Chapter 2

My uncle gave me a couple of minutes of solitude so I could compose myself. As hard as I was trying, I was not able to stop crying, tears slipped down my cheeks no matter how much I tried to hold them back. Not only was I going to marry a complete stranger but I was doing it today. Everything was happening so suddenly that it felt unreal. Since a while back I suspected that my uncle intended to marry me as soon as I turned nineteen just to get rid of one of us, but I never imagined he would marry me  to a foreigner and send me away to another kingdom, and of course not even in my wildest dreams did I think he would marry me to a king!

I felt the urge to run out of the office to tell my brothers what was happening, to warn them that I was going to be taken away to another kingdom to be the wife of a complete stranger, but I knew the guard was waiting for me outside the office, ready to take me to the assembly hall as soon as I was ready to meet my future husband, so there was no chance for me to go inform my brothers about our uncle’s intentions.

It took me about twenty minutes to calm down and feel better, not ready, I didn’t think it was possible to feel ready for what was coming, but at least I was able to stop sobbing. I opened the door, but instead of finding the guard, I was faced with my aunt’s unpleasant grimace.

“Ugh, look at you! Your eyes and nose are reddened, you look like you have the flu. How do you expect to meet your future husband looking like this? You are a mess!” She exclaimed derisively. “He is going to back down on the wedding the moment he lays eyes on you and I would not blame him. You were not very pretty to start with and then you made it worse by crying.”

I looked down, the situation was sufficiently dire as it was without having to put up with the queen’s cruelty. I tried to walk past her, but my aunt clenched my arm to force me to stop.

“Please, let go of me, the king instructed me to meet them in the assembly room,” I asked in a tone of voice that conveyed my sadness.

“Stop with the gloomy face and start showing some gratitude, girl. This marriage is a million times more than what you deserve. You are going to be queen! You!” She said with disdain. “You should be thanking your uncle for getting this life-changing opportunity for you, not whining about it. If it had been up to me, I would have never married you to a man like king Gregory, he is undoubtedly too much for you. But, of course, no one asked me.”

I dared a glance at her and realized she was telling the truth, she had no idea that her husband intended to marry me to King Gregory until today and it was clear that she was upset about it.

“If that is all you have to say, please let me go,” I said as I looked away once more.

The queen snorted as if she was bored by me.

“I am not done with you, you cannot meet king Gregory wearing that ugly grey dress. Follow me,” the queen said and started walking down the corridor.

I didn’t want to go with her but I had no choice so I followed her to her chambers. It was the first time that I was there and I assumed it would be the last time too.

The queen instructed one of her many maids to bring one of her dresses for me, which she did promptly. Kendalia had an extensive wardrobe consisting of the most elegant and pompous dresses ever made, it was no secret in Lerene that the queen was a vain woman who spent a lot of effort on her appearance. The dress the maid picked out for me was one of the simplest the queen had and yet it was more elegant and beautiful than anything I had ever worn before, the fabric was sky blue silk and it had ruffles on the skirt. The maid also arranged my brown hair and adorned it with pearls.

When I looked at myself in the mirror I didn’t recognize who the girl looking back at me was. I was filled with an unsettling sense of vanity, I was no longer Addison the dull orphan, but a woman ready to be a wife and queen. Unfortunately, it was only a momentary feeling, I was painfully aware that my exterior appearance didn’t mean anything, I was the same girl I had always been and I was in no way ready for what was coming.

“Has anyone informed my brothers of what is going to happen?” I asked the queen as we abandoned her chambers.

My aunt sneered at my question as if it had been a ridiculous one.

“Why would we risk they making a scene? Do you really want them to complicate things further?” She asked.

“No, but, they are my family… they should be at my wedding,” I replied shyly.

I knew Edward and Andrew would oppose this wedding and that would displease my uncle, but I could not imagine getting married without them being there. They were everything for me and I needed them to be able to go through with this day.

“Very soon you are going to have a new family with King Gregory and then you will forget all about us and your brothers, I promise you that we will forget all about you too,” she says.

I clenched my fists wishing I could punch her. If only it would be so easy for me to forget her, but one hardly ever forgets those who have hurt you so deeply. I knew queen Kendalia would remain in my memories for the rest of my life even if we never saw each other again.

As soon as we approached, the guards opened the enormous wooden doors that led to the assembly hall for us.

“Queen Kendalia Riversun and Lady Addison Nandi!” One of the guards announced us as we walked in.

Inside the assembly hall, I found the king of Lerene, my cousin Anthony and seven men I have never seen before, who I assumed were from Dranda. All the foreigners were tall men and they dressed alike. Among the seven men, one stood out more than the others, he was blond, with a broad back and a penetrating gaze. He was young, he was probably in his mid-twenties. His expression was cold and haughty as if he knew he was better than the others. I had never before seen a man so intimidating, his mouth was a thin line, his features were sharp, but what struck me the most about him were his eyes, his fierce blue eyes were impressive, it was as if he could see into my soul. A chill ran through me. He looked at me in such a way that it made me feel uncomfortable and yet I was fascinated by his presence. My heart was racing, never before had someone had such an effect on me by a mere gaze. For the first time in my life, I felt the so-called butterflies in my stomach, but I thought that they were supposed to be felt out of love, not out of fear. I knew immediately that this man was King Gregory Dominis, who would become my husband in a few minutes.

