The Serpent's Enigma

50 | Unsettling

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

GIANITA

It had been a week since Gigi found the 'secret' stash of her father's letters, yet she couldn't shake it from her thoughts. She had known about her father's ambition to seek relations with Angletonia, but the amount of time he had used trying to convince Cal to take her hand in marriage had shocked her.

Initially, she had thought that he saw an opportunity as Cal rose up to the throne without a wife, but the truth revealed that he had been presenting her to him many years before that; even before he met Isleen. How long had it gone on?

When Cal said 'your father has only ever mentioned you in his letters', she didn't think it would be to this degree.

The first time she was directly mentioned in the letters was in July 1919, with a photograph attached to it, showing her innocently cuddled in her brother's arms. She was merely five at that time, and Cal—he must have been around fourteen. He wasn't thinking... It wasn't like that, right? He had pursued relationships with other women, planned on marrying Olivia and was making no efforts to entertain her father's offer until earlier this year; when he suddenly informed her father of a marriage proposal. She remembered how the Prajan court rejoiced that day.

Cal wasn't the problem. It was her father she was concerned about.

Although she knew that it was a widespread practice for children of noble and royal families to be promised into marriage at such an early age, it was the specific details that gave her the chills.

Growing up, she'd always been proud of herself for possessing some certain skills, compared to her half-sisters. Even though she could never become as popular, she mastered an intellectual prowess which they didn't. Since the rise of the Angletonian Empire in the last few centuries, the ability to speak fluent Anglese had always been seen as prestigious. Any Prajan with the talent would be offered more decent jobs and quickly rise in society. Gigi had been taught Anglese since she was four years old by native-speaking teachers which her parents had carefully selected, so she would have no accent. She was given classes that most of her sisters weren't provided; politics, economy and foreign trades. But now it felt like they were all artificial—her talents and abilities. That they were never really hers, and she was only capable of doing so because it was intended.

It was almost like her entire life was forged to fit Cal—or rather, the Emperor of Angletonia. To become his ideal wife, the perfect Empress. Which would later lead to... make him fall in love with her.

But even if her entire marriage was a sham... she still had her friendship with Junior. It wasn't pre-planned, they got together based purely on similar interests. Her father didn't make her fancy fairy tales or prehistoric creatures. She looked into it on her own! At the very least, she would always have her son.

Shutting her eyes, Gigi held Junior closely in her lap. They were in his room, and he was reading about the Five Muses again. His interest in Southern mythologies was back, she had also seen him doodling the five-star constellation all over his notebooks. She must've overthought his previous statement about being done with the Five Muses myths. Junior was a child and his opinions were bound to change as he grew, and that was okay.

He also had a new favourite word, 'fate', as evident as the word was always neatly scribbled next to the stars. Maybe it was a part of the lore?

"So, Papa will be back soon, right?"

"Yes, Junior."

"And you said you're going to have a honeymoon after he returned?"

Gigi chuckled nervously, as part of her mind went back to the problem with her father. "We plan to."