Ashly took a deep breath, looked towards her mother, and smiled. She was about to walk out the door. But her mother stood in front of her.
"Don't go!" Her eyes were pleading.
"Ma, I have to; I have to do this for my people, for you," Ashly whispers in the last part.
"But, baby, If he sees you, he will never let you go!" Maryes knows very well how everyone wants her daughter because of her beauty. Tears are falling down her cheeks again.
She never cried this much in her whole life, not even when her husband died. "I lost my husband to an American Mafia . Now I cannot lose my only daughter."
Jones stares at both her mother and daughter. He knows very well that he cannot do anything to help them. Chands always lived peacefully; they never wanted war or anything. If they show disagreement with this offer, ChandLand will pay the consequences.
Ashly sighed and held her mother's hand.
"I cannot be the reason for a bloodbath, Ma."
Maryes knew she had no choice. She took off her black veil and gave it to Ashly. So what if they are not as powerful as Branson's, but Chand's pride is everything for them?
"Wear this. I don't want to see my daughter ravished by Branson in front of me." Then she gave him a small box made of ebony.
"Cherish this. Inside this is a ring that carries the imperial seal of Chand's pride."
Ashly nodded, put it inside her box, and walked out of the room, covering her face with the veil.
Alexander was sitting in the conference Hall of the Chand palace with Elder Queen Bree and Elder King Branson sitting beside him, waiting for their future daughter-in-law to arrive. Standing beside him were his two generals, Simon and Mike. Jace and Jon are sitting beside each other and waiting for their new Queen to arrive. Elder Queen Bree decided to break the silence. "So my baby decided to hold the ceremony in Branson's headquarters?" Alexander looks towards his mother and nods his head. "Good, and I hope you will invite Chands also; they are going to be your in-laws and our family. We treat our family with respect." Elder King Branson said this while looking towards his son. "Yes, father, I know. Don't worry, I will never make you regret your decision to choose me as King," Alexander answered with a determination that made Bree and Branson smile. Shortly after that, the door opened, and General Jones walked in. "Our Princess is here ", Jones said, bowing his head to Alexand
After signing the contract, Ashly took her time to bid farewell to her mother. Everyone came to bid a Noble farewell to their beloved Princess. They didn't want their beloved Princess to go anywhere, especially with Branson. But they knew that their princess had made this sacrifice for them. Queen Mary hugged her daughter. "I will come to Branson's headquarters before your wedding with your bridal garments and all," she said. "Stay safe. Stay strong. Be careful with your words. Try not to be sassy with the king." Ashly released herself from her brace and smiled. "I will be fine, Ma. If no one provokes me, I won't use my mouth. But if they ever try to insult me, I will cut their heads off," Ashly said with determination. "I am Chand Ma, Ashly Chand. I will bow my head down out of respect, not out of fear". Queen Mary nodded and smiled proudly. Ashly went to her best friend, Green, who was crying his eyes out. "Take care of my mother for me, will you?" Ashly asked Green nodded a
The journey to Branson's Villa, or, you can say, Branson's headquarters, took 8 hours. Branson's main headquarters are built on the side of South Asia. The place was called MoonLand. Alexander called his maids and told them to decorate the villa beautifully. MoonLand is beautiful, but not as beautiful as ChandLand. It was midnight when they arrived at the villa. The helicopter landed, and Alexander got out of it. He called Mike and Simon. They were already at the villa. Everyone used a shortcut to reach the villa except Alexander. Why? Because he wanted to spend more quality time with his future Queen. They did not talk; none of them said a single word, but they still enjoyed each other's presence. "Tell the maids to prepare a room for Ashly. And make sure it is warm enough". Mike and Simon nodded, and they went inside. The winters were to end, and he knew that his beloved future queen would surely get cold and sick. Alexander looked inside that helicopter and smiled when he saw
