Red-eyed man!

No word could escape my throat as I got the shock of my life. I felt weak in my knees, and suddenly, the floor under my feet was slipping away. It was as if the shock was the final push needed for the weight of the heavy bridal gown and jewelry, added to the anxiousness of getting married, to come crashing at me. This revelation was so unexpected, I felt like my soul would leave my body at any moment.

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The moment my body lost strength, a pair of strong arms held me, protecting me from falling down.

I could only look at him with wide eyes as I heard him ask, "Are you fine, my Queen?"

My throat felt too dry to even say a word. Not as if any word would come out. As I stared at him, it felt like my entire brain had stopped working. When I lowered my gaze, my eyes caught sight of a familiar tattoo shining on the left side of his neck.

"Are you not feeling well?" the red-eyed man asked again.

I closed my eyes for a moment to think, or at least try to get my brain working. I wanted to pinch my skin and slap my face, maybe wash my face with water, just to check if this was an illusion and if this man would disappear when I opened my eyes again.

This red-eyed man had occupied my mind for the past few days. 'Could it be because I hated him so much, that's why I was seeing him today?' But when I opened my eyes, the man holding me didn't disappear. Just then, I heard my brother's worried voice that immediately brought me back to my senses.

"Seren, are you fine?"

That was my brother, Cian. I straightened myself to stand properly on my own, and that red-eyed man… the groom… now my husband… he let me go. My entire body shook as I tried to quietly gasp for air. It took me all my willpower to stand with composure beside him, facing the guests in the wedding hall, only to hear a voice announce me and him as husband and wife.

"With this, we have become witnesses to the joyful union between Drayce Ivanov and Seren Ilven. May the King and Queen of Megaris reign forever in prosperity!"

The applause and cheers filled the air, but these sounds seemed strangely distant to me. I looked around the hall as I felt like I was standing in the middle of some strange place and it was spinning in front of my eyes. The noise around me made the discomfort worse. For the past few days, it was as if I was only getting one shock after another, and it was starting to suffocate me.

The red-eyed man who I saw on that distant battlefield, then under the water, in the marketplace, and then in my own bedchamber. The one who helped me run away and then the one to bring me back, this man was, in the end, the King of Megaris and now my husband.

I had always known my life was cursed and that I had the worst fate that anyone could have in this entire world, but I never imagined it to be this bad. If this man was my husband, then there was no way I could run away from him. He would follow me and find me wherever I went. I had already witnessed the powers he held, and I was no match compared to him.

'Powers? How can he have those powers?' The questions in my mind only increased with each passing second. The most important one was related to the visions I saw through my scrying ability, the one in the mountains and the one underwater.

'Why do I see him in my visions?'

The shock had rendered me in a complete daze. I thought I had mentally prepared myself for this wedding, but the sudden revelation of my husband's real identity made me unable to know how to react. As if going through the motions, we left the grand hall, and we were escorted to somewhere else, but I could no longer understand what was going on around me.

Afterwards, I realized that we were inside the banquet hall of the palace. It was crowded with faces both familiar and unfamiliar, but thankfully, no one tried to strike a conversation with me, although a number of guests with high status approached the red-eyed man beside me. There was a ball arranged for the celebration, and there was food, dancing, and entertainment prepared for everyone, but I found nothing interesting.

The entire time, that red-eyed man never left my side. He simply sat next to me on the ornately-carved couch meant for the groom and bride, which was in an elevated position inside the banquet hall. I could see him through the corners of my eyes and couldn't stop feeling anxious. He neither talked to me nor did he show any indication that he knew me and we had met so many times before. He was calm and composed, the total opposite of me.

'This man, has he been playing with me the entire time? Is he having fun seeing what I am going through?'

After the empty formalities were over and all the guests left, I was still sitting like a statue, not willing to believe everything that had happened to me.

'Why is this not a dream now?'

I could not understand what exactly I was feeling, but I knew that with the celebration done, it was time for the groom to return to his kingdom with his bride... and that bride was me.

The red-eyed man finally left my side, and I was escorted back to my chamber by Martha along with a number of female servants to change into another dress. Since I would be setting out to travel quite a long distance, this heavy bridal gown had to be replaced as it would not be comfortable for the journey.

However, the other dress they made me wear was not that comfortable either. It might not be as heavy or as luxurious as the wedding gown, but it was more extravagant than the ordinary gowns I normally wear for banquets. The beautiful red dress in itself made it easy for me to move around, the skirt not dragging along the floor, but there was a thick suffocating outer robe to wear over it. The red dress was fine but that outer robe was uncomfortable to wear due to all the work of gold threads, stones, and beads.

"Since I'll be traveling, can't I wear the casual dresses I always wear?" I complained. Without the layers of skirts drowning me, I was finally able to breathe, but this attire would still make my body ache if I were to sit for long in a carriage wearing it.

"Your Highness, no, Your Majesty," one servant replied, "You are now the Queen of Megaris and so these should be the type of clothes you should wear. This is already the most ordinary among your new set of clothes."

I looked at Martha and she nodded lightly, agreeing with what the servant said. I had no other choice but to wear it. With a defeated sigh, I sat on the chair in front of the mirror to get some rest for my tired legs. Getting out of that bridal gown was such a relief because I felt like my body would soon break into pieces with that much weight.

"This jewelry? Hair? My neck will break," I complained again.

The servants didn't show it on their faces, but I know in their minds they were wondering what kind of bride I was to complain about being dolled up like this. On the day of their wedding, everyone had to wear all this. In fact, I would not complain about the appearance because I could not deny how dignified and beautiful these clothes were. But who would tell these people that this prisoner princess was not used to such luxurious fashion? Since I never socialized with people outside, I was usually dressed in a simple comfortable cotton chemise without accessories inside my tower. Perhaps, middle-class citizens of Abetha dressed better than I did.

'Why would I dress up like a royal when I only had to be in my chamber all the time?'

The servants reluctantly took off some jewelry to lessen some of the weight on me but they kept my hair styled the same after removing only a few accessories. I didn't say anything, but I was frowning inside.

Martha instructed those servants, "All of you can wait outside."

The servants left, closing the door behind them, and Martha looked at me. I remained sitting quietly on the chair in front of the mirror, staring at my own reflection in a daze. Despite her extravagant clothes, the image reflected in the mirror looked quite pitiful in my eyes.

"What happened, my lady?" Martha asked. She must have noticed I was unusually silent. Being with me for so many years, she could guess if something was not right with me.