PREDATORY MARRIAGE

PROLOGUE

Before the wedding, Leah wrote a suicide note. As words slowly filled the crisp piece of parchment paper, her heart sang a melancholic tune.

She was certain that she would die after the first night of her marriage. A bride's suicide would bring disgrace to her family. But a dishonourable, ignominious death was what Leah wanted the most.

Death.

Is it what she deserve? A miserable end for a royal princess, who devoted her life to the country and to her royal family? Her accomplishments and efforts turn into ashes the day her family sold her like a common good—in exchange for wealth. No matter how hard she tried, at the end of the day, she was only a mere tool for other's convenience.

Oh, but death would be a sweet escape from the life she was to face.

David, the man betrothed to her, could easily pass as her father. However, despite her raising a veto, she was left without a choice. The man was insanely powerful that her parents couldn’t refuse but give her hand—or did they even hesitate in the first place?

When the royal family accepted David’s proposal, Leah vowed to retaliate. To blemish to highest quality good prepared by the royal family which is herself. It was the only revenge, Leah in her powerless state could possibly do.

Horses were already saddled up. Today, she would travel towards David’s home where the wedding would be held.

The arrangement had been made without her permission. For the coming days, Leah pictures out what was going to happen in her head. After a three-week-long carriage journey, she would arrive at Oberde. There, she would exchange vows with an old David, share the kiss of oath and…and spend the night with him.

The face of David, excited at the thought of having his filthy hands on the new, young bride was drawn clearly ok Leah’s mind. Unpleasant shivers ran up her spine, disgusted to think that he who look like a toad who ride her body.

But, Leah already did the irreversible. After their first night, David would find that his new bride was impure.

The virginity of the bride in Estia was considered most importantly than anything else. Knowing that a deflowered bride was sold to him, to which he paid a great deal of wealth for, David would be livid and thoroughly insulted.

He was not a man to be trifled with. His power extended even to the barbarians on the periphery. Moreover, his fury was enough to strangle the nobles of the capital. Therefore, the royal family which had already lost all their power and was only a luxurious shell, would suffer a terrible fate under David’s rage. They would have to vomit out more than they had received from him, just to quell his anger.

And Leah would be stripped of her royal name and forever be condemned as a prodigy who slandered her royal honor.

It was a perfect ending. The only unfortunate thing was that Leah would not be able to witness the ruin of the royal family with her own eyes. Because by then she would already be a cold corpse.

“Princess, these are the wedding paper”.

Just before leaving Estia, the court-martial brought in papers Leah had to sign. Without resistance, she wrote a her name, smearing a fine ink on the paper.

[Leah the Estia.]

The larvish signature is was the same shape as the one she left on the note she made. The black letters on the white paper where as clear as night.

When she brought down her pen, Countess Melissa, the maid of honor watching from the side burst into tears. As soon as she wept, the other women who were holding back tears began to sob in unison. Even the court martial who brought the wedding papers had a disastrous look on his face.

Everyone was grieving for her, but Leah was calm. She elegantly put down the paper and straighten her back.

“Stop. I must go, there’s no time to waste.”

“Princess…”

“Leah!” An urgent voice resounded. Leah halted in her steps and looked back to see a man of foreboding stand, panting as he reached her.

The crown prince of Estia, Blair.

Looking at her half-brother with the dazzling silver hair, Leah smiled serenely. One of the few advantages of this terrible marriage was that it was no longer necessary to see Blair.

Blair beckoned the servants and guards around Leah to stop loading Leah’s luggage to carriage at once. At his display of authority, Leah only looked straight at him. The sight of her not avoiding his gaze like she used to, made Blair laugh hoarsely.

“ well, well, well. Isn’t it the w***e who baited a large fish. She seemed full of herself now.”

It was a remark devoid of dignity, resembling that of a street vendor. But since she wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore, Leah responded without a trace of agitation.

“Please step aside, if I delay any longer, I wouldn’t be able to leave the capital by today's end.”

This was not the reaction he expected. Her response unnerved the prince and he raised his hand with a grimace. Instead of flinching, Leah gave a cold retort to the man who was about to slap her hard on the cheek.

“I am now the property of David, would you dare to mar his property, brother?”

Blair’s eyes shook with anger. Slowly he lowered his hand and strode close.

“Don’t ever think that this marriage can let you run away from me.” A hair breath distance between them, a contemptuous whisper pierced into Leah’s ears as thought it was of a snake. “The day I ascend the throne…I’ll be the first to be here back from the capital.”

