Chapter 5

She was forced to the temple and the marriage rites were conducted. The king and queen stood with sadness in their eyes as they watched their daughter being forced to marry him.

First time in his life, Fredrick felt so useless and powerless even when he was the king.

Everyone looked at the poor princess with pity ful eyes.

“Didn’t know the king had a daughter as beautiful as this” One of the high officials said

“Me too, seems they kept her hidden well until today and I wonder why”

“Keeping her hidden did her no good, here she is being forced to marry a beast in human form” The official commented again.

“I heard that the birthday party we were supposed to attend in the castle was hers, but unfortunately it didn’t hold since the Baron suddenly came and declared he wanted to marry her. I also heard she tried to escape”

“Of course, who wouldn’t want to escape from the beast in human form”

Tears rolled down Althea’s eyes the moment the priest declared that they were now married. She raised her head slowly and looked towards her parents who brought down their heads.

She looked around for her little brother who is the crown prince and next in line to be king and saw him shedding tears why looking at her. She heard him mutter her name making her to bite her bottom lip.

She felt so bad realizing that he was going to be completely alone in the castle now, no one to play with or talk to. Because her mother the queen was looking for a male child, she had given birth to up to seven girls before finally having Daniel who is presently at the age of 9.

“I will miss you” she muttered to him making him more emotional

“Are you going to be okay” he muttered this question to her and she became mute. She turned her head to the other side and saw the Baron staring at her with his dark gaze. She looked away and then looked back at her brother, swallowing the saliva on her throat, she muttered a “Yes” to him.

Daniel looked at her sister and then the scary man standing close to her. He knew she was lying when she said she was going to be fine but there is nothing he can do for now, when he grows older, he is going to save his precious sister from this scary man.

After everything was done, Damian dragged her along with him.

When they got outside the temple and she saw that the carriages and his whole army were set to leave now, she became anxious. She didn’t think they were going to leave immediately, she would not be able to say her final goodbyes to the people she care about and also she had forgotten to ask for the whereabouts of Luis her personal knight who she hasn’t seen since she woke up.

“Please give me time to say my final goodbyes” she said to Damian who halted his step and turned with his dark gaze on her.

“To who?” Damian frowned

“I………I have….lived in this castle all my life so there are people I care about like my family and few others I need to say goodbye to.

“No”

“Please”

“Do not make me repeat myself, now move” he ordered.

Althea bite her bottom lip hard to control her tears

Seeing this, Damian moved closer and checked her lip that was now bleeding “First rule, you are not allowed to hurt yourself. Did I make myself clear? He asked in a commanding tone.

Althea nodded rigidly

“Good”

He held her hand and dragged her along.

His men bowed the moment they saw him coming and also bowed to Althea who was long lost in thought that she didn’t notice them bowing.

One of the men opened the door of the second carriage “Get in” he ordered

Althea got inside the carriage and the door was closed, she sighed in relief when she saw that he didn’t get in with her, at least now she could breath.

She looked out of the carriage window and saw her parents, her little brother, her maid from afar. They looked towards her carriage with sadness in their eyes.

Tears rolled down her eyes, not being able to control it anymore, she brought her head down and wept. Her weeping increased when the carriage started moving.

Halfway to the sea, inside the carriage where the Baron sat. Arthur looked at Damian who has been staring out of the window with a blank look on his face since they left the castle.

What happened yesterday and today is still confusing to him. First the princess tried to run away after hearing she is to marry the Baron and then today she had delayed to the temple and has being shedding tears, while Damian on the other hand has being angry, there is definitely something he doesn’t know because if he could remember, marrying her is something Damian has waited for in the past ten years.

He isn’t just a right hand man to him but also his closest friend so he knew everything that happened ten years ago. He knows how Damian waited patiently while dying to be with her.

They had to leave Westland two weeks ago so as to arrive on time for her 20th birthday. Every year, it was a tradition for Damian to count her age in all her birthdays, the whole act was abnormal that he started thinking that the Baron was going crazy until he told him about both of them and why he needed to do it, because of that, he also started anticipating for her 20th birthday so he could finally marry her.

Although he didn’t smile or laugh, he could tell how happy Damian was when they arrived here in the north, which is why now he could not understand the reason for his anger.

He is surely going to ask what is wrong when the time is right to do so.