Crown Prince, the heir apparent, of the Kingdom of Allore. He was far off in the order of the throne's succession, so if we do end up married, then he would move to my kingdom and be the king consort when I become the queen. Still, he would carry the might and influence of his kingdom.
That is if we get married. Which would be quite tragic.
But I had a plan.
I planned to make myself as undesirable and as unbearable as possible during his stay in the kingdom. In that way, maybe he would come to the conclusion that I wasn't the best match for him, therefore making him withdraw the marriage proposal. Hopefully.
I made sure I was dressed in the dullest, most unflattering clothes that I own.
Contrary to Cece and Amelia's suggestions, I chose a plain black dress that was a size bigger than mine so that it billowed around my body like a tent, successfully hiding my figure. And then I put on a black cloak, reinforcing the 'tent' look. I didn't put any jewelry on. I refused anyone to touch my face and hair. I was going to meet this new prince bare-faced.
"Lena, are you mourning? Did someone die?" Cece commented icily, looking me up and down. "Why are you dressed in funeral garb?"
"It's perfect, then," I answered, giving her a sweet smile. Perfect for what I have planned.
Cece wrinkled her nose. "Look, Lena, I know what you're doing. You don't have to go this far. Do what you must, but you don't have to sacrifice your elegance and poise for it!"
"Poise, you say?" I said, grinning mischievously. I purposely hunched forward and slouched, admiring myself in front of the mirror.
"Oh please, stop!" Cece said, laughing. "You look so silly!"
"Princess Elena, please stop that!" Amelia shrieked.
I giggled as I looked around the room. The other maids were stifling their own giggles while Amelia looked horrified.
"Oh, don't worry, Amelia. Whatever I may look like, I'm still the princess. Prince Alexandre would have to accept me for who I am, wouldn't he?"
"Or what you are," Cece sniggered. "You look like a bat!"
I laughed and raised my arms up in the air as I walked around the room with the same slouched posture. That earned another burst of laughter from Cece and a pained whimper from Amelia. I straightened up and squeezed Amelia's arm fondly before taking Cece by the arm.
"Let's go, Cece. We have a prince to impress."
"I just… cannot believe you."
Together, we left the room, our laughter echoing through the corridor as we made our way down to the great hall.
[ANDRE]
"Prince Andre, we're almost there," came the voice of the captain of my personal guard, who was riding on a horse beside my carriage.
I parted the curtain of the window and looked outside. "I see. Thank you, Mauro."
We finally arrived at our destination. The Kingdom of Ephemere. A smaller kingdom in the southern part of the mainland, where I was to offer a marriage proposal to the Crown Princess on behalf of my father's orders, the King of Allore.
It was a long and arduous journey, taking almost ten days before we finally caught sight of the ramparts and the tall towers of the palace rising in the distance. We'd stopped multiple times to take breaks and rest, but exhaustion was taking a toll on my entire retinue and the horses.
My back and joints were stiff. My carriage's interior was decked out in the finest cushions, designed to make its occupants comfortable on long journeys. Still, the constant bumping and shaking as the horses drew the carriage over uneven terrain for hours upon hours negated the promised comfort of the carriage's design.
All I wanted to do was stretch out my limbs on solid, unmoving ground, take a warm bath, and then pass out on a bed. I longed to be indoors. I wasn't fond of traveling, but I do what I must. I wished I could've stayed at home.
But, being twenty years old, I was already of marrying age; and as soon as the news reached our kingdom that the only princess of Ephemere was accepting suitors, my father commanded me to travel immediately. My two elder brothers were already matched, so naturally, the responsibility fell on my shoulders.
Even though Ephemere was sizably smaller compared to our lands, it was situated in a good location — advantageous for trade, as well as a good defense point in the south, in case the empire beyond the sea were to declare an attack on the mainland. They also have rich, natural resources that my father is more than happy to exploit.
Forging an alliance with this kingdom was my duty. My father had tasked me to win the princess's favor. Their king would have the final decision, but the princess would have some influence as well, regardless of how impactful it was.
Which is something I do not want to do. Woo some strange princess. I haven't even seen her. I have heard rumors of her beauty and her streak of rebelliousness, but again, just rumors. Even if they were true, it matters not to me.
My heart already belonged to another.
I could not disobey my father directly in his face, but if I was leagues and leagues away from him, maybe I could. Just five days. That's how long I have to stay in this kingdom. I would still do my duty and discuss the alliance benefits with their king and his advisors. But that was it. I had no intention of wooing this princess.
We finally arrived at the palace courtyard at dawn.
Servants attended to our horses and carried our luggage to our temporary accommodation. The steward greeted us and immediately guided us to our rooms, thankfully. At least there was still time to rest.
I was to meet the princess in the afternoon, and the king in the evening. I had a bath prepared for me while I ate from the heaping tray of food that was delivered to my room. When I was ready for bed, I ordered the servants to leave and not disturb me until it was time to meet the princess.
Then I finally fell into the comfort of the soft bed and the snug sheets. I fell asleep in minutes.
I was awoken half an hour before the agreed meeting time. Thirty minutes later, I was fetched from my room and led to the great hall.
The herald announced my arrival, and I slowly walked up to the dais at the far end, closely followed by attendants from my own retinue, bearing gifts for the princess. Those gifts weren't personally from me. I don't even have an idea what they were. Someone from the castle had been tasked with preparing them to showcase my kingdom's wealth.
None of this was personal. This courtship was, in reality, a political visit arranged by our parents. We were just pawns. And now I have to play my part.
I glanced at the princess.
My first impression of her was that she looked like a young nun. Like a contemplative sister, dedicating her life to spiritual worship. Or perhaps she was a widow, mourning the loss of a husband. She was covered entirely in black. A black cloak over a black dress. Her raven black hair merged into her black clothing. Her small, pale face stood out amid her dark garb. Like a floating head.
I fought the urge to snigger.
"Greetings, Princess Elena," I said, bowing respectfully.
"Welcome to Ephemere, Prince Alexandre," she greeted back in a tinkling voice. It reminded me of wind chimes rustling in the breeze. "I hope you've had a good rest."
"Yes, thank you for the gracious accommodation," I replied as I stood up.
I finally looked at her face. Young. Inexperienced. Childish. The rumors about her beauty were true. But what I really noticed was her eyes. They were of a true blue color, not diluted like the more common blue eyes. Like gems. Sapphires. Or Lapis Lazuli.
Fascinating, but not enough to hold my interest.
I looked away and signaled my attendants to come forward. "Gifts. From my kingdom to yours, Princess."
I stood patiently at the side while the gifts were being presented to her one by one. It took a long time. That was the reason why we had two carriages in our retinue. One of them was filled entirely with gifts. We would've arrived much faster if it weren't for that.
"Thank you kindly, Prince Alexandre," Princess Elena said when it was finally over.
But there was still one thing left. Something I was instructed by my mother to personally hand over to the princess.
I stepped once more in front of the dais and produced a small ornate box from my pocket. I faced the box in her direction and opened it.
Inside was a brooch. Its gold frame was shaped into my family's crest, and it was encrusted with rubies and diamonds. Red and White. My kingdom's colors.
"I would like to offer you this token, Princess," I said stonily. "You don't have to wear it, but if you do, then I would know that I carry your favor. On behalf of the Kingdom of Allore, I hope you accept my proposal to unite our people."
Empty words. Words I didn't mean, but had memorized.