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The trip to Wisterean was long and I spent the hours after hours in silence as the carriage moved, a little bumpy here and there. It took a few days of passing through small inns to get there and it gave me all the more time to think about the kingdom I would be sent to after marriage.

Even though I was engaged, I had never met the Crown Prince of Wisterean kingdom. All I had was his name and the rumors that spread around Leovalon. They made me think he could not be such a good person. Disregarding his subjects, not listening to the complaints of the citizens and commoners, he and the King and Queen of Wisterean had a rather unfavorable reputation, it seemed. Whenever I approached my parents, they would repeat that there was no better man for me to marry. They emphasized the power they held and the support of nobles.

Wisterean had manpower and knowledge of development but declining resources whereas Leovalon had abundant resources but no expertise in utilizing them. My marriage was to be held for the establishment of cooperation regarding this. Both sides had a lot to gain. Their declining reputation was an insignificant issue compared to these.

Still, it was on my mind the whole journey now that I was going to meet my fiancé face to face. It would have been nice if those rumors and the news about the deaths of Wisterean people were a misunderstanding. It would have been wonderful if my fiancé was a loving and good person.

"Princess?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and blurted, "I'm listening!"

Sunghoon stared at me with wide eyes before choking on a suppressed laugh. "My apologies, Princess. I was just asking if you feel uncomfortable in any way."

Heat rushed to my cheeks and I cleared my throat. "No."

My butt was growing numb from sitting in the carriage for too long, but the longer we stalled, the longer it would take us to arrive.

"Please don't push yourself too hard," he said and stared at me in silence. Other royalties or nobles would find it disrespectful but I knew it was his habit while in thought, so I waited. "I apologize if I am being rude asking but are you feeling nervous?"

I smiled. "How many times do I have to tell you to drop the formalities? Of course I'd feel nervous. I'm going to my fiancé's kingdom for the first time. Not to mention alone."

He stayed silent again. "You're an amazing person, Princess. I believe you won't have a problem."

I chuckled. "Still, I'm anxious."

"Bada."

I jolted when he called me by my name. "Wha..."

He gave me a wide smile. "You'll be fine."

The last time I heard him call my name was when we were younger. I was lost in the outskirts of the kingdom and he came alone in a hurry to rescue me. He kept calling my name in a broken voice. Since then, he was full of manners around me and became one of the best knights in Leovalon.

I smiled as well. "I'll try."

"We're at the borders of Wisterean!"

I looked outside the window and the further we went into the kingdom, the more shocked I was. Rundown villages and polluted areas. Bodies filled around the shabby shacks and children trudged around them, bones protruding through their skins. The pungent stench could be smelled even with all the windows closed.

"What... is this...?" Sunghoon whispered, at a loss of words as well.

I did not imagine the villagers were going through something horrible like this. My eyes kept slipping off the sight and I had to hold my tears back.

"How much supplies do we have?" I asked my knight.

"Princess?"

"Will they be enough for even a few households? Tell the others to distribute the extra supplies to these villagers as well as my portion."

"Your portion? But Princess-"

"It's an order," I commanded, covering my face in anguish.

The knights handed the boxes and crates of food to the people which caused a crowd to form that I did not intend. It was not enough to provide for more than a few people. I stood beside the carriage watching the people cry and fight for the food, and I regretted my decision seeing it stir a huge mess.

"Please don't fight! I will be back with more supplies so please share as much as you can with the ones in need," I exclaimed, stepping forward, unintentionally drawing their attention.

"Your Highness, it's dangerous, please stand back," one of the knights who was near me said.

"A royal?!" People suddenly yelled and shouted with unfiltered anger and hatred, and started throwing objects at me. "Get away! Leave! Die!"

They cursed at me and I covered my head with my arms in shock as the things they threw were hard and sharp. I yelped as they hit me and pain spread through my arms and torso.

"Your Highness!" The knights yelled and someone held me, shielding me from the attacks.

As soon as I heard the sounds of swords, I screamed, "Sheathe your swords!"

"But Your Highness!"

I looked up and saw Sunghoon's face contorted in pain looking at me. It was my fault that he and the others were in pain.

"Are you hurt badly, Princess?" His voice was trembling and I noticed his arms around me were shaking a little.

"It's my arrogance to think I could help these people by giving out such insufficient supplies," I told them all. "Retreat immediately and head to the castle fast."

We all went back to riding the carriages and approached the castle. Sunghoon kept insisting that I treat my arms but I kept assuring him that I was fine. It could help the King and Queen of Wisterean to become aware of the situation more. It was clear from the way the people changed their attitude when they knew I was a royalty that it was their fault. I had to have a long conversation with the royals of Wisterean.

"Are you hurt, Sunghoon?" I turned the question to him.

"I'm fine. Your safety is my priority."

Of course. That was what a knight would say. He would be stubborn to admit his pain.

When we finally arrived at the castle, the sky was already dark and the moon was an almost invisible crescent. The butler led us in and we were treated before dinner where the King and Queen welcomed me. They were nothing but hospitable, asking me about my long journey and how I grew up. When I wanted to discuss about the situation at hand, they insisted I do it in the morning because of my exhaustion. The Crown Prince was on a trip to the town so he would also be available tomorrow. I agreed and went to my room to rest for the night.

In the dead of the night, I woke up and had to go to the bathroom because of all the drinks the King and Queen offered me during dinner. They were too hospitable. I opened the door and Sunghoon looked at me in shock.

"Princess, why are you not asleep?"

I huffed. "Why are you not asleep? I specifically told you to rest for tonight!"

"But Princess-"

I crossed my arms. "Go right now."

"But-"

"That's an order, Sir Sunghoon."

He held my gaze for a moment long. "Your safety is the priority."

I sighed. "I'll be fine. But you haven't slept for the past days. You'll collapse in anytime if you don't sleep."

He stubbornly challenged my stare.

"Just a few hours?" I pleaded at that point. "This is the castle. They wouldn't do anything to their future Queen."

We had a staring battle for a long while until he finally gave in. "Just a few hours."

I smiled and he bowed before going into his room beside mine. I asked one of the maids about the directions to the bathroom and told them I was fine alone.

As I walked through the silent corridor with dim lights, I thought about my fiancé and wondered how our first meeting would go. The issue I would bring up to discuss would be anything but nice, but it would still be our first meeting. Would he be as the rumors said or would he be a misunderstood person? Would he be someone who deliberately ignored his people or were the King and Queen responsible for what was happening?

I flinched and stopped in my tracks when I heard a loud yelp and a commotion in a room where the door was ajar. When I went near and looked through the crack, my hand flew up to cover my mouth as I held in my scream. A man who seemed to be the Crown Prince from the way he was dressed had a sword pierced through his body with blood pooling around his feet. On top of him, another man stood with a black hood over his tall figure.

My head started spinning and I took steps back with bated breaths. The stench of blood was permeating the air and I gagged.

I have to get out of here!

Swallowing my trembling heart, I took the slowest steps to not make any noise but I could not get far quickly. The door suddenly swung open and I gasped. As if electrocuted, I started running. My heart was beating out of my chest and I was panting as I ran back to my room to get Sunghoon or any other knight.

Soon, I heard heavier running steps behind me and I looked back to see the hooded man chasing me. I screamed for help and kept running. The hallway was covered with bodies, some of the castle guards.

"It's an ambush!" Someone yelled, waking the sleeping castle. "A rebellion!"

A rebellion?!

The man who was chasing me suddenly caught me and covered my mouth.

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Girlie just wanted to pee...

Yay, a new long chapter!