"Fine. Since we can't come to a decision, you have to make a promise," the minister declared, offering a deal on behalf of everyone.
Elias nodded, and the minister glanced at Tessa before returning his gaze to Elias.
"Once she conceives a son, she will be sent out of the castle," the minister divulged and Tessa burst into laughter.
"I am okay with that deal," she responded and added silently, "That is if your depressed king is still alive after this marriage." She smirked.
The crowd forgot one crucial detail about her past, she was cursed never to get married.
"Agreed," Elias said, and the ministers sighed in relief, though they weren't entirely satisfied.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you. There's something else you don't know about, but I won't bother telling you." Walking past the minister, she stood beside Elias in front of the priest.
"What is it?" The minister asked, his tone full of disdain.
"Minister Gregory," Elias interjected before Tessa could respond, giving him a look that the minister quickly understood.
"As you wish, Your Majesty," the minister said, bowing before leaving the stage.
"We shall now begin the wedding of King Elias Baldwin and Tessa...?" The priest started, pausing to confirm Tessa's full name.
"Tessa Matthew," she answered, lying about her surname. Who cared if it was fake?
"What a weird full name for a dangerous person, so befitting," someone in the crowd remarked.
"And Tessa Matthew. Today, Moon goddess, we have come..." the priest continued, and the wedding proceeded smoothly to its conclusion.
"Why didn't you step in earlier?" Andrew asked Veronica, recalling the chaos in the wedding hall. He noticed how calm his mother was despite the commotion and found it strange since she had grown fond of Tessa, her thief daughter-in-law.
"I know my son," was all she said, smiling.
Click, click.
Grabbing everyone's attention, someone tapped their spoon against a glass until all eyes were on him.
"The mating ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. The bride and groom will be taking a short break until then. Thanks for coming," the man announced before leaving the stage.
"Finally, this wedding dress is awful," Tessa muttered, taking a deep breath. She couldn't wait to return to her room after that announcement. She and Elias had been involved in multiple introductions and greetings that never ended well, as she struggled to control her mouth.
Well, what could she do when they kept picking on her? It wasn't her fault Selena was too blind to choose a better woman and picked her instead.
Left to her, she would rather live as a butcher than as a king's wife, it was the most depressing position. Drinking tea with spoiled princesses who saw marriage as a great achievement, and princes who thought they were every woman's dream. But thankfully, modernization has made princes and princesses go in extinct in most part of the world.
Just thinking about it made her stomach twist in disgust. What a degrading position.
"Before you make judgment, think about your life." Elias, who only allowed her to talk bluntly at everyone, finally spoke, advising her.
"Dude, the greetings are over, you should have said that earlier. Also, my life is way more lively than yours," she said, throwing her hands in the air to express herself which didn't sit well with the audience.
"She has no decorum or manners," a lady dressed in a pompous gown remarked, eyeing Tessa like she couldn't wait for her to vanish.
"You can go back to your room," Elias firmly responded and left her side.
"Very boring mate," she clicked her tongue and also stood up to leave.
"So can I eat now?" On her way back to her room with her maids, she asked, grappling at the zip on her gown to take it off.
"Consort Tessa, you shouldn't do that here?!" Alarmed, the senior maid scolded, holding her hands to stop her from doing anything inappropriate further.
"No one is here, and this is the Consort's quarters right?" Unbothered, she asked, that took the maids off balance.
Who undresses outside because people weren't present to look at them? She was sure it would be very hard to train Tessa.
"This is the king's women's quarters, he also has some concubines who are now Consorts, that he was gifted with before his succession. You are the only one who ever passed the concubine stage to the Consort stage with ease." The senior lectured, causing Tessa to nod her head even though she didn't understand what she was saying.
"So what does that have to do with me releasing myself from this bondage of a gown?" She asked, staring at the maid blankly.
Forcing herself not to sigh, the senior maid smiled instead and responded, "You have rivals my lady and they can't wait to see you sent out of the palace because of your…" Realizing she was about to make a mistake, the senior maid stopped talking.
"My bad reputation?" Completing her statement, Tessa added and the senior maid hesitatingly nodded her head.
"I thought I had no rivals but since I have the same goal as them, I can't wait to help them send me out." Surprisingly, she was not angry and seemed happy about leaving the palace.
"Enough talking, I have only a few hours to rest before the mating stuff." Cutting the senior maid's word off, she said and started making her way to her room faster.
"She has no idea what she is about to face, I hope she survives this and doesn't die like…" Cutting her off, the senior maid sent her a warning glare.
"Unless you want to be dismissed like Monica, you had better shut your mouth." She threatened, which made the maid immediately bow her head in submission.
Tessa was currently in the bathroom and had been in the tub for almost an hour causing them to worry. They could only hope she would come out soon, or they would have to go against her order and enter the bathroom to confirm if she was okay.
"She has probably committed suicide,"