Free Web NovelChapter 4: Do Not Shy Away From Your Duty, Princess.
Arianna was taken to a nearby tent, not the one that belonged to the king. The wedding was going to take place tonight, and she needed time to get ready.
"I am actually marrying King Kane?" she asked, still unable to believe it herself.
"Yes, my lady," Maria answered, unpacking the boxes. "I think it’s already too late to change your mind. The king doesn’t look like someone who would let you go so easily."
"I wasn’t planning to change my mind. But what do you mean by him not letting me go so easily?"
"Didn’t you notice? There are no women here. Since we arrived, all we’ve seen are men."
Arianna nodded as she recalled the faces she had seen. None of them belonged to a woman.
"You are right. Where are the women? Where are the girls my father sent down to him yearly? There should be at least seven of them in his harem by now."
"I have no idea... maybe he ate them."
Arianna’s eyes widened as she stared at her maid. That was not a nice thing to say in such a situation.
Ethan had said many things about his father, but he never mentioned him being a human eater.
Arianna didn’t believe what her maid had said. There were definitely women in the North. Since the men were barbarians, they might have stopped them from coming out.
Or perhaps they were living in a different area.
"The king is a very handsome man. He is younger than Ethan," Arianna laughed as she sat on the stool in the tent.
"They should be brothers rather than father and son, if you ask me," Maria said, lifting the red dress in her hand. "How about this outfit for tonight?"
The princess turned and admired the dress. It had belonged to her mother, who wore it on the day she married her father.
The queen had wanted her to wear it on the day she married Prince Casper of the South, and unfortunately, that was not going to happen.
"Perfect for the night," Arianna said, turning back to take a good look at the tent they would be staying in.
"Are you going to consummate the marriage?" Maria asked all of a sudden.
The princess’s lips parted, but air escaped instead of words. She couldn’t say anything before a voice came from outside.
Since there was no door to knock on, the person called out from beyond the tent. It was a familiar voice.
Arianna quickly stood up, waiting for him to enter.
"You may come in," Maria urged.
The curtains moved aside, and the leopard man walked in with his head bowed.
"I brought a message from the king’s aunt, Princess Freya. She wishes to visit you."
Arianna was surprised that her permission had been sought first, but the fact that there were women nearby brought her some relief.
"It’s okay. She can come in. The princess is welcome."
The leopard man turned to leave, but she stopped him.
"What’s your name?"
"Ragnar," he replied, his eyes meeting hers for a brief moment before he quickly lowered them.
Arianna recalled how, only minutes ago, he had played a silly prank on her, yet now he could barely look at her. Or was it because the king had declared her his woman?
"You shouldn’t have done what you did earlier. It wasn’t funny."
"Forgive me, Your Highness. It won’t happen again," he said with a bow before leaving immediately.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. What was wrong with him? Everything about this place was beginning to feel strange.
After waiting a few minutes, the curtains of the tent parted, and an old woman walked inside.
She wore a sleeveless leopard-skin dress that fell below her knees. Her grey hair rested on her shoulders, and her wrinkled face lit up the moment she saw the princess.
Arianna curtsied immediately.
"Greetings. Aunt Freya, right?"
"Yes, my child," she chuckled, opening her arms for a hug instead.
Arianna was surprised by her warm gesture. She stepped into her arms, and they shared a brief hug.
"I am surprised you came all the way here just to marry the king. Aren’t you afraid, child?" Aunt Freya asked, a smile still on her face.
"I love taking risks, Your Highness," Arianna chuckled, hiding the fact that she was marrying the king for revenge.
Ethan once told her that his mother died while giving birth to him. He grew up without a mother because every woman was scared of his father.
Years later, the king had no choice but to enter into an agreement with her father to take new wives.
"Hmmm... I hope you are prepared to be a wife and not just a Luna. The responsibilities of a Luna wife aren’t easy, and I hope you will be able to make my nephew a happy man."
"I... I plan on doing that," she said without thinking of an answer.
Arianna wondered why the old woman had brought that up. Where was she taking the conversation?
"You know the first step to that will take place tonight, right?" the lady continued, her eyes holding more meaning than Arianna could guess.
"If you don’t mind, can you elaborate on that?" Arianna’s brows knitted together in confusion.
"The consummation night. For you to have the status of Luna, you must fulfill your duties as a wife."
A cold shiver ran down her spine. She hadn’t thought about that. Arianna rubbed her damp palms together behind her back.
"It is the only way out. You chose to marry the king of your own accord, so you shouldn’t shy away from your duties," the woman said. "You can still change your mind now before it’s too late. Kane might be angry, but he would surely let you return home alive."
Arianna swallowed hard, unconsciously rubbing her throat. She had never thought about consummating the marriage before.
How was she going to escape this? Or should she change her mind and go back home?
The thought tempted her for a brief moment, but it vanished just as quickly.
No.
She hadn’t come all this way to run away now.
If she returned home, Ethan would laugh at her. Everyone would laugh at her. She would remain the princess who was rejected and discarded.
Arianna clenched her fists.
There had to be another way.
"There is no need to worry, Aunt Freya," she said, forcing a smile onto her face. "I know what I signed up for when I agreed to marry the king."
Even as the words left her mouth, her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
