Chapter 7

SHEBA'S POV

There were so many hands on me. Some were working on my hair, others were attending to my feet, while another pair carefully adjusted my dress.

I simply stood there and allowed them to do their work. I still haven't gotten used to this. Back in my old life, getting ready meant choosing my own clothes, doing my own hair, and leaving the house when I was satisfied with how I looked.

Here, preparing for dinner required an entire team. As the maids moved around me, my mind drifted back to what I had read.

Luke Floyd

That was the prince's name.

In the novel, when Luke first arrived, Alera didn't feel any love for him. She had been neutral, she didn't thrown herself at him or desperately tried to win his affection.

But after their marriage, things changed.

She began yearning for his affection, she wanted her husband to look at her the way he looked at Evelyn, that slut....

But she never begged for his love, she never humiliated herself for it. All she did was try to make Evelyn understand that the man she was pursuing was already married.

It seemed reasonable to me. But Evelyn had turned it into something else. She accused Alera of bullying her and Luke that fool, believed her. That stupid girl just didn't want to take responsibility.

My hands tightened.

Just thinking about Luke's stupid face made my blood boil.

I need to control myself. I can't walk into dinner and punch the prince in the face.

Not yet, anyway.

I am still trying to figure out how everything worked here, the last thing I needed was to create a diplomatic incident before I even had the chance to change the story.

I took a slow breath, calm down, Sheba. You're a princess now so you have to act like one.

The maids eventually stepped back.

"Your Highness, you are ready."

I looked at myself in the mirror.

The dress was beautiful.

Everything about it was detailed, from the blue fabric to the details around the sleeves.

I barely recognized the woman staring back at me. My golden hair was put up to form the most royal messy bun.

It was still strange seeing Alera's face, but I was beginning to accept it. A knock sounded on the door.

One of the maids opened it and a servant stood outside. He announced.....

"Your Highness, dinner will begin in thirty minutes."

That sounded like plenty of time but then I remembered the size of this castle. Getting from one room to another felt like a journey.

So I decided not to waste any time I left my room and began walking.

The halls seemed endless, but eventually, I reached the dinner room. When I entered, my father was already seated.

Beside him was Luke...... my eyes immediately settled on him. So that was the man who had caused Alera so much misery.

Luke looked exactly as I had imagiined with the description given. Dark brown hair and blue eyes. But he wasn't as handsome as it was emphasized, or maybe I had different taste in men....

He was surrounded by his attendants, five of them, if I counted correctly. From the brief introductions and the conversation that followed, I learned that among them was a duke and a count. hmm they had status, men who would probably have made most people nervous. But they didn't dazzle me.

That was because I spent years sitting across from powerful businessmen and investors. Titles never impressed me, personality did and so far, Luke and his men had done nothing impressive.

I walked toward the table.

"Good evening, everyone," I greeted.

Then I looked toward my father.

"Good evening, Father."

My tone was warm when I spoke to him.

I made sure, however, to show absolutely no interest in the fact that a prince was sitting at the table. I simply walked to my seat and sat down on my father's right.

The servants began serving dinner, and I kept my whole attention on my food.

There were conversations around the table, mostly concerning the relationship between the two kingdoms. I listened when necessary and remained quiet when I had nothing to say.

Brandon occasionally spoke and I deliberately paid less attention. I already decided what I thought of him and nothing he said during dinner was likely to change it.

Dinner continued without incident, when we finished, the servants cleared the table.

I assumed the evening was over. Then one of the men from Firildia requested an audience with my father. I immediately knew what they wanted.

The marriage.

This was the moment the entire arrangement was supposed to begin. I glanced toward my father. I could have remained silent, I could have allowed them to speak privately, but that wasn't what I wanted.

I had already decided that I would not marry Luke. If they were going to discuss my future, I wanted to be present.

So before anyone could leave, I spoke.

"I'll join you."

The men turned toward me.

I continued before they could object.

"I wanted to spend time with my father, but since you want to speak to him, I'll be there too."

For a moment, silence filled the room.

I wasn't entirely sure whether what I had said made sense, It sounded reasonable in my head. It might have sounded a bit childish, but I wasn't going to let them discuss my marriage without me.

I looked toward my father.

He smiled, then he nodded.

I relaxed.

I was in. The men from Firildia exchanged confused glances, they looked reluctant and I could understand why. Whatever they intended to discuss with my father was probably something they had expected to handle privately.

Unfortunately for them, that wasn't going to happen. I remained seated calmly. If they wanted to discuss my future, they were going to do it in front of me and they would simply have to deal with it.