II. The Wedding.

Amanda's purple eyes widened while her hands shaking as she tightly gripped the bouquet of red roses. Fortunately, the bone-white veil covered half of her body so that it was able to block people's view of her.

"D-daddy..." Amanda said frantically.

"Don't embarrass me in front of hundreds of guests." Baron Broke snapped as he grabbed Amanda's hand and wrapped it around her arm.

Seeing her hand slung over her father's arm, Amanda felt a sense of happiness in her chest.  Even though she knew it was only the old man's pretend duty before sending her as the sacrifice of this marriage, but could she be a little happy, and make the last thing her father did according to her perception?

"Ohh, poor her..." were the first words Amanda heard as her feet stepped towards the altar. The girl turned her head, but only cold stares from hundreds of pairs of eyes she found.

Suddenly the attention of the guests turned to a large tall figure who was standing right beside the Religious Leader.

“Ah so handsome, the scar on the Black Prince's face only adds to his manly look.  I think the rumors are just lies."

“Wow, look at him! He’s actually perfect, right? He is like the sculpture of Ares, the god of war in an ancient Greek temple.”

"So, after the rumor of his actual looks is totally wrong, do you think the fact that he killed his wife also a lie?"

“Killing and good looks are completely different things! Duke Maltes and Duke Gramer are still mourning the deaths of their daughters.”

Inevitably, Amanda was a little curious about the things that were echoed by the guests. After she reached the altar, the girl slightly raised her head, stealing a glance at the man who stood towering in front of her.

It turned out that the man was also looking back at her. His eyes looked very sharp, his jaws were clenched. He looked like he wanted to swallow the girl in front of him a whole. Amanda immediately lowered her gaze.

‘Why does he look like that? Amanda asked herself, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.  “Does he really hate me? But this is the first time we meet."

The whispers of the guests began to subside when the religious leaders began the sacred ceremony. The Black Prince glanced at Amanda with the corner of his eye. An extremely cold and condescending look was evident in the dark eyes of the night. ‘Sychopant.’  He cursed in his heart.

The vows that were read were quite long but a pair of humans in front of the altar didn't seem to care much, they were busy with their own thoughts.

"With this, you both are declared husband and wife," said the religious leader giving a blessing, accompanied by slow applause from the audience.

Usually, the wedding ceremony would end with a warm kiss from the bride and groom that could make the invited guests cry, but not with the Black Prince's wedding. The atmosphere was very tense as if today was a slaughter ceremony instead of a wedding.

Again, the Black Prince was forced to look down at the trembling girl in front of him, their heights were a stark contrast.  "Tsk!"  the man clicked then turned down from the altar, refraining from removing the hood of his bride's veil.

The confused girl was left alone on the altar. "Follow your husband, my daughter," said the religious leader gently. The girl hurried down and followed her husband.

Meanwhile, Baron Broke was seen having a one-way conversation with his new son-in-law. "Ah, it’s a great honour for me to have a prince as my son in-law! Thank you for willing to marry my beloved daughter, Your Highness."

“Oh, you're so handsome, Your Highness. The rumors are way off the mark! If I were young, I'd be willing to marry you, you're really handsome," said his wife shamelessly. Brenda ended her praise of the prince when Amanda suddenly came next to the handsome man.

"Ah!" Amanda said as her feet stumbled, but she quickly regained her balance. Baron Broke and his wife frowned, their gazes instantly making Amanda look down and tremble.

Again, Amanda's parents 'licked' non-stop, while the other person was busy glancing at the little girl next to him, and began to feel sick of this atmosphere.

"Are you aware that your favorite princess has been shaking all this time," quipped the Black Prince, interrupting the conversation. The old couple immediately gave Amanda a murderous look, while the girl also seemed surprised by the prince's sudden words.

"Is she underage?"  asked the Prince again.

“N-no! Certainly not! She is already at the appropriate age for marriage! It's even more than a year from the proper age for marriage!” answered Baron Broke reassuringly with a nod of his wife's head.

And soon the wedding party ended without any pleasantries, dances or congratulations. It made the event even darker, like the aura of a funeral ceremony, except that the attendees were not wearing all black but colorful clothes. 

Until night came...

Amanda was still wearing her wedding dress while trying to untangle the baby's breath flower stalks that were entwined in her silver hair.

"It's so beautiful ... " she murmured as she was mesmerized by the room decor, almost forgetting her existence in this room to welcome her new 'husband'.

But the reality seemed to wake her up. The voices of two men talking at the door made Amanda feel like she wanted to enter the deepest part of the earth. When the door opened, the cold Sulli city air seemed to be carried into the warmed room.

"Oh God ... " said the Black Prince's bodyguard when he saw the figure of Amanda White, while the girl's husband looked frozen with his mouth slightly open, no less surprised.

For the first time, they saw someone with such a stark difference from the ordinary people of that time. Meanwhile, Amanda immediately looked down at the floor, bending her body slightly so that her long silver hair covered part of her face.

‘What do they think of me? They must think I'm a disgusting creature that deserves to be killed,’ Amanda lamented in her heart.

“This is harassment, Your Highness. How dare they make a sick girl as your wife? That woman is cursed!” said the Black Prince's bodyguard, pointing angrily at Amanda.

The girl was unable to say anything. She trembled violently like prey in front of her hunter.  With quick steps, the Black Prince approached Amanda. He parted the long mane that covered the girl's face while pulling Amanda's chin to look at her.

Their eyes met. The huge purple eyes reflected the Black Prince's face with an unreadable expression. It wasn't long before Amanda closed her eyes, making tears roll down her cheeks, hoping that would erase what was going on.

"Your Highness, please let me kill her, then Duke-”

"No, no murder. Nothing until my next order," cut the Black Prince sharply.

"But, Your Highness-"

"Leave this room, General!" the Prince ordered suddenly, and the bodyguard still remained where he was.

"But Your H-"

The Black Prince turned to glare at his men. "Should I remind you that this is my wedding night?" he continued coldly.

Instantly, the man who had been accompanying him all this time immediately looked down and left the room. Again, a tense silence approached, being left alone with someone who did not hesitate to kill his previous wife made Amanda not feel better, even now, she was really scared.

Again, the Black Prince looked at the trembling girl.

"Stand up," he ordered coldly.

Instantly, a cold air enveloped Amanda White's body. The girl tried to stand up while gathering the remnants of energy that evaporated from fear. Even though she was finally able to stand up, Amanda's legs were still shaking violently.

The Black Prince looked at Amanda's head which was still bowed, a few flower stalks were still tucked in there. Then the man closed the distance between them.

A question flashed through the Black Prince's mind, ‘is this girl...’