Ignis was sitting on the sofa in the King's study, her eyes were glued to the pieces of glass and bloody fingerprints on the coffee table.
When Ignis suggested divorce, she heard his evil laugh.
"Are you in your right mind Princess?" Adrian asked. He poured himself some water as if to calm down. "You have all the knowledge in the world, but, you did not bother to learn about the family in which you wish to get married" he took a sip of water.
"Apologies, Your Highness, but I do not understand. Why must we be in a relationship once we each have fulfilled our purpose? Isn't it better to simply divor - "
Adrian banged the glass on the coffee table with such a force that it shattered into tiny pieces. He stood and leaned towards her, placing the bloodied hand on the coffee table, a few pieces still sticking to his palm. He looked straight into her eyes and said in a low grim voice.
"In my family, we have had all kinds of weddings, be it out of love, for political advantage, with commoners or foreigners. Everyone considers that bond sacred, and hence, do everything in their power to maintain their relationship. I wish to do the same. Whatever plan you device, make sure to remember this one point - there will be no divorce, ever"
Before she could say anything, he stomped out of the room.
The whole scene kept playing in her mind, repeatedly. Did I made a huge blunder? In this age, isn't divorce common between aristocrats? Why is he so sensitive?
Ignis waited for him to return, but after an hour, she gave up.
She went straight to the stable and sat beside Gale. What should I do? I will need to think about something soon.
*** Next Day ***
Ignis entered the King's study. She saw Adrian standing near a window looking outside.
"Your Majesty, I want to apologize for my words" she bowed slightly. "I was genuinely unaware of the Mari Family's traditions. Whatever I said yesterday was the cause of my ignorance, but, I never meant any distress to you"
"Take a seat Princess" Adrian rubbed the back of his neck with his bandaged hand.
Ignis felt bad when she saw his hand. She regretted not reading about the customs of the Aqua Land. This one mistake may cause her entire plan to flop today.
"As you are aware, I met Maximus Celeste of Lumins Merchant Guild to know more about you. He said many things about you. About you working as a strategist for a few missions, running away from the Castle, getting locked up for weeks, about your mother. I deduced that Fyre Kingdom is not the only thing you want from this alliance". He looked tired but calm as opposed to the last few days.
"Whatever it is, I feel that joining hands with you will only call for unnecessary attention to me and my land. We already have our internal problems to deal with, I do not want to add to our burden, simply for a Princess's revenge" he concluded.
Ignis felt like she had hit a wall. No matter how much she racked her brain, nothing seems to come out of it.
"So, I offer two proposals to you" Adrian said. "First, let's not get married. We will secretly join hands to take care of your problem. Once you get your Kingdom, I get my three offers and we walk our separate paths. Or ..." He took a deep breath "... how about you forget about this revenge and marry me for real?"
She was confused. Marry for real?. He continued.
"Princess Ignis, you are a head-strong woman. Even though you didn't have formal education, you are well read. I heard that you understand the politics and general management of a Kingdom. You care about your people and try to keep them safe. I am looking for a Queen who has all these qualities. If you just forget about Fyre Land, I will help you start a new life here. We can also hire your staff in the Palace and get the Knights to join the Royal Knights" he looked at her expectantly.
Ignis looked down at her fingers and let out a small laugh.
"Your Highness, I cannot accept your first proposal. If I stayed here without getting married, my father would come and take me away. He might also put imperial pressure on you and I cannot let that happen to a Land which provided me with solace, even for a short time"
She stood up and walked towards the door.
"For the second offer... I never expected you to understand me, but if you can try, please try to put yourself in my shoes" she opened the door and called Domi inside the study. "This will be a bit unpleasant for you to see, but I would like to show you a horrendous side of my life"
Adrian saw Domi's eyes widened. She quickly shook her head, showing her disagreement to whatever Ignis was telling her to do. Ignis smiled warmly "I am fine, just do it".
Ignis turned to face the door, her back facing the King. Domi moved her hair to the front and started unhooking the dress. Adrian was about to ask Domi to stop undressing the Princess, when his eyes fell upon the dry boils and bruises on her back. Vivid shades of blue, black and red covered all her back. He instantly shot up from his chair, shocked.
Domi quickly fastened the hooks back and left the room hurriedly.
"I do sometimes think of giving up" she confessed. "But the pain doesn't let me forget my days in the Castle. Every cell of my body wants that man to suffer as much as me and my mother have suffered. I feel that I will truly be rid of this pain by either bringing that man to justice or pushing myself off a cliff, nothing in between" She stood in front of the King again whose face was darkened.
"I understand your point of view, Your Majesty" Ignis continued. "But, I cannot accept any of your two offers". They were both silent for a few minutes.
Ignis pulled up a defeated smile and bowed.
"I took up too much of your time. I should get back and prepare to leave as soon as possible. Father must have already taken measures to bring me back. I cannot stay here for a long time" She turned to leave.
"Princess Ignis, will you be able to handle the Fyre Kingdom and stay married to me?" he emphasized the word 'and'. "I mean can you think of some arrangements wherein you will stay in Aqua Land and can also reign over Fyre Land?" Adrian moved away from his chair. Ignis saw him walk towards the door without looking at her.
"If you can think of a way, then, meet me in my chamber after dinner. Lets draw a contract" he faced her and smiled. Before she could ask him anything, he was out in an instant. She sat back dumbstruck on her seat, staring at the door.
What just happened?