Free Web NovelChapter 3: Alarm bells Were Ringing.
Five years. Those were the years Arianna spent loving Ethan in a marriage that had been nothing but a lie.
She could never forgive him for the pain he had caused her.
The fact that Selena, the woman she had trusted as her closest friend, ended up becoming his wife was a wound that had destroyed her in her previous life. The betrayal had left scars so deep that even death had not erased them.
But not anymore.
She would never allow anyone to hurt her that way again.
"Have we not arrived yet?" Arianna asked, turning her gaze toward Maria, who sat across from her inside the carriage.
"No, my lady. But we should arrive soon," Maria replied.
Arianna leaned back against her seat. She had not expected the journey to be this long. The Northern Kingdom seemed cut off from the rest of the world. Now she understood why Ethan had spent most of his time living in the West.
"Did you see the way Prince Ethan ran after you when you were leaving?" Maria asked excitedly.
"I saw it." Arianna’s lips curved into a faint smile. "He was shocked that I chose his father instead of him."
"I was shocked too. You always liked him."
Arianna bit her lower lip.
In her previous life, she had spent countless hours talking to Maria about Ethan. She had spoken of him with the kind of love that blinded people to the truth. Thinking about it now was embarrassing.
"Ethan has been cheating on me with Selena."
Maria sighed.
"I told you the night before your birthday, my lady, but you refused to believe me."
The reminder stung.
Looking into Maria’s eyes, Arianna could see there was no lie in them. Maria had tried to warn her. She had simply been too foolish and too in love to listen.
Arianna lowered her gaze and nodded.
"I know."
Silence filled the carriage after that.
The only sound was the steady rhythm of the horses’ hooves against the road.
Suddenly, the carriage began to slow down.
Arianna frowned.
A few moments later, it came to a complete stop.
Curious, she pulled aside the curtain and looked outside.
Her breath caught.
They stood before enormous gates that towered high into the sky.
Two large men were inspecting the carriage. They were shirtless, with only animal skin wrapped around their waists. Long dreadlocks hung over their broad shoulders, and their powerful builds made them look more like warriors than ordinary men.
Their appearance instantly reminded her of all the stories Ethan had told her about the North.
Savages.
Barbarians.
Wild men who lived like beasts.
Fear gripped her chest as one of them began walking toward her window.
Arianna immediately let go of the curtain and moved back into her seat. Her heart pounded as she waited for him to open the door.
But nothing happened.
A few moments later, the carriage started moving again.
Arianna released a breath she did not realize she had been holding.
Across from her, Maria noticed the fear in her eyes but said nothing.
"It’s going to be fine, my lady," Maria assured her.
Arianna nodded, hoping that coming here would not turn out to be the worst decision she had ever made.
Five minutes later, the carriage came to a stop.
"You may come down, Your Highness. We have reached the end of our journey."
It was the familiar voice of the man who had driven them from the West to the North.
They had traveled without escorts. No one would be foolish enough to attack or interfere with a carriage carrying the symbol of the King of the North.
Arianna took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She gathered every bit of courage she had, refusing to let Ethan’s words poison her thoughts.
Then she stepped out of the carriage.
What she saw was nothing like what she had expected.
There was no castle.
No palace.
A deep frown appeared on her face as she looked around in disbelief.
The vast land before her was filled with enormous tents. The one directly in front of her stood out from the rest. It was much larger and decorated in a different color, making it obvious that it belonged to someone important.
"Are you alright, my lady?" Maria asked as she stepped down behind her.
"No, Maria," Arianna whispered, her eyes still wandering across the camp. "I think Ethan was right after all. These people really are barbarians."
"No doubt about that, my lady. Which one of them do you think is the king?"
Arianna turned toward a group of men approaching them.
They were all dressed similarly in animal skins, though each wore a different kind. Some had deer skins draped over their shoulders, while others wore antelope hides.
Only one man wore a leopard skin.
"I think that’s the king, my lady," Maria whispered.
Arianna looked up.
There was no time to study him properly because he had already reached them.
"Welcome," the man in the leopard skin said.
His thick brows furrowed as he glanced between Arianna and Maria.
"Two women?"
