Married To The Cursed King

Chapter Three (Part 1)

I don’t have a choice. He was right. That’s why I am getting married to him today despite all my pleas to the king to reverse his decision. I even tried running away from the palace to a distant place where no one was going to see me again, but the guards caught me. I was kept under a serious house-arrest until today, under the king’s strict order.

I thought I had meant nothing to him. Why have I suddenly become too important? I had pondered over the question until I realized the condition behind my getting married off.

The past years, our kingdom has been having a series of war issues with the other kingdoms surrounding our borders, especially with the kingdom of Baldamon, over some recent land issues.

My father, the king, is unbowed by their threats, and in order to fight them, he needs the support of powerful kingdoms on his side.

Apparently, he is using me as a tool to gain more power and to create an alliance with the kingdom of Sidonnia—a very powerful kingdom with a very strong army - by marrying me off to their king.

For the first time in my entire life, my stepmother has supported any decision that goes before the interests of her two daughters.

Here in our kingdom, it’s supposed that the elderly ones get married before their younger ones, but she has cared less for her daughters. Her calmness these last few days has only proven that she is purely in support of my father’s decision to marry me off.

My father knows that the King of Sidonnia is cursed, yet he is gladly willing to give me off to him for a wife. Is that how much he hates me? I felt my blood boil, but now was not the time to get angry.

Dropping all the bad thoughts behind, I studied myself in the mirror. Irene and a few maids had spent hours preparing me, making me look prettier than I had ever been.

I am wearing an ivory and gold off-shoulder gown and a gold shoe to match. My hazel brown hair was sleeked backwards then was styled into calling shapes of rose flowers and leaves.

Everything was perfect; the face make-up, glossy lipstick, and jewelries. Once they finished, they put some vanilla scent on me.

"You can all go."I told the maids. They all left. Irene remained behind.

I was smiling at myself in the mirror when the thought that my beauty today was of no use since I was going to be married to a man outside my choice crossed my mind. Sadness made its way to my face immediately.

I stood up straight then went to sit on the edge of my bed.

“Your face looks pale,” Irene noticed. “Are you not happy?”

"Am I supposed to be happy?” was my outburst as tears surrounded my eyes and threatened to spill off.

For a long time, Irene said nothing. She stared at me speechless and looked a little worried. Although she was trying to keep it invisible, I could still see it.

“Is it about the rumor that your soon-to-be husband is cursed?” she asked.

I nodded, lacking the words to say. I felt a lump of emotion hanging on my chest. I wanted to cry out my pain, but that wasn’t happening.

It’s not like I believe in those rumors that my soon to be husband is cursed. It might be a plot by the enemies to tarnish the young king’s image. But the part of the rumor that his wives die mysteriously is what gets me sick and scared.

What if I die? What if I end up becoming like his other wives that died, and no one knows the true cause of their deaths? Is this my fate?

Normally, getting married to a king to become his queen is one of the things most women often pray for, but I think my case is different. I get this odd feeling that I am going on a suicide mission.

“You’re not going to die,” Irene said, as if she read my thoughts.

She came close to me at the bedside.

“You’re not going to die, my princess,” she said softly, taking my hands in hers. “I carried out my little findings.”

Findings about what? She always finds out about things. I stared blankly at her when I saw the sadness that had clouded her face.

“He is actually not the king,” she said slowly, hesitating.

Who is not the king? I thought, waiting for her to finish.

"The man is not -" the words stopped in her mouth when a guard entered unannounced.

"The guests have arrived,” he informed without a smile, not feeling any remorse.

Irene sent him a burning glare that could rip off anyone’s skin.

He cared less about it, ignoring her.

“Ok.” I simply said. He left.

“Shall we?” Irene urged calmly.

Wiping off the tears in my eyes, I sent her a nervous smile before we left the room. Along the large hallways, she itched to talk to me about something, but the eyes of the guards on us couldn’t allow her.

We got down the stairs that lead down to the castle hall entrance. She stopped at the corridor, just before the door.

“You’ll continue from here, my princess,” she gave me a reassuring smile before leaving me behind.

As a maid, she’s not allowed to go into the hall with me.

Taking a deep breath, I adjusted myself to go in, but suddenly I felt a hand hard-push me from behind. I staggered away.

If not for stamina, I would’ve fallen to the ground.

The person who pushed me laughed hysterically at me.

“How dare you?!” I quickly confronted when I saw Ursula and her sister, Ivy. It was Ursula who pushed me. I knew from the way she was laughing.

“Don’t raise your voice on us, you unlucky girl,” Ivy warned or perhaps, taunted me.

She's calling me "unlucky" once more.My rage dampened and I instantly developed cold feets. I couldn’t stand their presence again.

“She’s getting married to a cursed demon. How unlucky she is,” Ursula spited me again.

They laughed even more scornfully.

"It's true, sister," Ivy stated. "She is even more unlucky than her dead mother.”

Did she just curse out my dead mother again like she has always done? I have always tolerated her in that way, but not anymore.

I blocked every feeling of weakness to stand up to them.

“Who is the most unlucky here?” I asked, anger building up inside my head.

I can’t let them have their way again. They are frustrated to see me getting married before them.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ursula said, answering my question.

“You’re right,” I responded. “It’s obvious that it’s you two who are unlucky. You should’ve married before me.”

“How dare you insult us?” Ivy raised her hands to slap me.

“Don’t!” someone with a husky voice yelled from a corner. All heads turned, it was General Rometrius closing distance towards us.

General Rometrius is the army commander of our kingdom and also Queen Aurora’s younger brother.

Although being the queen’s only brother, he is not in support of the way I am being treated in the palace.

“You don’t have to slap her,” he said, his voice quieting.

Ivy sluggishly brought down her hand as if considering a second thought not to obey.

“She insulted us,” Ursula didn’t hesitate to protest.

“You were the first to look for her trouble,” he reminded her. “I saw the way you pushed her.”

“I saw everything,” he added.

“Even though. She has no right to defy us. She’s just our father’s past mistake.” Ursula claimed, directing glares at me. “She…”

“Stop it!” General Rometrius yelled again, carefully keeping his voice a little low to avoid penetrating into the hall.

He seems to have become annoyed.

“You two should leave here at once,” he ordered, but they hesitated. “I said you should leave!” he ordered again.

Ivy sighed rudely in front of him before turning around to leave. She left without saying a single word further, howling her feet on the floor to suppress her anger.

“You haven’t seen the last of this.” Ursula daggered glares at me before going after her sister.