Chapter 1: unknown fate
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"The sound of the alarm pierced through the silence. Selene opened her eyes gently, yawning out loud. I smell so horrible, she said to herself. She was about to get off her bed when she heard the sound of someone knocking on her door, followed by a voice: 'Princess Selene, please wake up. You know today is a very important day.
"Selene sighed in disbelief. How could I forget? Today is such an important day. Selene got up from her bed, then opened the door, allowing Mara to come inside.
Mara is her personal maid, who has always taken care of her since she was a teenager. When she needed someone to talk to, Mara was also there to listen, even when nobody supported her. Mara always stood by her side.
Selene's thoughts were interrupted by Mara's voice. My princess, Mara called out. 'Your father will be expecting you in the royal hall a few hours from now, and your suitors are on their way. You have to get ready.
'I'm so sorry, Mara,' Selene apologized. 'I literally forgot about today's plan.
'My princess, you don't have to apologize to me. It is my duty, and I am very happy to do it. I don't want to waste the little time we have left, so let me prepare your bath as fast as possible.
Mara left, dashing into the bathroom.
Selene stood in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection. She wondered why her life had to be so cruel to her. She was just 22 years old, but the responsibility on her shoulders was really too much for her. Her father was trying to find a suitor for her, but all the men who came in the last few days rejected her, calling her impure.
All because of her skin color. Her mother was one of her father's mistresses and the only Black woman in the entire kingdom. She got pregnant by the king, but while giving birth, she died. Then people saw the child as a curse. Now, the child had grown up to be a young lady—her, standing in front of the mirror."
Again, her thoughts were interrupted by Mara's voice. 'My princess, your bath is ready.' Selene shifted her focus from the mirror and walked toward her bathroom. She took off her clothes and slid into the bathtub.
She let the warmth of the water take over her, her mind escaping reality for the first time in a long while.
After a few minutes, Selene was done with her bath. She made her way to her dressing room, where Mara was waiting for her. She carefully sat down in front of the mirror while Mara began to dry her hair. When Mara was done, she began to style Selene's curly hair into a ponytail.
Selene knew how hard it was to style her hair. Many hairstylists gave up on her hair because of how difficult it was to pack it perfectly. But Mara never complained about her hair, not even once about the texture. Afterward, Mara began to apply a slight amount of makeup to her face. With a few finishing touches, Selene looked flawless.
Mara assisted her in putting on her bright yellow dress, which was adorned with different types of jewelry. While putting on the yellow dress, Selene noticed how heavy it was, but she had no other options.
When she had already put on the dress, she looked at herself in the mirror. She really liked how the bright yellow dress highlighted her brown skin and gave it a natural glow. She then returned her gaze to Mara.
She stared at Mara with her hazel eyes before she uttered the words, 'Thank you.
Mara replied with a smile. 'You're welcome, my princess. I think it's time for us to go downstairs.
"Mara helped Selene while going downstairs because she knew it was going to be very difficult for Selene to walk in that heavy dress.
Upon reaching the royal hall, Selene's heart started to beat faster. She became very nervous and then noticed her hands were shaking from fear. Her father had already told her that this was her last chance. If none of the suitors who came today accepted her, she would be sold to a neighboring kingdom as a mistress to their king. That was her biggest fear—to be someone else's mistress. She didn't want her life to follow the same pattern as her mother's.
Deep down in her mind, she knew no one would accept her because hundreds of suitors had already rejected her in the past few weeks. She wanted to stay positive, but the negative thoughts always overpowered her positive ones.
She prayed silently in her mind, hoping that today a new fate awaited her."
"Your Highness, I can't follow you to the royal hall, so I will just wait outside," Mara said, facing Selene.
"Okay, no problem. I will go in myself," Selene turned her back, then made her way inside the royal hall. Her father was seated on his throne, while her stepmother sat at the left-hand side of her father. The crown prince, her stepbrother, sat at the right-hand side of her father.
A man elegantly dressed in a blue royal attire, looking like he was in his early 40s, was also seated in the midst of her family. Immediately, she knew he was her suitor. When the man turned his head in her direction, Selene's heart stopped.
Selene could see the man's reaction; he looked very dissatisfied. She was used to those types of looks because every time a suitor came, they either looked at her with disgust or disappointment.
Hardin, this is Selene, her father said.
Oh, the man's name is Hardin, Selene murmured to herself. Hardin gave her a polite nod before looking at the king. Sorry, Your Highness, but I can't accept her as my bride. I don't want to stain my family's lineage. I hope you understand. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave.
Hardin stood up from his seat and headed for the door, walking past Selene like she didn't exist. When Hardin left, Selene took her seat. A few minutes later, the next suitor arrived, but he also rejected her. Four other suitors came after that, and they all rejected her as well.
Selene knew her father was running out of patience. He looked at her with a warning gaze. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, the tension in the air grew thicker, and everywhere became silent.
She looked at her father, trying to understand what was going on. But before she could figure it out, she saw her father standing from his throne. Fear filled his eyes. Her stepmother and brother also looked tense. When she turned to see what was happening, she was stunned by the man standing before her. She had never seen anyone so mesmerizing in her life. Then she realized everyone around her was fidgeting in fear.