My entire life I had been preparing for this day. I always knew I was never going to be able to choose whom to marry because I was a woman and a princess.

I didn't have the right to choose. I had no rights at all. My opinions and feelings didn't matter to anyone, not even my own family. In fact, my father viewed me as a tool to gain more power, to create an Alliance with the kingdom of Decresh. A very powerful kingdom- by marrying me out to one of their princes.

"For a prince and princess, the kingdom comes first. Your desire for something else comes after." Father always said.

Yeah,right. It could be for a prince, but not for a princess. If a prince married for alliance and doesn't like his wife, he could just marry another.

Usually, most of them had several wives and mistresses, but for a princess the story was different. There's nothing she could do. She just had to please her husband and watch as he marries other women when he gets bored with her. I felt my blood boil, but now was not the time to get angry.

Leaving all the bad thoughts behind me, I studied myself in the mirror. My maids spent hours preparing me, making me look more beautiful than I was. I was in a white and golden dress, and my brown hair was combed back beautifully with golden hairpins in the shape of flowers and leaves. The make up was perfect, the only problem was the jewelry. They were pretty but heavy now that I was wearing a lot of them. I was already feeling weak, was it because of nervousness or fear? I didn't know, but I was feeling sick.

There was a knot in my stomach that refused to go away no matter how hard I tried to calm down. "My Lady, don't you like the dress?" Lydia asked.

Lydia and Vivian, my handmaids have been in charge of me since I was a little girl. They were the only ones I could freely talk to. I would miss them dearly once I had left. "No, I love it. It's beautiful" I tried to smile but failed. Lydia could see the fear on my face "Everything will be alright my lady" Lydia told me. "Don't listen to the rumors, they're nothing but just that. Maybe your husband is a nice man."

She tried to sound positive but I could hear the doubt in her voice. Not that I believed the rumors, but they did affect me. I wasn't scared because people said he was the Devil's son, they couldn't be speaking literally. They were probably referring to his personality, maybe he's a liar, a murderer or he was just pure evil, and that's what scared me.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts and shortly after a court lady came in. "My Lady, it's time", she informed me. I descended down the stairs with Lydia and Vivian behind me, careful not to fall or stumble but it was hard with the long dress and heavy jewelry. I was relieved when there were only a few steps left, but just then, I stepped on my dress and stumbled forward, almost falling, before a strong arm came around my waist and saved me from ruining myself on my wedding day. Straightening myself, I looked up to see who it was.

Who had dared to touch a princess that way? Not that I minded, I was just curious. Looking up, my eyes met a pair of golden pupils. No, wait, not golden. They had the color of flames or the larva from a volcano. I had never seen eyes like that before. "Are you alright, my lady?" Asked the man in front with a smile. If I had knots in my stomach before, it suddenly changed to butterflies as I gazed into his eyes. Who was this man?. I had never seen him before. He was tall, broad-shouldered and his thick raven black hair fell over his shoulders down to his waist. You could tell from the clothes that he was royalty. Could he be one of the royalties who came in attendance for my wedding?. "Yes, yes.. I'm fine, my Lord" I replied. He bowed elegantly before turning around and leaving.

"That's one good looking gentleman" Vivian pointed as I stared while he walked away. Yes, I thought to myself. Very good looking, but I was getting married and didn't have the luxury to look at other men. "Shall we?" I asked, but Lydia and Vivian were too occupied to hear what I said. They kept following him with their gaze till he was out of sight. I snapped my fingers in front of their faces to wake them up. "Yes, yes, my lady, let's go" They hurried to say.

The ceremony would begin with a greeting exchange between the bride, the groom and their families. I gave the guard a nod, and he informed of my presence then mentioned for me to enter.

Lydia and Vivian gave me a reassuring smile before I walked inside. Now I was all on my own.

Taking a deep breath, I strode into the hall carefully while all heads turned to look at me. I walked with my head high but kept my gaze low, only looking at the floor until I arrived at the throne where my father was sitting with my mother next to him. While greeting them, I felt my legs tremble.

My mother smiled nervously at me, but my father just gestured for me to sit at a table nearby. He was unruffled by the fact he's marrying me off to a prince rumored to be the devil's son.

