Chapter One ▏The Husband

Tomorrow, I'm turning twenty-one. The next day, I'm going to be crowned the Princess of Acantha. But today, I'm going to meet my future husband.

And I can hardly wait.

"Tighter," I tell Madame Mara, who's pulling the laces on the back of my dress. "I want my waist to be more cinched in, please."

She gives me a confused look through the reflection of the ornate mirror. "Are you certain, Miss Elora?"

I nod. "Yes."

Madame Mara hesitates for a second, but she knows her role as my handmaiden, so she just pulls the laces as hard as she can. My breath gets hitched at my throat as the bodice of my blue dress constricts around my waist. I can hardly breathe, but I know that this is necessary — showing off my figure, letting all the visitors in this dinner know that I am indeed a woman of class and not just an heir by birthright.

I especially want to show that to my future husband.

"Is this okay?" Madame Mara asks. "It's as tight as I can get, Miss."

"Yes, I think this will do." I straighten up and rest a hand on my compressed stomach. "I'm sure my future husband will appreciate it."

Even the words are enough to make me smile. Future husband. I don't know who he is yet, but I trust my Father's decision. He knows what I want, for I have expressed it to him many times. All my life I have dreamt of marrying a dashing young man who will rule the Kingdom with me when my Father and my stepmother pass away. I have dreamt of sharing the bed with someone who I love and who loves me back. We will have children, preferably a son, who will later on become the next King.

It's a simple, beautiful dream that I cherished my entire life, and tonight I'm one step closer to that dream.

I smile at my reflection in the mirror. My brown hair is pulled back in a big, elegant bun at the top of my head, with curly tendrils framing my face. I always thought I look rather average with my flat features and brown eyes, but the joy in my face right now is making me exude radiance. I'm sure my future husband would love it.

"What do you think?" I twirl in my spot, showing off the glimmering skirt of my dress. "Do I look ready to go?"

"Yes, Miss." Madame Mara sinks into a short curtsy and checks her pocket watch. "In fact, I think it's time you should go downstairs and mingle."

She's right. It's almost eight in the evening, and I have to make my way downstairs into the ballroom. As if on cue, there's a knock on the door. It's one of the Palace Guards. "Miss Elora, it's time."

He opens the door for me, and I happily step out of my room. However, the moment I arrive at the balcony leading down, I'm struck with nerves. 

This is the first time that anyone from outside the Royal Palace will see me. This is the first time I would see anyone from outside the place, since heirs are not to leave the palace before they turn twenty-one.

As you can expect, I'm nervous.

"Elora?" a soft female voice behind me says.

I whip around, and there she is. Queen Zuri, my stepmother. She's this voluptuous black-haired woman who my father married fifteen years ago, five years after my mom died from childbirth.

"What?" I demand irritably, then I watch with dark satisfaction as his serene expression turns sour. "Shouldn't you be in the ballroom?"

She cocks her chin up. "King Odion ordered me to check on you, dear."

Dear. Right, what a phony. Needless to say, we don't get along, mainly because there's something about her presence that deeply disturbs me. Probably because she's a mere lass from the smallest city-state in the kingdom, which is Corrin.

"I was about to head down," I tell her, and to my surprise, she smiles and touches me on the cheek with the affection of a mother. "Your Highness, I said I was about to head down."

"I know." Her eyes flash with a strange emotion. Like pride, maybe? "Let's go before your father throws a fit."

Without warning, she grabs my upper arm and leads me down the marble steps. I peek from behind the golden banister as the guards flank us, and my knees begin to quiver at the sight of the decorations in the ballroom. All gold and white, just like a real wedding, made more romantic by the painted ceiling. 

What makes me nearly buckle, however, are the two dozen visitors littering the place, sipping wine from golden goblets and chatting merrily. Their voices, mixed with the soft music from the harp, is making my head swim. I'm excited. But I'm also queasy.

And this only reaches its crescendo when they all stop what they're doing to look at me.

"Everyone," Queen Zuri announces, "King Odion's and my beautiful daughter, Miss Elora of Acantha."

Queen Zuri leads me forward, and I curtsy, trying my best not to fall down as I smile at everyone. Their faces are getting blurred in my nervous vision, which in this case is a blessing.

The only face I see is my Father's. King Odion.

And for the first time since I can remember, he's smiling at me. I try to smile back, but my muscle memory is not familiar with this kind of interaction. I end up just giving him a small nod before approaching him, holding up my skirt as I do so. 

As I get close enough, I notice that he’s not alone. Standing beside him is a tall young man with blond hair and bright blue eyes and elderly gentleman with a shiny bald spot. The old one is wearing a black tailcoat adorned with gold and medals, a sign of high rank. Judging by the green insignia on his chest, I can tell that he’s a ranking officer from the city-state of Gailis, one of Acantha’s seven city-states. 

“Miss Elora,” the old man says gaily, holding out a hand just as I do the same. He brushes his lips over my knuckles, his white beard grazing my skin. “It’s an absolute pleasure to finally meet you.” 

“The pleasure is mine,” I say, but my voice comes out weak. I can’t focus on him. My eyes are glued to the young man. 

He’s . . . gorgeous. 

Okay, so granted, I don’t see many young men in the castle, but I swear he lights up the room. He’s wearing a simple white tailcoat with no decorations or badges, but he exudes manliness. The color white makes him look more tanned, more golden. He’s tall and lean. He’s perfect. It’s like he crawled out of my fantasies and manifested before my eyes. 

Is he my future husband? He must be. He has to be.

I wait for him to hold out his hand, but he stays in place, looking straight forward. Father doesn’t seem to mind, which is strange. He’s focused on the old man, who I assume is more important because of his obvious high rank.

“Elora, this is Celso,” Father tells me, gesturing at the old man and beckoning me to step forward. “He’s the esteemed Governor of Gailis, the west coast of Acantha.”

“The master of the seas,” Governor Celso jokes, and the two of them share a laugh. He turns his attention back on me, and as Father prods me towards him, he wraps an arm around my waist. “Oh, you are slim. I like that.”

I almost gag. What kind of comment is that?

“Thank you,” I force myself to say. “Your medals are impressive.”

“Ah, yes.” He chuckles, and I feel his hand crawling up, towards the side of my left breast. “I did assume a woman of your level would appreciate such credentials. But I must say, Miss Elora, that you look wonderful. Fresh, untouched.”

“Of course,” my father agrees, although he does look a little taken aback by the comment. “She’s turning twenty-one tomorrow.”

Governor Celso grins. “Wonderful. Perfect marrying age.” He laughs again and elbows the young man in the side. “Oh, Hendrik, you’re twenty-five. You should be married soon, young lad. Find a nice woman to settle down with, eh?”

Wait, what? 

My pulse starts to quicken with panic. I try to subtly move away from Governor Celso, but he keeps a firm grip around my waist, his fingertips brushing lightly on the side of my breast. I’m utterly repulsed. I actually feel physically ill. I keep glancing at Hendrik, willing it to be unreal.

But what little hope I had gets shattered when Father smiles at me and says, “Governor Celso will be your husband, and the wedding is tomorrow.”