As Anezka spoke those words, Selmor, Serena, and Mikael exchanged quick glances. Selmor cleared his throat to catch Anezka's attention. "We've done something for you, and we want you to know about it." Anezka narrowed her eyes at Selmor and replied, "Considering your expression and the history of all of you always hiding things from me, I can only assume it's something horrible. So tell me; nothing can be worse than the situation I'm in right now."
As Anezka finished speaking, Serena took a deep breath before dropping the news on her. "You are betrothed to Queen Azara of the Kingdom of Corbin as her bride." Upon hearing her mother's statement, Anezka let out a humorless laugh. "Serena Orien, have you lost your mind? Don't you know Azara is nonexistent? No one has seen or heard from her in 200 years, and you're telling me I'm betrothed to her? Please, don't joke around, Mother. I'm not in the mood for jokes."
Hearing their daughter speak like this, Mikael shook his head with a somber expression. He tried to explain, "You've been in a coma for eight years, my daughter. We weren't able to see you like this. Then Queen Azara helped us bring you back to normal, but on one condition: we had to make you betrothed to her. We agreed because we just wanted to see our daughter alive and breathing."
As Mikael spoke, Anezka stood up and, in a panic, raised her voice. "You all made me betrothed to a shadow? A ghost? I don't even know if she has a physical body or not! How could you do this? How?" She walked towards Selmor and gripped his collar tightly. "I know I was selfish back then and killed your brother, but do you hate me so much that you sold me to a monster?"
Selmor didn't say anything and allowed Anezka to express her anger. Meanwhile, Mikael rushed toward them and forced Anezka to let go of Selmor. He held her hands and made her release her grip. As Anezka stepped away from Selmor, she cried heavily and said, shaking, "Leave. Everyone leave. I don't want any explanations. When you all have already made your decisions, I'm just a puppet following your lead. I'll do what you've decided, so leave my chamber right now!"
Mikael wanted to speak up and say something, but Serena held his hand and shook her head silently, urging both Selmor and Mikael to remain quiet and leave Anezka's chamber. Once everyone had left, Anezka sat on the floor and cried heavily. As she wept, she felt something cold against her back. A shiver ran down her spine, and she gasped, frantically looking around the room. When she realized that she was alone in her chamber, she got up and ensured that the balcony door, windows, and the main door were securely closed. Feeling shaken, she decided to rest and try to sleep.
....
In the morning
After last night's chaos, Serena and Mikael sat on their throne, tension lines etched on their foreheads. One of the guards approached them, saying, "Your Majesties, Evrin Dimitri from the Kingdom of Corbin has arrived with one of his creatures. He requests to meet with you." Hearing the guard's words, Serena narrowed her eyes and looked at Mikael. She commanded the guards, "Let him in, make him sit in the meeting hall, and also call Selmor to join him."
Once the guard left, Serena sighed as she held Mikael's hands tightly. "I suppose it's time to give our precious daughter to them," Mikael said with a heavy tone, caressing Serena's hands. It was a difficult moment for the queen and king to betroth their daughter, but they didn't have any other options left.
Meanwhile, following Serena's command, the guard guided Evrin towards the meeting hall. As Evrin Dimitri settled into one of the chairs, the royal pet of Queen Azara, a large owl with soft brown and white plumage, sat beside him silently. While Evrin was waiting, he saw the door of the meeting hall open and noticed Selmor, along with the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Gaelen, entering the hall.
As everyone settled into the meeting hall, King and Queen sat at the front with Evrin Dimitri. Serena spoke first to break the silence. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Gaelen, Evrin Dimitri. As a royal advisor of Queen Azara, I had a feeling I'd see you today. You never fail to amaze me."
In response to Serena's backhanded compliment, Evrin chuckled and replied, "What can I say, Your Majesty? We Arderes are experts at seizing opportunities." Serena laughed humorlessly and replied, "Of course, Arderes. You can enjoy some sweets and tea; I'll personally escort my daughter." Evrin nodded understandingly as Serena stood up and decided to walk toward Anezka's chamber, bracing herself to face her daughter.
Serena walked towards Anezka's chamber and knocked on the door. When Anezka opened it, she looked like she had just woken up. Serena noticed her daughter's condition—Anezka had swollen eyes with dark bags underneath, and her hair was disheveled and faded.
Rubbing her eyes in an attempt to shake off sleep, Anezka asked, "What happened?" As Serena entered the chamber, she replied, "Get ready, Anezka. Evrin, the royal advisor of the Kingdom of Corbin, has arrived to take you to his kingdom safely." As soon as Serena finished speaking, she saw her daughter crying again.
This time, however, Anezka did not resist her emotions. Instead, she walked over to her dressing table and began to comb her hair. Serena observed her quietly. Once Anezka had finished fixing her hair, she stood in front of her mother and declared, "I'm ready."
Serena shook her head as she placed her hands on Anezka's shoulders and said, "My child, please get ready properly. You haven't even washed your face. Don't be so hard on yourself." Anezka wiped her tears and gently removed Serena's hands from her shoulders. "We prepare for occasions when we are happy," she replied, "and I am certainly not happy about being sold, Your Majesty."
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"People are afraid of what they do not understand."
- By Michael J. Sullivan