Chapter 2

Her head was aching.

Like a hammer forcefully hitting the nail's head, seemingly trying to let out a burden.

Groaning, she was greeted by the familiar drapes of her bedroom as she tried to adjust her vision to see things clearly. Massaging her head, she recalled the previous happenings she remembered before passing out.

 “...princess of the City of Florin, in the country stated, shall wed my son.”

She was to be married!

The coldness again crept down her spine as she has no intentions of getting married but she can't afford to defy the lord's order. Thinking all about it, she let out a strangled cry as she fought her tears that pooled in her eyes. She shall not be bullied! She just can't be!

Drowned on her thoughts, her parents, along with her brother and his fiancée came.

 “ how are you fairing, Utoh? “ unlike their previous exchange, the question that Lady Kleir was genuine as she saw the distraught figure of her friend. She can 't help but to feel sympathy for her friend as the same faith of being tied to a person with no love befall upon her.

 “ I wish that the god of the man swallow me right now. “ the latter begrudgingly murmured.

 “ well, life is truly unfair little sis, even I can't understand why the man had issued such decree” Elysian said, sitting on the foot of his sister's bed. Utopia can't help but kicked her brother off her bed in grievance.

 “Tell me honestly, it was your jinx on me, huh? Dear brother? “ she accusingly bellowed at the poor man. She suddenly thought about it and somehow she wanted to point the blame to this brother.

 “Are you kidding me right now?” Elysian looked at her in disbelief . The level of denial that his sister had was beyond the roof to the point it was bordering annoying.

 “ then why I am subjected to it, huh? Maybe you have bragged to the other disciple that you have such a wonderful sister that made me stuck in this dilemma?! “ a denial queen and a presumptuous girl. That was what the audience thought in general as they heard her words.

Sighing in resignation, Kleir can only shake her head on the way her friend coped with such news. Truly entertaining.

 “Why would I brag your annoying ass in front of them?” Retorted the wronged one. 

“your words are inappropriate, son, you should refrain talking like this in the future” even though it was entertaining to see their bickering, the king couldn't help but chastised his son for his choice of words. Since he was deprived of that privileged to talked like the  commoners ever since he was young, it was only right that his children shared such practice.

“Ugh.” Elysian can only roll his eyes in irritation. 

 “By the way Father, who was the lord's son? I thought the people in that temples are monks”

 “Not all temples only have monks, idiot”

 “Shut up, smug face!”

The king sighed again and shook head lightly.

 “From what I know, the temple was situated on the upper hills of Thras.” Kleir supplied the latter a little-known information which made the two stop bickering. 

Thras was the second largest city in the continent. Unlike the scenic beauty of their land, the said city was covered in snow half of the year due to its close proximity to the Great Ice of the Northern Cap. 

Because of this, people there are also has snow white like skin, the lightest color of skin to ever exist in the world of man.

 “ your master wants me to marry the people of Thras!?! Are you truly kidding me right now, father? Mother? “ the news was beyond her expectation, Utopia can't help but to question her parents for that. 

Thras maybe hundred miles away from them but the rumors of them always reach her ears. Thras was known to be land of savages! .

 “Wait!? Is your master the king of that place?!” Utopia asked wide eyed. 

 “ of course not! Are you crazy?! Its his godson whom he is talking about! “ 

 “Then who is it?”

 “It's the son of Giren Freyr of the lower region. Prince Xenon.” Her father supplied, seemingly tired of hearing their exchange.

 It's the son of Giren Freyr of the lower region.

 Prince Xenon.

The creeping sensation started to send weird sensation throughout her. 

 “Is that prince the same with the one who has killed the ravagers? Last year?” Her loud voice turned into a murmur.

The suspense and mystery of the man she will be betrothed to, was etching a unfathomable scare in her heart.

 “Most likely, Prince  Xenon haven't answered my letters “ Elysian said. It was true that he had sent a letter to his comrade for some time now. But the reply is not yet clear.

I. Am. So. Dead. 

It was the first thought that seep into her mind. Her imagination run wild from grotesque scenes with blood everywhere. Scattered limbs in sight and is never ending and she was on the middle of it all, laid on some kind of sacrificial table waiting to be slaughtered by the man in question.

Her already pale face paled more when another scene crossed her muddled mind. It was a scene were she was being skinned alive as she had talked back to him. Her eyes were bloodshot and her screams were like a broken disk of some heavy metal. She can clearly smell the putrid scent of the rotting flesh as she was continuously being peeled by a small blunt cutter.

Seeing her expression, the other people inside was curious of what the princess was thinking at the moment. If they can see her thoughts they would probably fainted at the sinister images she had conjured.

