He's my King and I'm his Queen

Chapter 6

Azalea's POV:

            “Ouch!”

            My fists grasped the frame of the bed as the servant girl tightened the strings of my corset. After she was done, I felt like I couldn’t breathe calmly. I don’t know how women in this kingdom survive with such undergarments. I looked at myself in the mirror. The corset did make me look even skinnier, but I would prefer comfort than looking like a stick. The servants then dressed me in a emerald green cardianian ball gown adorned with crystals and matching green shoes. My hair was styled and decorated with my tiara. Kayla looked at me and smiled.

            “You look beautiful princess.”

They turned me to face the mirror again and I actually thought I looked nice. I never wore Cardinian clothing before, I actually believed it to be lovely. The long sleeves made my arm movement to appear more lady-like, the embroidery was very fancy, and the crystal necklace decorated my bare neckline well.  The servant girls and Kayla left saying that they would come back to fetch me when it was “time.”

I stared at myself in the mirror. I felt like I was a completely different person. The only thing out of my outfit that wasn’t Cardinan was my tiara. I sighed and walked over to the window in my room. I opened it and soaked myself with the sun which was setting behind the trees. Today was the day of my engagement ball held in Cardinia. Even though being in a new place was exciting, I missed my kingdom. I missed hearing the sounds of waves outside my window, the salty sea air, and my people. As I looked at the world outside my window, I felt more homesick than ever.  Cardinia was in the mountainous region so the forest was wide and vast, along with many rivers, lakes, and waterfalls.

I heard a knock at the door and Kayla came in, telling me that it was time. I put on a happy smile and turned to leave. I walked with as much grace and poise as I could with the new dress and was led to the ballroom. At the double door to the ballroom, Christopher was waiting for me. He looked handsome in his navy blue dress coat and his crown. When he saw me he hastened over and embraced me. He then held out his hand with composure and I placed mine on top of his. We acted like the perfect royal couple as the guards opened the door and the lights from the ballroom blinded me while I heard someone introducing us.

As the guests started clapping, Christopher whispered in a hushed tone that only I could hear.

“Just follow my lead and only speak when needed.”

He raised his hand, gesturing everyone to quiet down, then began to speak.

            “I thank you people of Cardinia and Pyrus, for coming to celebrate our engagement.” A servant then handed us glasses with wine. “May we all raise our glasses to my beloved,” He looked at me with loving eyes. “Princess Azalea of Pyrus.”

Everyone drank the wine, even Christopher, but I never drank wine before, and I wasn’t going to start now.

            Afterwards, the party resumed again and Christopher and I descended down the staircase. We were supposed to go and greet the main lords of Pyrus and Cardinia to pay our respects. It basically was Christopher who did all the talking; I was just there smiling, curtseying, and kissing Christopher a few times. While we greeted the main lords, I noticed our guests. There were people from both our kingdoms, but even though they were both party guests, you could see the split between them. The two sides didn’t really interact with one another and they each basically stayed on their side of the room. The only area where both sides were next to each other was the dancing floor.

            Finally, we finished talking to all the lords about our marriage except someone named Sir Patrick. When Christopher saw him, I saw his eyes fill with dislike and disgust. He spotted us and headed over. He was dressed in a scarlet dress coat and his brown russet hair touched his shoulder(which seemed bizarre to me since men in Pyrus never let their hair grow that long), and when he came closer to us, I could smell the stench of wine all over his beard. He gave us a chilling smile, held my hand, and kissed it, just like Christopher did when we first met. This time though, when he kissed me, I felt disgusted.

            “Congratulations on your betrothal. My name is Sir Patrick V from the house of Hebi. I’m hoping your marriage will bring peace between our kingdoms.”

I gave my best dignitary smile and replied to him.

            “Thank you Sir Patrick, I’m very happy to have a man such as Christopher become my husband.”

He let go of my hand and directed himself towards Christopher.

            “I’m sorry Princess, but may I borrow your fiancé for a minute? There are just some things we need to….discuss.”

I looked at Christopher and he gave me a smile.

            “Don’t worry Azalea, I won’t be long. Why don’t you get yourself some refreshments and talk to your people?”

I nodded and he left.

            I walked over to one of the tables to get something to drink. I kept thinking about that man. He gave me a bad feeling and I wondered why he and Christopher had a certain animosity towards each other. They were both in the same kingdom after all. When I reached the table, I voice interrupted my thoughts.

            “Princess of Azalea of Pyrus I assume?”

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Hey guys! Watsup? I'm so glad I got to update this story after so long! Who do you think called out to Azalea? Vote and comment please! Thank you for reading! :D