CHAPTER 2: MARRIAGE

RAEA’S POV

I came to a halt outside the towering, gold-trimmed double doors of the throne room. Nodding to the armored royal guards flanking either side of the entrance, I watched as they pushed the heavy oak doors open with a low, echoing groan. The court announcer’s voice boomed through the high arched ceilings, officially declaring my presence to my parents, the King and Queen of Asteria. I turned back to my friends, offering them a quick, reassuring smile, before stepping into the room alone.

Usually, the throne room was a massive, intimidating expanse of polished white marble, completely empty and bare except for the grand dais and the two thrones at the far end. Today, however, it looked entirely different.

Right in the center of the room sat an enormous, dark mahogany table, surrounded by a crowd of people. I stared at it, my brain momentarily sidetracked as I wondered how on earth they had managed to get that gargantuan piece of furniture in here. It was easily three times the width of the doorways. How many guards did it take to carry it? Did they have to take the doors off the hinges? Or did they assemble it piece by piece inside like some twisted, giant puzzle?

I shook my head to clear the useless thoughts and focused on the room again. As I approached the dais, my boots clicking softly against the marble, I reached my mother and father’s side. I sank into a smooth, practiced curtsy.

Immediately, every single person at the long table stood up in unison. A resounding chorus of *”My princess”* echoed through the chamber as they bowed and curtsied back to me before sliding back into their seats.

I gave them a small, polite nod of acknowledgment and took my seat at the right side of my father. My mother sat directly opposite me on his left—which I had been taught was the traditional place for queens—with my dad sitting regally at the head of the table.

“Astraea,” my father said, his stern face softening as he offered me a loving, incredibly fond smile. But the warmth was short-lived. He straightened his posture, his expression growing serious as the smile faded from his face. He cleared his throat, looking around the crowded room before his gaze settled back on me.

“These,” he began, gesturing with a broad hand toward the people seated around the table—sixteen of them in total, dressed in stiff, foreign, and painfully elaborate regalia—“are the ambassadors of the other kingdoms, and their assistants. Well, except the huma—I mean, Elaris…”

He cut himself off quickly, a brief look of panic crossing his features. He glanced nervously at my mother, subtly gesturing for her to take over the explanation.

My mother shot him a sharp, warning glare that could have melted stone.

“Love,” Mom picked up smoothly, her voice calm and carrying that effortless royal grace, “they are here for a very important matter. It is actually a tradition of sorts, one that has been carried out for more than four thousand years.” She paused, her eyes flitting back to my father.

My dad let out a low, heavy groan, rubbing his temples.

A cold knot of dread began to tighten in my stomach. I was officially terrified of whatever was about to happen. My parents were never the type to hesitate or pause like this unless they were absolutely certain I was going to completely lose my mind over the news.

“Okay…” I said, my voice wavering slightly. “Can you guys just continue, please? You’re going to make me spiral.”

My dad nodded, his expression somber. “Alright, baby. So, this tradition is the result of what the other kingdoms believe is a curse. The royal families of the other kingdoms cannot bear daughters. And our kingdom, Asteria, cannot bear sons. Our bloodline has only ever birthed daughters, while theirs have only ever birthed sons.”

*Holy shit…*

The knot in my stomach tightened further. I had a really, really bad feeling about where this was going.

“Oh,” I stammered, trying to sound diplomatic. “That’s… uh, sad?”

Mom continued, leaning forward slightly. “Because of this, every daughter of our kingdom is highly sought after. When they turn twenty—just before their twenty-first birthday—the other kingdoms arrive for what is known as…”

“The Princess Trials,” Dad finished smoothly, cutting straight to the chase. “In these trials, the princess chooses a massive, challenging quest for the suitors of the other kingdoms to complete, along with a specific deadline. Whoever completes the quest first, before the time runs out, wins. They will become the next king. Meaning… they will be your husband.”