“My dear friend, this is my niece Addison Nandi. Addison, this is king Gregory Dominis of Dranda,” my uncle introduced us.

Without saying a word, I made a shy reverence. I was so nervous I was about to faint. The king said nothing as well, he just stood there analyzing me with his gaze as if I were a piece of merchandise he was assessing to purchase.

“Are you sure she will make a good wife?” King Gregory asked my uncle as he studied me up and down.

“I guarantee it, Addison is quiet and obedient. You could not ask for a better wife,” my uncle responded. “She will not give you any trouble.”

I felt a pang of anger, they were talking about me as if I weren’t there. Like I was a pet he was thinking about adopting and not a woman with feelings and opinions. How would Gregory feel if I asked his men if he would make a good husband? I was certain he would not like that.

We were supposed to get married and he had not even say hello to me. Maybe Gregory was royal, but he definitely had no manners.

“I have to admit that you were right about her good looks in your letters, she is beautiful,” he commented. Queen Kendalia snorted discreetly, as if his assertion had been ridiculous, but I seemed to be the only one who noticed it. “I just hope she has a good personality too. I need a girl with a good attitude.”

“You won’t have any reason to complain. Addison will do as you say and she is young and healthy, so she will bear you many children, you will see,” my uncle assured him.

My stomach revolted. They were discussing me as if I was property and not a person. And I realized that, as handsome as he was, Gregory was just as cruel and wicked as my uncle.

“Fine, Adolf, we have a deal,” King Gregory said after he was done with his inspection of me.

“Wonderful! Bring the wedding officiant!” My uncle ordered his guards, who immediately abandoned the hall to do as they were told.

I looked at King Adolf out of the corner of my eye, Anthony was standing next to him with a livid expression on his face. Just like me, he probably had no idea about this wedding until a few minutes ago, his angered face showed that this had caught him by surprise too and that he was against what was happening as much as I was.

“Should I get my cousins for this?” Anthony asked his father in what he intended as a whisper but came out louder due to his anger. “They should be part of this moment, her little sister is getting married, father.”

“We will inform them afterward, Tony. Do not worry about Andrew and Edward, for now, just enjoy your cousin’s wedding,” my uncle replied nonchalantly.

“But…”

With a single stare filled with authority, King Adolf silenced his eldest son. As much as Anthony wanted to complain about the hasty marriage, he could not defy his father.

I knew there was nothing Anthony could do for me, although I appreciated his effort. I winked to let my cousin know that I was fine, it was a lie, but there was no point in him worrying about me. I realized then that I would have to lie to my brothers too, I was doing this for them so they could have a roof over their heads, I could not risk them defying our uncle and angering him. I would, somehow, have to convince them that I was fine with this marriage.

An old fragile man came in followed by the guards, the brown cloak and white belt let me know that he was the wedding officiant.

With a swift move, King Gregory got to my side and placed his big hand on my back so I would walk beside him to where the officiant was. Electric waves went through me the second he touched me, I held my breath out of surprise by the unexpected sensation.

“Let’s get started, I do not have all day,” King Gregory said to the wedding officiant.

The old man nodded with a smile missing several teeth. The few attendees gathered around me and the king to listen to what the officiant had to say.

We turned to face each other and the officiant began to speak. I didn't hear a word he said, I was too busy preventing my body from trembling. Then the time to say the vows came, Gregory went first and repeated the words dictated by the officiant:

“I, Gregory Domini, give you my soul, my body, and my life. I will be a loving companion and I will take care of you for the rest of our lives.”

After he finished, Gregory smiled as if he had won a popularity contest.

Now it was my turn to say the vows and I became very aware of the knot in my stomach. My hands were sweaty and I felt dizzy.

"I, Addison Nandi, will…" I cleared my throat, with these words I would become his wife forever. “I give you ... my soul, my body and ... my life. I will be for you ... a loving companion and I will take care of you for the… rest of our lives.”

The words left a bad taste in my mouth. I took a deep breath. It was all over now, I was doomed. Gregory leaned towards me, the most intimidating man I had known was going to steal my first kiss. He took my hands in his, our lips touched, I took another deep breath and the scent of him intoxicated me. It was fresh, masculine, and pleasant. I closed my eyes and felt his lips move on mine. Gregory kissed me tenderly as if he were afraid of hurting me. His gentleness took me by surprise, he didn’t seem at all the type of man who could be tender and I wonder if he was just pretending for the sake of appearances. Then he pulled away but the sensation of his lips remained on mine. The officiant concluded the ceremony. We were officially husband and wife.