Chapter 3

•Brentford Hotel in Kian Province, Saizen

A few hours from the Presentation Party•

Glenda tightly tightens the laces of my corset, I don't understand why women in high society love to wear this. I put my palm on my belly, I'm running out of air.

–Gle..n..da– I hum, out of air

One last squeeze and I feel like my breasts will jump out of my cleavage.

–That has happened to you because you have been eating too much, Your Highness.– She puts my folded nightgown on her forearm and goes out to find the lining of the dress.

–In addition to the corset, I must also wear the tail ... How relevant is today's celebration?– I inquire

Illea and Maria come in and place the last royal robes on me to complete my dress.

–Your fiance His Royal Highness Travis Montgomery is coming to visit you. The four kingdoms have been until today in mourning for the death of the King of the North, and today the doors are finally opened for the official presentation of the young royals to society, His Majesty, the son of the late King Bruno, Nathaniel Saizen will host his demonstration as the competent ruler of the Frozen Kingdom of Saizen.–

It is true. All royal maidens, who have already turned twenty, must show their due cordiality to His Imperial Majesty.

It doesn't bother me, but what I don't agree with is that just being released from his confinement in the castle; the new King has to choose a wife so soon.

If I am not mistaken we are also the same age, due to our status we must live life in the most sophisticated way possible, however, I believe I have visited more places than Your Majesty; You will not be able to enjoy your newly acquired freedom as you will be busy with the affairs of the kingdom and right now getting a consort.

–I am sorry for Your Majesty.– I murmur

–Why should Your Highness feel bad now that the doors of Crystal Castle will be opened? The whole town is jubilant– adds María

I look down. I sit in front of the dressing table and contemplate my silhouette being looked after by my maids; I purse my lips.

The sound of the door knock surprises me, Bennet, the butler of the royal house, appears after opening the door.

–His Highness is here. In the great hall awaiting Your Highness. It has been reserved for privacy.

I let out a loud sigh, making my exasperation present. My mother comes into the room to give me directions for each visit from Travis Montgomery.

–Daughter, please.

I roll my eyes. I hold the air.

–Mother, why should I marry him? He is not to my liking, I do not even feel any attraction towards him– I say

My mother, Alcila Brunner II Eldinne, Queen and trusted consort of King Ibell Fletcher Eldinne, looks at me sympathetically.

Neither of them can refuse Father's orders, they are absolute and according to Father, my fiancé is a good man.

She plays with the fan in her hands

–I understand the difficulty of this for you ... but perhaps, in time, you will come to appreciate your future husband. Try it out.– requests

I nod without choice.

I have kept the fact that Travis has a mistress, and that his treatment of me is nothing more than mere sexual obsession.

I swallow hard.

Today, I am not in a good mood to accept your insinuations without words.

I hug myself when I am ready to go to the great hall, hopefully I got married as a pure maiden; but every encounter with Travis makes me feel dirty and unappreciated.

I'd love to go to the garden today instead of looking at him. I get up tired of hearing instructions. I watch the birds chirp in pairs on the willow branch near the window and I smile slightly.

I lift the fringe of the dress and go to meet Travis. When I am already in front of the great hall, a maid opens the door and stands aside to give me the right to pass; bows and leaves.

I stand there staring at the door, with no real desire to turn around.

–How much longer were you going to make me wait, Elijah?– I squeeze my eyes.

–Travis– I say

He claps the spot next to him on the cabinet, to indicate that it is my duty to sit next to him.

–Will that maid come back?– asks to wich I deny.

I clasp my hands and stare at the little embroidery on the fabric of the dress.

Soon I feel chills in my neck and my whole body; His tongue licks my skin and I shrink.

–No, no. Don't run from me– he puts his hand on the other side of my neck and pushes my hair back

–Please, enough already. This is humiliating– I firmly demand

I manage to notice that nothing he says is enough to stop him, I would so much like to give him a good elbow in the stomach or simply put the heel of my shoe in his perfectly polished boot, but the laws are more suffocating than they think for us women, regardless of whether we are noble or not.

I leave my thoughts to hear the hoarse voice linked to a desire that runs through the skin of my neck and I feel my confidence scorch.

–Humiliating? Miss Elijah doesn't seem to understand that being about to marry me– lick my ear –What will she do when she wants to spend the night with you? Are you going to tell your husband, "It's humiliating"? It's better to get used to it, right?– his questions are like a statement of what I should already know

His thumb traces the curve of my right breast. I cover my mouth with one hand, I don't want to make him see that he has control over me but he makes me feel so belittled that his touch makes me gag.

–Sweet. Elijah. How sweet you are. It drives me crazy, I want more– he says vehemently

He pushes me on the furniture and the flap of my dress comes off, exposing a bit of the skin on my calves.

It goes further by stretching the material, heaping it like a mound on my thighs; his fingertips meander in my flesh, it makes me feel strange, I am afraid. He does not intend to go to the end, right?

He goes up my skin, his tongue swirling in the middle of the neckline of my breasts that look tight in the corset like two apples.

–No!– I push him with all my might and get up from the sofa. –I said no!

I adjust my neckline and the skirt of the dress. I don't want to be here anymore, I'm leaving; I will not bear this humiliation

He licks his lip, staring at me ravenous, like a hunter and his prey, his icy blue eyes mad with rage.

–Elijah, you are not allowed to leave!– He exclaims. –How dare you do this to me? Insolent!– I ignore his accusations

How dare you play offended? The one who must be hurt is me. My hands are shaking; I run as fast as I can to the pavilion of the hotel we are in.

I sit on the edge of it. We were traveling a whole week for this event and the first thing I get when I arrive is this fiasco.

It is impossible to contain all the crying, a year has passed, next year I will be married to him.