The Prince's Indentured Bride

showtime!

"Hello everyone. I am Vhrea Destiny Ashtrick Mendel. It's nice to meet you all. Please shower our newlywed life with a lot of love and good wishes. Thank you."

That was smooth, I think. Oh no! I forgot to add Nayak to the name. Well, the nation can survive it for once.

"Thank you so much, your grace. I hope you have a good time with us today." Garima, the host for the show interview was a good choice by the PR team.

She had the beauty to attract a good section of citizens for any type of news, and her voice carried a sense of responsibility. All I wished was that she asks the better questions from the setlist.

"Your suit looks lovely." I made the small talk first. An easy technique to initiate a pleasant interaction and cut through some awkwardness.

Especially seeing the differences in power holding tree right now.

"Thank you. You look way prettier in person.” I gave a shy lady laugh at the compliment. “Trust my temper when I knew about them using such outdated pictures of me for the invitation!”

Garima joined me in the humorous laugh, while I reminisced on how crazy the day went when Laura brought me the news that day. It was war. I couldn’t help but be tempted to shoot the lock.

Then again, where would I get to use that gun again?

“Coming to the wedding… you have been trending on different social networking for all the good and mysterious reasons."

That's bad news for me. By now Jules and Mom must be blasting their heads to fly here. The media must be outraged and I am still surprised that any suspicious articles weren't on the search lists, like: Why did the most successful woman of India settle for a deal like this?

"I have heard so. I am still not used to the how about here." She looked expectantly at me as if my answer was something incomplete. “Gabriel is giving me a good hand though,” I added after a quick afterthought, while Garima’s eyes enlarged in shock on the mention of Gabriel’s name, which was only for a millisecond: professionalism to the best. Given!

I keep forgetting that they don’t call their king by his name. After a series of few more pleasantries Garima came to some questions regarding the love line Gabriel has presented his pupil with.

"How did you first meet?"

I don't remember. It was ages ago. Maybe I should have gone thoroughly before we went live. But my dear husband has no time for these trivial things he said when he is clearly failing to see the point properly.

He is busy conjuring pieces of evidence of treason and the people standing against him—that meant he is always with some ministers, trying to decode them, or with his secret team in the basement hell or anywhere which doesn't require me in the parameter of even three meters.

All he isn't understanding is, that the more he shows off his relationship with me in public, the more it strengthens his claims. That is the power given him.

A popularity trick to something longing. A very effective one I have always used in critical situations. Longing makes the whole situation 100x better.

Like how I miss Krieg.

"Pottery class. He loves making tiny crockery."

Mentally I facepalmed myself for coming up with such a worse excuse.

Whoa! I wonder how much Rashmi is going through to come up with lies to cover up my Bora Bora reason.

I should've at least told her the entire truth. Maybe it would have been easier for a situation like this. She has Ganesh there, so it must be alright.

"That's such an amazing hobby, never took His Majesty as a person who has an interest in such things."

"Don't get me started on what more type of things he is into," I said to her with a nonchalant wave of my palm.

"Uhh… you both seem like the naughty couple."

I couldn’t grasp at first what she was referring to, but then I realized it like the time I recklessly asked Husna about what is the 6 in 69 while conversing in an intimate talk with Krieg. My baby.

He must also be going through a lot, from the little number of people who knew we were dating. I hope he is handling it well.

"Pottery is your definition of the love you share."

The rest of the questionnaire set ended up being another set of lies, and a somewhat a boring routine, and the only concerning part about all that was Gabriel was going to kill me because we have to go through all these videos again, for proof to remember what exactly I had built our love story like.

Maybe I did go a little overboard with mentioning Gabriel’s love for mountain climbing and boat making as free time hobbies to relax.

The only interesting part came with the connection with the citizens’ section, and I believe Sean was sitting at the screening of the questions, and that might be the only explanation for the amount of only lovely questions being presented.

“Lastly, an anonymous51 asks how you deal with the fact that many believe you to be a temptress who made the king sell his nationality for love?”

Was such a slander allowed on national television? This hurt my pride.

"I don't think if I had worried about what the world is going to talk about me, my love, my age, my money and tried to get the validation from people behind screens then I would have not become your Queen."

That was uncalled for. What am I even doing?

This is getting way too much into my head. I haven't done anything remarkable to be titled as their queen except marrying Gabriel, nor do I wish to do anything.

I shall spend my time well and fly off.

Yes.

"What a remarkably inspiring statement!” Garima gave tiny applause to lighten up the mood. “Not everyone wakes up in the morning to be sassy.”