Ignoring my father, I smiled at my mother then went to my seat. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Some stared at me with pity while others with repulsion. Not like it was my fault, I was getting married to whoever I was getting married to. They should blame my father, not me.

After a while, the guard informed of the groom's presence and everyone turned their attention from me to the door. The room went quiet as the guests waited for the groom to enter. I, on the other hand, looked down quickly and rubbed my palms against each other nervously as I felt the knots in my stomach return. I tried to look up, but I was scared.

What if I didn't like what I saw? What if the rumors were true? Would he have red eyes and long nails or maybe black horns on his head? Don't be ridiculous, I told myself and decided to take a look.

Slowly, I glanced at the door, my heart hammered inside my chest and almost gasped when the groom entered.

Wait!

That was the man from earlier with the golden eyes. He couldn't be the groom, could he?

The guests stared at him surprised as well and began to whisper hysterically into each other's ears. They must have been expecting someone with black horns to enter the room and not some tall, elegant looking man.

Not bothered by the whispers or stares, he walked gracefully towards my father, taking each step with confidence.

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing slightly.

I dropped my jaw. So did the guests. No one dared bow slightly to the king. This man was truly fearless and somewhat disrespectful towards my father. I already got a bad feeling about him. Not because I thought my father deserved any kind of respect, but because he was so daring with his actions already. He must have noticed people's reactions; it was so obvious, but he didn't seem to care. My father, on the other hand, cared less. He just gestured towards me.

As I saw him turn to me I looked down quickly, then heard the clicking sound of his footsteps as he neared, before sitting on the other end of the table, facing me.

He didn't utter a word. Wasn't he supposed to greet me or at least tell me his name? I don't think father ever told me his name, but I don't think I gave him a chance either. I had fought and cried the day my father told me I was getting married to some stranger, but he was stubborn and had already made up his mind.

"Today, I gather us to celebrate my daughter's wedding to the Prince of Decresh", Father spoke once everyone was seated. He raised his golden wine cup, "Let the ceremony begin, you all enjoy yourselves."

People applauded while dancers and musicians walked in to entertain the guests. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. I, of course, couldn't see, since I was supposed to keep my gaze down because 'that's what a lady should do'. Well then, I hate being a lady.

"Don't you like the music?" He finally asked, breaking the awkward silence. I peeked through my long lashes, but once I gazed into his eyes, it was hard to look away. They were captivating.

"I do, your Highness," I replied.

"What do you have in store for the tea ceremony?"

Oh no! The tea ceremony! That was the traditional part of the royal wedding where the bride has to show one of her talents to entertain the guests and impress the groom. To hell with that. I didn't want to impress anyone, especially not this man.

"It's a surprise, Your Highness" I said, sending him a staged smile.

Soon it was time for the tea ceremony. I was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, everyone's attention directed to me. The guests would sit and enjoy their tea while I would have to entertain them.

I took up my flute before putting it lightly on my lips and started playing. Soon, my agitation disappeared.

I loved playing the flute and adored the sound of it. Closing my eyes, I let the sound take me far away, to a peaceful place. Now and then I would hear some people praise me through my haze, and they applauded once I was done.

Opening my eyes, I found him staring directly at me. He wasn't applauding, but there was a hint of a smile on his face.

Now it was time for the gift exchange. We exchanged our gifts and then, it was time to leave for my new home. The knot in my stomach returned with such intensity as I felt like throwing up. Mother came up to me while father spoke to my husband. Husband?

The word sounded strange in my head. She placed my hands on hers. "Everything will be fine," she said. "Just remember what I told you, ok".

Yes, I remembered very clearly our mother and daughter talk. To be a good wife, listen to your husband and not to try making him angry.

" Yes, I will," I said, enveloping her in a tight embrace. As a princess, I wasn't supposed to hug people, but right now I didn't care because I might never see her again.

The carriage was waiting outside. The prince, or should I say my husband led the way. I looked behind one last time and found Lydia and Vivian standing on the balcony, their cheeks wet with tears.

"I'll miss you too," I whispered.