Sir Galien, the guardian knight of the Crown Prince, looked especially neat and proper today as he entered the Crown Prince’s residence. On most days, he would wear a knight’s uniform that favoured comfort and convenience more than appearance. However, on this special day, he was handsomely dressed in formal knight’s attire, the crest of his ducal family and medals of his military achievements decorating his chest.

After knocking, he entered the personal chamber of the Crown Prince who was still in the middle of getting ready. Several servants were helping him into the ceremonial clothes tailored for the wedding. It was the traditional wedding attire for a groom of Megaris, a long robe which was mostly red and black in colour. The Queen had arranged for his robe to be luxuriously made with elaborate gold designs embroidered on the most expensive fabric in the kingdom, the sleeves bearing the designs of winged dragons in flight with the sun crest of the Ivanov Royal Family on its centre.

“Your Highness.” He bowed towards the Crown Prince. He then openly stared at the young man afterwards

“Galien? Why are you here?”

His guardian knight was currently not on duty, being one of the invited guests under the House of Kenelm. He should be at the Grand Palace, at the venue of the wedding ceremony.

Seeing the knight’s lack of response, Prince Theron frowned. . “What is it?”

“It’s like a dream,” Sir Galien answered in a daze.

Prince Theron nodded. “It sure feels like a dream. Esther and I—”

“I was referring to my feelings, Your Highness,” Sir Galien said as he smiled teasingly.

The prince threw a bored look his way. “What about it?”

“Seeing your reluctance towards the women approaching you, I never thought I would ever see the day Your Highness getting excited on your wedding day.” He reminisced about the times he spent following behind the young prince. “Since the day you became Crown Prince, all you did was work. Back then, I was pretty sure that the King and Queen would have to throw women into your royal harem in order to force you to marry… Now, I can feel relieved that our kingdom will surely have a new heir soon.”

“You should worry about providing the next heir to the Kenelm Family. My son needs a knight,” Prince Theron remarked, which made Sir Galien silent.

Prince Theron and Sir Galien were childhood friends, and Sir Galien was raised to be his knight as per the tradition of his family. If Sir Galien wanted to continue his family’s legacy, then he would truly have to pressure himself into finding a wife soon, or else the age gap between their children would widen.

Prince Theron continued to speak, each word of his jabbing into his knight’s conscience, “You dare mock me? You too never paid attention to any daughter from the noble families. I am now starting to doubt your preference. Perhaps…?”

“Cough! Your Highness, just like you have cleared my doubts about you, I will make sure to clear your doubts about me as well,” Sir Galien countered.

“What do you mean? You doubted me?” Prince Theron was about to grab his sword from a nearby table, but Sir Galien was more quick-witted. He schooled his expression to feign a polite smile, “Your Highness, I am sure Lady Esther won’t like you to have blood on your hands on this joyous day.”

Prince Theron gave up the moment he heard Esther’s name and heard Sir Galien continue speaking, “I think we should not keep the bride waiting.”

Only then did Prince Theron realize that the servants had long finished arranging his attire. He nodded and Sir Galien followed him out of his chamber as usual, though he was full on grinning at this point

“You better control that smile of yours or you won’t have any teeth left to show,” Prince Theron warned.

‘No, wait, how could he see me? I am behind him!’ Despite his confusion, Sir Galien quickly wiped the smile off his face.

—–

Even more than the groom, the arrangements made for the bride were much more elaborate and extravagant. The days Esther spent preparing, from getting herbal baths and massages to having countless oils applied to make her skin look more tender, made her already beautiful appearance look even more gorgeous, to the point that even ladies would surely fawn over her.

Queen Theodora had arranged everything for Esther, from what to wear to which place to stay before the wedding. Esther simply let the older woman do what she wanted, causing the Queen to be the happiest woman in the palace, choosing all the best options she could get for her daughter-in-law. The finest wedding gown, the most elegant hairstyle, the rarest flowers, the most famous orchestra…

As the chosen Crown Princess, the Queen also appointed her with personal servants and ladies-in-waiting who took care of Esther’s stay in that temporary residence inside the royal palace.

Every once in a while, Lady Tyra would drop by, though most of the time, the preparations of the wedding ceremony itself were handled by her and Queen Theodora, causing the two women to be among the busiest people within the palace.

Clad in a beautiful red robe with gossamer-like sleeves, her hair masterfully arranged with an elegant diamond tiara, the young lady with honey blond hair looked more like an immortal fairy rather than a human bride. Everyone in the room could not help but gasp in awe at her appearance, and some even forgot to breathe as they admired her ethereal beauty.

After the preparations were done, Lady Tyra dismissed all the servants. She had noticed that although it was her wedding day, Esther looked distracted instead of nervous, like she was thinking about something that deeply worried her.

With no one around, Lady Tyra could talk without restrictions.

“Your Eminence, is there something bothering you?”

Esther, who was sitting in front of the mirror, observed her own reflection.

“Am I being selfish, Tyra?”

Lady Tyra’s hands shook. “Why do you say so, Your Eminence?”

“I tried to avoid these thoughts but…I feel like I should have told him the truth.” Esther closed her eyes as she let out a sigh. “I will be a part of his life, yet I am not letting him become a part of mine. I can’t stop thinking… Tyra, he doesn’t know who I am. He doesn’t know anything about the woman he will be marrying. Is that not unfair?”

Before Lady Tyra could say anything, Esther continued to talk.

“I tried to tell him once, but he didn’t want to listen then so I simply kept my mouth shut. But afterwards…after that, it’s not like I never had another opportunity but I was getting greedy. I was worried about losing him once he knew who I am—what kind of creature I am. I am scared that he might come to hate me. I can’t bear to see his disappointment and his anger. I-I do not want his love to turn into hate. I am so scared, and now it’s too late…”

“Why do you feel he would hate you?” Lady Tyra asked. This made Esther open her eyes, and fear could be seen in those lovely caramel-coloured gems. “As far as I know, Prince Theron, he is like his mother. He would have accepted you the way you are, Your Eminence.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes, Your Eminence.”

“Then, I shall tell him before the wedding. That way, I won’t feel like I deceived him.”

“Now it’s not the time, Your Eminence. Once you meet him, the wedding ceremony will begin.”

“Maybe you can arrange for us to meet in a side hall beforehand…?”

Lady Tyra offered her sincerest smile. “Please, believe me, Your Eminence. Even if you do not trust me, you should trust the Crown Prince. Just like you don’t mind him being an ordinary human, he will not mind your identity as well. It does not matter even if you tell him your background after the wedding. Let things be the way they are.”

“But…”

“Anyways, you have been living like an ordinary human for years. You went through hardship like a human without using your powers. I can confidently say Your Eminence is more human than me, who freely uses my ability compared to you. What matters most is the love and trust between you two.”

“But Tyra, I want him to fully know my—”

Her words were interrupted by a knock on the door. Lady Tyra opened it and a servant bowed. “The carriage is ready. It’s time to leave, Baroness.”

Lady Tyra turned to look at Esther, who was quick to compose herself when she realized she had to leave for the wedding now. With a soft smile, she rose from her seat and left her chamber. Lady Tyra and the other servants guided the bride’s way towards the royal carriage that was waiting at the entrance of the residence. They helped her sit inside the carriage, and under the escort of knights, her carriage started to move towards the Grand Palace, where her soon-to-be-husband was waiting for her.

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