When Ashly woke up, she was in an unfamiliar room. Then it hit her. Ashly might be in Branson's Villa now. Of course, it is going to be unfamiliar. She took a look around. The room was huge and magnificent. Everything had a shade of scarlet and black. Even the bedspread was dark red. Then Ashly looked at herself. She felt relaxed that she was still wearing the dress she wore when she departed from ChandLand. Then she heard a knock. A woman spoke from outside. "Queen, may I come in?" Ashly cleared his throat. "Yes" The door opened, and a young woman entered. She stood in front of the bed and bowed. "I was appointed as your personal assistant, my Queen. My name is Zia," Ashly said with a nod. "Is that so? Can you, um, help me get out of bed? I'm kind of stuck here." She hurried up to her and started removing bedspreads. "I'm sorry, my Queen. I was strictly ordered to keep you warm." Ashly chuckled as she got out of bed. "Don't mind it. I should be thankful to you for your eff
After Ashly had lunch, Zia offered her a tour of the palace. At the library, Zia gave Ashly a book named 'Branson Queen'. "It has the rules to be followed by the Queen and the duties inside and outside the villa," She said. "Rules?" Ashly asked again if she heard anything wrong. "Yes, Queen, being a Branson Queen, you have to follow certain rules. The Elder Queen will teach you all this herself, but apparently she is busy with wedding preparations." Ashly takes the book from Zia. "I thought, all the Queen has to do is look pretty," Ashly joked. Zia looked at Ashly and made a weird face. "Looking pretty is the main duty, though," she replied, laughing. Ashly is sure going to get along well with Zia. It was late in the evening when Ashly came back to her room with Zia. That tour gave her a chance to get along with maids. Everyone was talking about Alexander and the Generals today. Since Zia is also General's fan, she also joined the group. Ashly decided to sit back on her couch a
Ashly was really confused about King Alexander by now. When she left ChandLand, she knew she was going to get humiliated. She was very sure that no one was going to give her a tiny bit of respect. But Alexander was giving her valuable gifts. The pin was really beautiful, and by looking at it, Ashly knew that it was expensive. MoonLand was really cold; therefore, Ashly always sought warmth in her clothes. When Ashly was swimming in the sea of thoughts, the door slammed open, and Zia rushed in. "You don't have to sulk anymore, Queen!. Queen Mary has arrived!" Well, Ashly has been sulking lately because she is missing her mother, and somehow Alexander got this news. Hence, he called upon Queen Mary before their wedding ceremony. "Ashhhhlyyy" "Ma!" Ashly met her mother in the front hall. She hugged her like there was no tomorrow. "Ma!. I can't breathe." She loosened her tight embrace and took a glance at her only daughter with adoration. "You look fine, baby. Even more beautiful,
The wedding day arrived. It was such a rush inside the castle, with people going in and out. A wedding ceremony was planned to be held that night. Queen Maryes dragged Ashly to the bathing house for the traditional bathing ritual. Ashly never knew that such weird things existed. But her mother told her that it was a cleansing of the virgin bride in order to be presented to her future husband. She had also brought a few maids from Chandland. Altogether, they helped Ashly into the pool of warm water filled with lotus petals. Then they applied a mixture of pearl powder and goat milk to Ashly's skin. Then they applied olive oil to her hair and combed it. Now Ashly was sitting on a stool in her room and pouting. Her mother and maids had so much fun dressing her up. They put a cloth on the mirror in front of him. She was glaring at all of them. Ashly was now wearing a white cotton shirt and white pants that hugged her body. Her mother wore golden earrings and a gold necklace. Her mother
Mike and Simon were given all the responsibilities regarding the ceremony by the Elder Queen. Alexander is going to be the first Lord Mafia, and Branson is going to announce that in the ceremony. The ceremony was organized to be held outside, according to tradition. The King's wedding ceremony is to be held outside, under a full moon, with the blessings of Moon, the holy god of the Branson family. Alexander was looking at the wooden stage made in the garden from his window. On one side of the path to the stage, there were invited guests: princesses, princes, dukes, and nobles. On the other side were the commanders and captains of his army. It took him only one hour to get fully dressed, with the help of his servants. He was wearing a black dress and silver jewelry. The moon was now right above the castle. The door opened, and the Elder King and Queen walked in. "I can't tell you how happy we are today, baby," the Elder Queen said while hugging her only son. "I am so proud of you,