My heart stopped. “Wait, what?!!! No, you’re joking—”

“No, love, it’s the absolute truth,” Mom interrupted, her voice infuriatingly calm. “It is how your father and I met. It is how your grandmother met your grandfather, and it is how you and your sisters will find your matches. There are eight suitors in total, excluding Elaris, as they prefer to keep to themselves. You will have dinner with all eight, and from there, you will select five suitable candidates. Those five will then compete for your hand in whatever trial you choose to set.”

“And,” Dad quickly cut in, seeing that I was taking a deep breath to start screaming, “they will be arriving tomorrow. You will meet the suitors then, and the interviews will begin. The day after tomorrow, you will formally state the trial and set the deadline. And then, we wait.”

They both stopped talking, watching me with cautious, worried eyes. I looked around the room, feeling the heavy gaze of all sixteen ambassadors staring at me, dissecting my every reaction.

*Okay, Thaea, breathe,* I told myself, using my nickname to try and ground my racing thoughts. *Now is absolutely not the time to completely lose your shit.*

“How is it that I’ve never heard a single word about this until today?” I demanded. My chest heaved as I tried to keep my voice in its polished “princess” tone, but the sheer panic took over, and I ended up practically yelling by the end of the sentence. “And why am I only hearing about it *now*??? When it literally begins tomorrow?!”

“This is how it has always been done, baby. I’m so sorry—” Dad started, his eyes filled with genuine apology, but I had already reached my limit.

“Yeah, sure, it’s no problem!” I snapped, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “I basically have no choice but to go along with this, right? I just have to marry some random stranger I don’t love? Someone I’ve never even met in my entire life?”

As my words echoed through the silent room, I heard quiet whispers and stifled snickers break out among some of the ambassadors. My dad cleared his throat aggressively, preparing to reprimand them and speak to me, but Mom beat him to it.

“It is how your father and I met, Astraea,” she said softly, her eyes pleading with me to understand. “I promise you, the love will grow, and everything will be okay—”

“No!” I interrupted, unable to listen to any more reassurances.

I violently pushed my chair back. The heavy wood screeched loudly against the marble floor as I stood up. The sudden movement startled the ambassadors, forcing them to quickly stand out of respect as well. I offered my parents and the room a tense, incredibly brief curtsy, turned on my heel, and began marching across the vast room toward the double doors.

“Baby, we have to finish discussing this—” Dad called out.

“Love, please don’t just leave like this—” Mom pleaded.

I didn’t stop. I pushed past the guards, who quickly closed the heavy wooden doors behind me, cutting off my parents’ voices.

I stood in the quiet hallway, looking at my small entourage. Rowan, Elias, Kai, and Lyra were all watching me with deep, questioning concern written all over their faces. Without a word, I broke into a run, heading straight for the safety of my bedroom. This time, they followed close on my heels, their footsteps quiet and synchronized.

The moment I burst into my room, I threw myself onto the bed, burying my face in the pillows. Seconds later, a soft, hesitant knock sounded at my door.

“Raea, are you okay? Can we come in?” Lyra’s voice was gentle through the wood.

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to scream, to cry, to talk to someone who wasn’t just my own racing thoughts—even though Thalia and Lumen had been completely, strangely silent through this entire nightmare. I couldn’t even talk to my sisters about this yet. I wanted to open the door so badly, but when I finally forced my mouth to move, a different answer came out.

“I think… I just want to be left alone for a while. Don’t worry, I just need to get some sleep.”

“A, you know you can trust us,” Kai’s voice came through, uncharacteristically serious and soft. “You don’t have to carry this alone.”

“It’s alright, really, I promise,” I called back, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ll just sleep for a bit and tell you all about it later.”

I heard the quiet rustle of clothes, some hushed whispering outside the door, and then the soft sound of their footsteps retreating until the hallway fell silent.

I rolled onto my back and stared up at the canopy of my bed, my mind frantically replaying every single word my parents had just dropped on me.

So. It seemed I was about to be forced into a marriage.

*No,* I thought, a sudden, fierce spark of rebellion igniting in my chest. *I won’t let them do this. I have to find a trial so impossibly hard, so absolutely dangerous and grueling, that none of them will ever be able to complete it. And then, I will marry for love.*

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***