"No, not two women," Arianna quickly corrected, stepping forward.
She was wearing a crown. Surely it should have been obvious who she was.
"I am the one who is here to marry the king."
The man’s eyes widened.
For a moment, he simply stared at her.
Then he turned toward the men standing behind him.
The next second, they burst into laughter.
Arianna froze.
The laughter continued for so long that irritation slowly replaced her confusion.
What was so funny?
She glanced around and noticed that several other men had stopped whatever they were doing and were now staring at her.
Some looked curious.
Others looked amused.
Arianna’s stomach tightened.
Had she said something wrong?
"My lady is not a laughing stock," Maria managed to say. "She deserves a better welcome since she is about to become your queen."
"Queen? Marriage?" the man asked, placing both hands on his waist. "Who is going to marry her? We know nothing about marriages and queens here. There is only a king in the North, and he has only concubines."
His words struck Arianna like a slap.
Was this truly the King of the North? The way he spoke was rude and insulting. She should have listened to the warnings about the barbarians.
"I am no concubine, and I will never be your plaything, King Kane," she said, her voice cold. "I am..."
Before she could finish speaking, the sound of a trumpet echoed through the area.
Everyone immediately dropped to their knees.
Arianna looked around in confusion until she saw another group of men approaching. Then her gaze landed on one man among them, and her breath caught in her throat.
He looked nothing like the leopard man.
He was tall, easily over six feet, with broad shoulders and a powerful build. His long dark hair was tied behind his back, and every step he took carried confidence and authority. His body looked as though it had been carved from stone.
As he came closer, Arianna noticed his striking blue eyes. They were so pale and bright that they almost seemed unreal.
His face was breathtaking.
His lips were full, his features sharp, and there was something almost dangerous about his beauty.
The barbarian moved with such grace that there was no mistaking who he was.
King Kane.
Arianna’s eyes widened.
The leopard man had made a fool of her.
Her hands clenched into fists as she waited for the king to approach.
But when he finally stood before her, all her anger disappeared.
Fear took its place.
His presence alone was overwhelming. It wrapped around her like a storm, making her heart pound against her chest. Though his face was handsome enough to make anyone stare, there was something terrifying hidden beneath it.
Something powerful.
Something that warned her not to look too closely.
"Princess Arianna?" His deep baritone voice asked as his gaze settled on her.
Arianna was surprised that he recognized her immediately.
"Your Highness," she said, lowering herself into a curtsy.
A strange expression crossed his face. It was clear he found the gesture unnecessary. If anything, he looked uncomfortable with it.
"Here is the letter from King Eric," the carriage driver said, extending a scroll toward him while remaining on one knee.
Kane took the scroll and opened it. After staring at it for a moment, he handed it to one of the men standing behind him.
Arianna blinked.
He could not read?
The man quickly read the contents in a low voice.
For a brief second, Kane’s eyes widened. Then he turned toward Arianna.
"You want to marry me?"
The direct question caught her off guard.
For a moment, she considered denying everything and demanding a carriage back home before it was too late. But the words that left her mouth were completely different.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Hmmm." Kane rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Then we shall get married tonight."
The shocked looks on the faces around them immediately caught Arianna’s attention.
Why did everyone look so surprised?
"I hope your concubines will not have a problem with me becoming your wife," she found herself saying. She wanted confirmation of what she had heard earlier.
A confused look appeared on Kane’s face.
He took a step closer.
Her heart immediately skipped a beat.
"Who told you I had concubines?"
Arianna opened her mouth to answer, but the leopard man spoke first.
"The king has no concubines and no wives. You must have heard wrongly."
Arianna stared at him.
"He doesn’t have a partner?"
She asked the question as though Kane was not standing right in front of her.
"No one," the leopard man replied. "You are the only one."
Arianna’s eyes widened.
She looked at the leopard man, then at Kane.
"W... what?"
Panic rushed through her.
This was not good.
How was she supposed to escape this marriage if he had no other women around him?
The moment she became his wife, all his attention would be on her.
Arianna forced a smile, but inside, alarm bells were ringing.
Coming to the North was beginning to feel like the biggest mistake of her life.
