MasukThe next morning, Amelia woke up as early as she could to get ready for the day. She had no idea how her first day at Dustrich would be but she knew she had to be prepared for it. Clad in a blue royal dress, she checked her appearance in the mirror and decided to let down her tied hair. It was still dark outside so she went back to lie on the queen sized bed. One thing Amelia was thankful for was the fact that the queen didn’t ask her to share a room with Prince Andrew and seeing how everything in her supposed room had a feminine look; she instantly knew it had been prepared beforehand for her. As she stared off into nothing, Amelia didn’t realize how fast the dark night disappeared and how long she had stayed on her bed, allowing her mind to ponder on a lot of things, until she heard a knock on her door.Startled by the unexpected intrusion, she jumped out of her bed. “My lady, it’s me.” Someone said from the other side of the door and Amelia recognized the voice to be Helen’s.
Following the sacred traditions of Astral Kingdom, the priest guided the royal wedding with solemn dignity. Every prayer, blessing, and ritual had been performed the same way for generations, each one carrying the weight of history. Amelia barely heard any of it. Her thoughts drifted in and out as she answered only when she was required to. Every response felt mechanical, as though someone else spoke through her while she simply stood there in silence. Beside her, Prince Andrew remained equally composed, his expression unreadable throughout the ceremony. After what felt like an eternity, the priest raised both hands. "Before the All-knowing and before the kingdoms of Astral and Dustrich, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The princess sulked in her breath. “This isn’t a dream. I’d finally be stuck in a loveless marriage.” Amelia lowered her gaze. So this is it... The life she had known ended with a few simple words. "From this day forward," the priest declared, "you sha
“Get out of bed, Princess Amelia.” Amelia heard a distant voice but the fact that she didn’t want to open her eyes made her sink more into the bed. The present day was her wedding day! That thought alone made her pull the blanket over her head and shut her eyes tightly like it could get anymore shut. The sounds of footsteps became more audible as seconds went by. “No! No! Please don’t come any closer. Please, turn back and leave.” The young princess pleaded inwardly but luck wasn’t on her side because the door burst opened the next minute. From the sound, she could depict that a group of people just filed into her room. “Amelia!” Queen Alyssa called sternly. “You shouldn’t be seen in bed by this time. Stand up and let the maids do their job.” The princess let out a groan as her mother pulled the blanket away off her body. “Mother!” She whined. “Be a good girl and let them get you all decked up for your big day.” Queen Alyssa smiled and rubbed her daughter’s cheeks tenderly
Amelia had managed to take her mind off her anxiousness with the help of her book. She was so engrossed in it that she was barely aware of the situation around her and how long she had been glued to the book. Her stomach grumbled in objection to the unfair treatment, bringing it to her notice that she didn’t have breakfast. She looked out of her window to realize it was noon.She had thought she’d go to the kitchen to get something that interests her and eat but with her mother’s visit and her dedication to the book; she forgot her plans to eat.Hearing her stomach rumbled the second time; Amelia dropped the book and stood up from her bed. She stretched and tried to fix her dress, ready to head out to get herself something to eat. Helen wasn’t back yet and the other maid was nowhere close to her room when she checked earlier. All she could see was a deserted pathway. Well, except for the few guards she saw at the far end of the hallway, there was no maid around. Hence, her only optio
The next day, before any maid could get to Amelia’s room to help her run her bath, she had done all that there is to be done. However, by the time she exited the bathroom, her dress had been laid out on the bed.“Your highness, if I may.” She looked up to see who the unfamiliar voice belongs to and she saw a maid she could not recognize, standing at the centre of her room with her head bowed. Amelia moved closer to the maid and eyed her.“Where’s Helen?” Helen was the maidservant that had been assigned to take care of Amelia’s basic needs like getting her dressed and setting up her meal table, among others. "Her Majesty, the Queen summoned her.” The princess nodded. After helping her get dressed in a white royal robe trimmed with gold, a dress that had been picked earlier from her unique royal attires, the maid also pulled her hair back in a braid and then fixed her hair ornament.“Thank you.” Amelia said as she stood up from the seat she sat on. Leaving the dressing table behind,
"Lia, my dear, I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do about this." Queen Alyssa wiped the tears that threatened to fall. She had been on her daughter’s neck after the birthday night, trying to appease her and get her to agree to their plans. Princess Amelia was having none of it though. “How do you expect me to get married to someone I’ve never met?” Amelia just could not wrap her head around it. “Tell me! How do you?” she asked, a shaky breath that had effortlessly suppressed her rising rage escaped through her mouth. “Amelia, do not forget I never met your father before I got married to him. Our wedding day was, in fact, the first day we met.” Queen Alyssa answered.Amelia looked away from her mother. Her parents’ case was different. They are in love! Wiping off her tears, she fixed her gaze on her mother who looked at her with a smile. “Look at us now, dear!” The queen exclaimed with her comforting smile, one that comforts the young princess anytime she needed it.But this tim
"Mother, what do you mean? How do you expect me to get married all of a sudden?"A young lady dressed in a simple yet flowing white gown, that seemed to be a nightdress, could be seen talking to an older lady. The girl struggled to keep her emotions at bay and not yell. The older lady looked on as







