Ariana could swear that Zayn's mood was worse than hers when she was at that time of the month. Their relationship was a complex one, filled with unspoken tensions and unmet expectations.
Early morning next day,
Ariana's room was a flurry of activity from early morning, with maids bustling in and out. It was the first time in a long while that Princess Ariana would be seen in public with the Duke, meeting the royals. The maids, feeling the weight of the occasion, were determined to showcase their skills and make the princess stand out.
"What about the dress, princess? What color do you want to wear?"
"Do you like this hairstyle, princess?"
"What about the face? You like it to look natural, do you?"
"How about we use these accessories, princess?"
Ariana's head has been dizzy since the early morning with the calls princess this, princess that.
It's already late for her to sleep, and now, after being forced to wake up, she needs to get ready pretty quickly. This really makes her feel tired instantly.
"Ugh... Must we do this, Lily? " Ariana finally asked Lily, who was smiling next to her.
"Of course. It's not like you can meet the King all the time, so you need to be pretty. " Let's do this so that he regrets abandoning you. Lily has another hidden meaning.
"Tch, it's not like I am important or anything."
"Don't say that, my lady. After all, you go around today with the Duke as a couple. There are a lot of eyes out there that will look. So you must do this to preserve this house name. You understand, right."
Ariana can only sigh. She can't understand even if she tries anyway.
After hours of torture, Ariana is finally ready.
She then walked out of her room and met Zayn in the middle of the street. She was a little surprised as Zayn wore clothes of the same color and design as his. It's a set!
Closer to each other, face to face, Ariana trying to be the first to break the silence.
"Let's go."
But Zayn just looked at him without moving. Ariana started to feel awkward at that moment.
"The dress looks good on you."
He suddenly said out of nowhere, making Ariana frown.
"What the heck?"
Ariana can't help but say this out loud as the Duke doesn't look like himself at the time.
What's going on with the sudden friendly talk about 'the dress looks good on you'? This clearly freaks Ariana out as she knows very well how deep the hatred this guy has for her. Even the last night, he showed it again!
But even with the bizarre words that Ariana blurted out, it didn't faze Zayn at all. He just has the same poker face as he always does, making Ariana even more unwilling to understand a thing until she sees the 'X' hand sign from Lily, who is far behind the Duke. She then looked around, and other maids now looked at her as if anticipating something.
At this time, he could see Head Butler Smith behind him, wiping his sweat with his handkerchief. Only then did Ariana realize that this Head Butler was the culprit? He probably forced this on the Duke to create some unnecessary 'drama.' The problem is why the Duke is following the idea.
"Let's go. We don't want to be late, right? " Didn't follow the sign, Ariana continued to say and stepped past Zayn, who was standing in front of her.
Zayn, who knows what he just does, is embarrassed, staring sharply at Smith as if protesting.
Smith, however, feigned ignoring and talking about other things smoothly.
"Let me send you to the carriage, your grace."
After a few seconds, Ariana, who was already far ahead walking away from the Duke, arrived in front of the carriage. Seeing the carriage door that was already wide open, she immediately jumped into it without even waiting for the Duke.
It wasn't long before Zayn finally arrived and got into the carriage, sitting opposite Ariana.
Ariana decided to ignore him even though she is usually nervous around him. Right now, he is the least of her concerns.
She actually felt quite scared to face her family who lives in this world. Various questions began to hit her mind.
What should she do? Are all those rumors about her family detesting and despising her true? Can she be herself?
When the carriage moved, then Zayn spoke.
"Smith asked me to be friendly to you as we are about to get married. You should learn to get used to it. Only then can we avoid unnecessary news about the Duke and Duchess not getting along. At least, in front of people, keep your opinion about me inside your heart and just act accordingly. I will do the same."
Ariana didn't answer even though she actually listened well to what Zayn said. She seems to be still daydreaming, and this ticks Zayn a little bit.
"Did you hear what I just said?" Zayn raised his voice a little.
Ariana flinched a little before answering.
"Sorry? I-I mean, I heard you."
Zayn sighed deeply, seeing her like this.
"But why? Didn't you say it's annoying to lie? Can't we just do whatever we like even though we're married?"
"I do hate to lie. But these issues are different. Even if we both hate each other, we still have to fulfill our obligations as husband and wife, as well as Duke and Duchess of this empire, even though I'm sure you won't understand this. What you should know is to behave yourself. You can do whatever you want without me interfering if you behave."