It was a threat but Leah felt no fear. Instead a soft laugh slipped from lips, which stabbed the prince deep in the gut. She wanted to answer back but realized that exchanging word with a senseless person would be a dire waste of time. Without a farewell bid, she got on the carriage, completely ignoring him.

When the carriage door was closed, Blair shouted and pounded at the door with his fists. But Leah couldn’t hear his long winded curses and insults anymore— she chose not to listen rather. Whatever the prince said, his words were futile— a spear aimed at a steel.

The carriage moved and with the turn of its wheels, tears rolled Leah’s eyes. She pulled the curtain slightly apart and looked out from the window. The place of Estia was rapidly moving from her sight, from her grasp….

It was a place where she lived her whole life, but she felt no regret nor sorrow. Leah never belonged there from the start.

However, there were lingering feelings that bothered her.

“…”

She bit her lower lip and closed the curtain with a sigh. She didn’t know why she kept thinking of him, an unruly, cocky and inscrutable man.

From what age heard, the brute left the palace a day ago. Ah! She scolded herself internally. It was foolish of her to miss an already broken relationship. While curse herself for being stupid, she still couldn’t shake off the onslaught of thoughts.

While lost in her musings, the carriage left the capital and reached the outskirts of the capital. Gone were the houses; what greeted them was an open plain field full of grasses. It was a beautiful scene but it didn’t endear her one bit. Instead Leah just lounged down on her sit miserably.

She wished the time would passed quickly, so that her boring and useless life would end sooner to relieve her pain caused by her family. With nothing else to do, she fluttered her eyes to a close, when suddenly she felt a shift in the wind.

A trumpet sounded amidst the tranquility that reigned. It’s ears splitting sound made Leah sit up immediately, her hair standing on end. Following the end of the first trumpet, horns went off one after another. Her heartbeat ran haywire at the chaotic noises that spread over the once peaceful empty plain field.

Leah drew the curtains and look out of the window. With the sight that greeted her, she swallowed hard. Dozens of men on horse back were trailing very fast towards their direction. The royal knight guarding her carriage shouted loudly and hurriedly.

“It’s an ambush!”

From this point the carriage began to run roughly. But the pursuers movements were surprisingly agile. They simply caught up with the procession and surrounded the perimeters. The piercing sounds and shouts mingled in the air. Iron sword unsheathed rang out everywhere.

Out of nowhere, a rope out which wrapped around the throat of the knight who guarded Leah from outside of the running carriage. He then fell out of his horse, his head hitting the ground grotesquely.

Arrows rained down, cutting the wind in succession. Frantic horses kicked and went wild.

As she looked out the window, she saw the carriage’s horseman fell to the ground. Leah closed her eyes tightly. The carriage with only the horse dragging it, shook terribly. In no time, her whole word turn upside down.

“….”

She gasped. The carriage was horribly overturned, it’s wheels broke and it’s doors tore open. Aside drink the scratches that marred her skin, it was fortunate that she survived the accident unscathed. Only she felt dizzy, and when she finally came to her senses, Leah pushed the broken carriage door out of her way.

Crawling out of the wrecked vehicle, she met the cold wind which already smelled of blood. Her head was tingled as she looked around. Royal knights were battling her pursuers in a pool of blood. But it was a meaningless battles. The royal knights were in swept away in vain as though they were nothing. One knight roared in a bloody voice.

“How dare you, savages—“

He was unable to speak to the end. A sharp curve blade penetrated his neck. From his throat blood streamed into the grass. At the horrible sight, Leah covered her mouth with her hands to suppress a shout.

The images of the raiders were embedded in her vision. High chromatic eyes, dark hairs, and tattoos on tanned skins.

The men who attacked the royal procession were savages, the Kurkans.

Among the beastly men, a prominent figure emerged. The tall man riding a giant horse drove up to Leah.

Under the disheveled dark brown hair, a hot golden eyes pierced Leah. The moment their gaze met, Leah felt the air snatched from her. Breathlessly, she opened her lips.

“Why…”

Her whisper, barely uttered in a spilt voice, was drowned by the man’s laughter.

“Don’t you remember?”

Stretching his hands, he fetched Leah from the ground and maneuvered her to be atop his horse, fronting him.

In resistance, Leah twisted her body but was simply overpowered by the man’s strength. A large hand clasped her waist firmly that she could only wriggle to lo effect.

With a smirk, the man behind her mumbled against her head. His words sending shivers down her spine.

“I told you, I would ruin your life”