 “Uhmm, your majesties, Am I the only one who notice Utopia is looking, umm, sickly? “ Lady Kleir asked hesitantly. She was getting a little bit shaken up  seeing her friend's face changing expression every minute.

 “I really don't know what to say dear Kleir. Even I, can't comprehend what is going on inside her mind.” the matriarch sighed and looked at the latter helplessly.

 “ if that is the case, mother. I would like to have a word with Lady McArthy outside. “ Elysian said, his eyes trained on the already blushing woman.

Without any other words, he forcefully grip her hands and made their exit from the princess's room, making his parents shock from his unusual behavior.

 “Mama, am I  going to die?” Utopia asked out of the blue. Her imaginations had long run south and had caused great deals of turmoil in her head. Her mind was reeling at the notion of her being murdered by her fiancé.

 “Are you out of your mind, dear? How can you say that going to die?” The queen's tone was filled with motherly concern as well as fear for her daughter's mentality. It was sick thought.

 “Then why did the monk man want me to marry that prince” her eyes almost protrude out as she question her parents with gusto. It was her future that they were to give verdict and  just let the temple master to conjure decrees like that.

 “Only the man from the temple can answer your question, my lovely daughter and what is there to be concerned about? The prince is a gentleman, I have known him since he was a kid. “ her mother reassured her, But her words fell in deaf ears as the images she had concocted clouded her judgment for the nth time.

 “But!!” She wanted to whine but it seems that her words were nonexistent.

 “ And not all marriages are all left in vain, you can learn to love each other when the time comes.”

 “You better listen to your mother, Utopia.”

 “ in a couple of days, the princes will ne here. I am asking you to please to be in your best behavior when the time comes, do you hear me, my dear? “ her mother stated, looking directly of her words.

 “Bu-but,  what if I , what if----”

 “No buts! I want you to act like the princess you are!” Her mother 's face harden as the words left her. She knew well that this daughter of her is quite unruly.

Sighing, Utopia can only nod her head in resignation.

Six days past uneventfully. Murmurs of words of bewilderment as well as delight waft in the air as delicate ladies of noble families made their way to the great hall on the heart of the palace. Their faces was exquisitely dolled up paired with dresses of laces and other expensive materials.

All are excited except for one.

 “What are you wearing daughter!?” Her mother, the queen screeched as she spotted the hardheaded princess making her way towards the sitting room.

 “ Uhmm, leather jeans? “ Utopia winced as her mother's face turned redder ever passing second.

 “Jeans?! We are welcoming the great princes of our continent and yet you will show up in jeans?” 

 seeing her overreacting mother, she can't help but roll her eyes in irritation.

 “Ugh, Mother, the princes will be here at sunset. It's only seven in the morning! Why mist you be so dramatic over small things!? And I have been riding this morning, of course I should were pants!”

 “And who would wear skirty skirts when riding a horse? Do you want to scandalize this daughter!?” She said exasperatingly.

 “ You-you! “

Not minding her mother, she went inside the room and saw her brother lounging in a one sitter cushion while appearing to be in a deep thoughts.

Plopping into one, she sighed as she tried to erase the nagging nervousness that she felt in her heart. It was the day. The day that she was to meet the prince of Thras that she was betrothed to.

Minutes past, the personal herald of my brother suddenly announced their parent's presence.

 “Please, rise.” It was like this all the time. Sir Ed was really an old servant of the palace that he sometimes forgot that this era of monarchs differ from the previous ones.

 “ no need to fuss about like this, Sir Ed. You just can say, they are here in a not so formal way” her words only made the old ones chuckle.

 “I am sorry, your highness, but I shall not impose more.  The snacks will up in a moment. This servant will be leaving.” Sir Ed bowed and left.

 “Well now, husband! Now, you have seen this girl's ridiculous outfit, tell me again if I am overreacting! “ her mother hissed at her husband, who was looking a little pale being the subject of his wife torment.

 “Uh, uhmm.” 

 “Utopia, honey, maybe you should change into some kind of uhmm, hoe do you say this, formal attire, just for today, mm” for my sake  ,he wanted to say but he kept it to himself.

“BUT I JUST GOT HERE!” she argued. She just got comfortable sitting in the feathery cushion!

 Unreasonable oldies! She harrumph in her head as he saw the helpless look of his father  standing next to a quite scary looking wife.

 “Fine.”

 “ we will go then now, I'll escort my sister back to her he room.” Elysian suddenly spoke. He didn’t wait for his parent’s reply and hastily walk out the room, with a pouting Utopia in tow.

“Okay, you are getting creepy now, brother.” She remarked as she had seen his face change into several looks in a matter of seconds.