Ariana's eyes lit a little.
"Does that mean I can reduce the knights who follow me after marriage?"
"That's... A different story."
Listening to that, Ariana continues to be weak. She knows this Duke is difficult to trap by that kind of petty trick.
Only silence accompanied them until the journey ended after they entered the gate of the royal palace.
After the carriage stopped, the coachman opened the carriage door, and Zayn was the one who got off first, followed by Ariana.
When she took her head out of the carriage, she was a little stunned when she saw Zayn standing by the side, extending his hand towards her as if trying to help her get down, but she didn't want to raise her hopes.
She then lifted her long dress and continued to dive to the ground so that Zayn was a little stunned by what happened.
"You..."
Ariana blinked innocently, waiting for Zayn to finish his words while lowering her dress and acting as if nothing had happened before.
"Never mind." Zayn decided just to let it pass, and now he was standing next to her.
He knows now that if he wants to do something with her, he needs to say it straight and not do it in silence, hoping she understands or she won't get the ideas at all. She is losing her freaking mind anyway!
"Put your hand around me." He said after learning his lesson.
Seeing Zayn's serious face, Ariana knows this is part of the culture, so she links her hands around his before moving into the palace.
At the entrance, the four princes with poker faces greeted them with the palace butler.
"Thank you for inviting us, the four princes," Zayn said the greeting while bowing to him a little, and Ariana followed awkwardly while putting her other hand into her chest, just like what Madam Petunia taught her at the last minute. At least she knows one or two things.
The four princes just nodded their heads while looking at Ariana.
They hadn't met for so long now, actually, since Ariana was at the Duke's palace. They've lost contact as Ariana seems to be avoiding them. It's not new, as Ariana avoids them even when she lives here. But they can feel a new vibe coming from their one and only little sister there. Suddenly...
"Welcome, Duke Basileous and Princess. The King awaits at the meeting room to talk about the wedding before we have lunch. " The first prince, Prince Aiden, said on behalf of all the princes before all of them escorted the Duke and the future Duchess to the said place.
Ariana felt a little overwhelmed after hearing the voice, and her hand started holding the Duke a little harder. Zayn is aware of that, but he just keeps silent about it. It's not like he is hurting by that kind of pressure.
He knows why she feels that way at that time anyway. Usually, Ariana turns pale every time she faces the royal family, even though they are her own family, but this time, she is still standing composed. Maybe it is not all bad for her to lose her memories after all.
~~~~~~~~~~
ROYAL PALACE, MEETING PLACE.
"We bow to the King of this empire," Zayn said while bowing down with his hand on his heart, and this time, Ariana bowed down while slightly lifting her dress with both hands as a sign of respect.
While bowing down, Ariana can't help but feel a little pain in her eyes as she finally stands face-to-face with her father.
She really misses that face, but she knows she needs to control her emotions as this person is not her father, who is the head of a mafia organization; this person is way much higher than that. He is the King!
"Sit down," Alexander said with a serious face. He is nothing like the father that Ariana remembers at all.
Listening to the order, all four princes, Zayn and Ariana, finally sat in the chairs provided when they heard the order.
"I believe we all know the reason why we are all gathered here. Duke Basileous finally sent his word regarding his marriage with Princess Ariana after postponing it for so long. This time, I'm glad that it is, but it is not the case. " Alexander started.
"I believe this is the right time for it, Your Highness," Zayn replied. He didn't even fear facing the King, who didn't even smile at that time.
"After four years and only now do you think it's the right time?" The fourth prince, Prince Ariel, finally spoke as if mocking the situation.
"What about the expenses? This is the first royal wedding that will take place here. I believe the Duke refused the royal to provide a dowry to the princess as he had said he could provide it to her before. " Prince Aiden started making calculations.
"We also need a lot of warriors to control at that time. Who knows if someone tries to rebel " The second prince, Prince Ashton, is also talking now.
Ariana smiled a little at this moment as she felt like a deja vu, and this did not escape the gaze of the four princes. They were clearly shocked seeing this. The Ariana they know is Ariana, who is always timid and trembling because of fear; she even stutters each time they try to talk to her, now smiling so peacefully.
"What about you?" The third prince, Prince Asher, suddenly asked Ariana.
Ariana must have been a little surprised by the attention as she didn't know where to see anymore and just kept staring here and there, not yet answering.
"Why are you being quiet?"