"Isn't she the youngest princess? The cursed one? Look… Her eyes have different colors."
Mineah pursed her lips at the murmurs that filled the huge hall of the castle and kept up her confident composure. She held her head high and walked into the hall along with her father, His Majesty King Stephan of Ebodia.
Even from where she stood, she could sense every pair of judgemental eyes that was on her. She nonchalantly ignored them all, of course.
After all, they were right… She was cursed to remain untainted forever. Any man who would touch her would meet a fatal end. And as if that was not enough, she was bound to bring death to herself and the world the moment the moon turned red.
However, no one knew about it except her and their kingdom's Seer, Beirut, who had seen how she was cursed in his visions and dreams. Mineah herself also saw those premonitions in her dreams when she was a child.
'What is she doing? Why is she covering her face? Does she think she's the bride?'
'Why is she even here? Is she trying to ruin such an auspicious occasion?!'
Mineah took a deep breath, unfazed by the rude comments they thought about her. They didn't know she could hear their thoughts just by looking into their eyes, and she had no intention of letting them find out.
While a few thought her eyes to be an anomaly, many others believed it was a sign that she was cursed. They weren't wrong. Her eyes gave her powers no mere mortal should have. She could read minds with her left eye and compel people with her right. But her frail body was already feeling the strain from using her abilities.
Shaking her head slightly and breaking eye contact, Mineah sighed as she finally settled into her seat. The hall had a main throne for her father and another, conspicuously empty, to his right.
She sat on the left of the main throne. The huge hall had two long tables on either side along with one grand chair for each. While one side was filled with guests from the Valcrez Kingdom, the other side was still empty, reserved for another powerful ruler from the Cordon Kingdom.
The occasion was to finalize the alliance between Ebodia and the Valcrez Kingdom through marriage. Though the alliance already has a written agreement, today is the day it turned into reality. She could only wonder how they would react once they heard what her father was about to say.
"Your Majesty, King Stephan, where is Princess Xenia?" a man with red eyes and gray hair, politely enquired. He was the Chancellor of the Kingdom of Valcrez, Chancellor Abel. "She's the bride who is supposed to wed to our King, correct?"
"My oldest daughter… Xenia… is missing…" her father weakly answered.
Almost immediately, outrage filled the insides of the Great Hall. But before anyone could voice out their negative thoughts, the door suddenly swung open. Her brother Ezekiel entered the hall to deliver the news about Helion's armies spotted heading towards their kingdom came.
What her father had feared most after all these years… It was finally happening… A war against the most bloodthirsty and heinous of known kingdoms.
"As you see, our Kingdom is now facing a war against Helion," her father announced as if to regain the attention of the crowd before them. "It might be best if we postponed the marriage ceremony today."
"I beg to disagree, Your Majesty. I believe this is even more reason to proceed with the marriage ceremony. We must secure the alliance between our kingdoms, especially now that your kingdom will be at war," A pale woman with straight golden blond hair insisted.
Mineah identified the woman who spoke as Ezme, the only sister of the King of Valcrez. Mineah had previously studied everything pertaining to the Kingdom of Valcrez to prepare for her plans, so she made no mistake.
"I don't mean to be rude, but do you really think you humans can win against the Demon King whose armies are ten folds stronger than yours?" Ezme continued. "Yes, you have mages, but will they be enough to win this war? We don't want your kingdom to be wiped out in just a day. It will be a pity… And must I remind you that you came asking for this alliance and not us?! We didn't travel and cross the Miran Ocean all the way here for nothing!"
"But how can we proceed with the wedding when my daughter has gone missing?" King Stephan burst out.
"Father," Mineah called to her father in her usual soft and sweet voice.
Her father turned to her, which made her notice how his lips were pursed. She smiled behind the veil covering her lips, making sure that the smile was carried to her eyes and not just her lips. She gave him a knowing nod. It was time to carry out her plan.
Seeing her response, King Stephan frowned deeply before closing his eyes. He then quickly opened them once more as he turned to look at their guests from the Kingdom of Valcrez. "M-my…"
But he stalled, unable to say the words like Mineah had expected.
Seeing this, she let out a deep sigh before she spoke, "As my father has said, my sister is missing, which means that the marriage will not happen today. However, given the circumstances and your insistence on proceeding with the marriage, if you allow it, I will willingly replace my sister and marry your King to finalize this marriage alliance."