I won!
"Princess Gwen—"
"I am here." I immediately dashed forward, standing beside the speaker whose smile didn't waver one bit as he stared down at me due to his tall figure.
He gave me a curt nod which I returned with my not-so-gracious curtsy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, once again, I present to you, your future Princess and Queen, Princess Gwendolyn!"
I felt my heart soar when the crowd stood and applauded.
The speaker leaned in and whispered, "You can take off your mask now so they can see your face,"
I nodded and untied the mask from my face with shaky hands.
I can't even describe how I feel at this minute. Happy? Anxious? Scared? Overwhelmed?
Standing under the curious gaze of strangers made me feel as uncomfortable as ever.
From where I am standing, I can see people murmuring and whispering among themselves.
As soon as King Armstrong joined on the stage, the crowd erupted in another roar.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." King Armstrong began,
"I want to thank you all for coming here tonight, and thank you for your support." When he turned to me, my heart jumped into my stomach, he didn't look happy at all. Although he is smiling, I am smart enough to know the smile of a man who is happy to have a new daughter-in-law and a man who isn't.
He clapped his hands together, and the man, who might be the butler immediately brought a golden tiara on a golden tray to the stage, "kneel," He commanded, and before I could have the time to teach him more about politeness, I was already kneeling in front of him.
"To my future daughter-in-law, I want to say welcome to the family!" As soon as the crown touched my head, I felt a sudden surge of power in my body as I stood and curtsied to my soon-to-be father-in-law.
The king asked in a clipped tone, "Do you have anything to tell us?"
It wasn't a question, he wants me to say something. The thing is what am I going to say?
He offered his hand to me as I moved to stand beside him. I swallowed the bile that was stuck in my throat and began my unprepared speech, "Good evening everyone," My voice came out as a little whisper, but I immediately cleared it,
"Good evening everyone, I am so humbled and honoured to be standing here before you as the winner of this competition. When I first entered, I never thought I would be standing here today, but here I am. To all the other princesses who competed, I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication. You all are amazing and deserve to be here just as much as I do." I turned to the princesses and smiled at them. Some of them returned the polite gesture, while some of them just glared at me. I couldn't but notice how the girl from earlier was glaring daggers at me, but I ignored her and continued my speech
"Competing in this competition has been an incredible experience, and I am so thankful for the opportunity. I am proud to have been a part of this competition, and I am even more proud to be the winner. I look forward to representing my people as the princess and future queen and making the most of this amazing opportunity. Thank you all for being here and for your support. I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening."
"Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy your night." With that, the king was out of the stage as he went to mingle with the crowd.
I looked around the room for my soon-to-be-husband but didn't find him, not like I know him, but at least I hoped to be able to identify him.
"Don't worry, the prince will soon join you. He is currently occupied with something." The speaker informed me as I made my way down the stage with his help.
In the crowd, I began hearing whispers and murmurings like 'Who is she?' 'Where is she from?' 'How come we have never heard about her before?'
I ignored them all and continued making my way to my family members only to be stopped by the same man, who I had bumped into earlier. I was about to give him a piece of my mind when he said, "May I have the honour of dancing with my soon-to-be-wife?"
Hmm, maybe, I really shouldn't have participated in this competition at all.
Having a man with questionable manners is not something I was looking forward to, but what can I do?
He cleared his throat to grab my attention back to his face as I have been burning holes into his outstretched hand.
"People are watching. Are you going to grab the hand or what?" He asked calmly, but I could hear the irritation in his tone.
Indeed, people were watching with burning curiosity behind their masks as they gathered around us. Without thinking much about it, I put my hands in his and allowed him to lead me to the dance floor. I didn't fail to notice how his grip tightened almost painfully around my hand.
At the dance floor, he wrapped his hand around my waist and forcefully brought me closer to him where I had no choice but to wrap my hands around his neck.
He swayed us to the beat of the soft music that filled the hall, but he was moving faster than the beats, making our dance look off.
I have never been one to fantasize about moments like this, but isn't this the moment where the two of us are supposed to sway romantically while staring into each other's eyes like lovestruck fools? A moment where it is supposed to feel like it is just the both of us in this big hall? A moment I am supposed to feel butterflies and tingles in my body while beaming at the man?
Why do I feel so angry, frustrated, and disgusted even, in his rough hands? Is it normal to want to strangle your soon-to-be husband on the first meeting?
The tension between us was a remarkable one, as were both lost in our thoughts
"I am curious," He suddenly whispered closer to my ear, causing my breath to catch in my throat, but I said nothing.
"What is your connection to the beast?"