Never Say Never (Arranged Marriage Love Story)

Chapter Eight

|Chapter Eight|

I stare emotionless at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Willow had completed my hair a few minutes ago, intricately braiding part of my hair on the side while leaving the rest in golden curls framing my face. My face was currently bare of makeup as Willow had just helped me into my dress before leaving as she had been called by one of the servants to complete some errand for my engagement ball that would start in a mere hour.

Engagement, the mere thought of the word made my heart speed up in excitement no thanks to Ashley's mark. In truth, I was terrified, not excited. I was seventeen, not even an adult and here I was getting engaged and I was in no way ready for it. Tears pinprick at my eyes as the truth comes crashing down on me. I didn't want to get married, least of all to an ignorant, bipolar prince who cared for me as much as he cared for my people. Our people were enemies, not allies. They were here for power, not love or marriage. They would kill my entire family, including myself, the moment we were joined together in holy matrimony, or if I was lucky, possibly when I birthed him a son. Would they be expecting kids, or more importantly, a son? Would I have to make love to a man who I hated with all my heart because his parents commanded it? Would I have to give him a son in order to keep his bloodline continuous.

My stomach lurches at the thoughts swirling around in my mind and for a moment I truly thought I was going to throw up all over the dress Anastasia had worked so many hours at for making it perfect for me. And the dress truly was a work of art. It hung tightly to my curves and defined them with extravagance. The silk was soft on my skin, making the awful weight of the dress much more bearable. The light blue not only complimented my skin tone, but made my eyes look much bluer than they really were. Despite my hatred for her son, Anastasia was someone I had started learning to like. She may have been annoying at times, yet she truly did have a pure heart. If only those traits had carried down to her son instead of her husband's. Once I was certain I was going to keep the small contents of my stomach down, I slowly relaxed my body, which was tense under days of stress and lack of food and sleep. If I hadn't looked like the walking dead during the war, I sure as hell mirrored one now.

My hands wipe at the tears falling down my face, and I was thankful that Willow had never gotten around to doing my makeup. At least when I got around to it, I could hide my tear-streaked face and the bruise that still covered most of my cheek. Willow had noticed it when she was doing my hair, I had saw anger flash in her eyes, yet she had kept her mouth shut and said nothing. I turn away from the mirror then wanting to collapse to the floor, but afraid to ruin the beautiful and expensive dress that had been my engagement gift from my future mother-in-law. If I was having a meltdown before the ball even began, how would I make it through the actual event? Would I be able to make a convincing facade in front of not only my people, but Ashley's as well. Would they truly believe that the pact was strong enough to keep the peace? I hated to think what would happen if I didn't act convincing enough.

Fighting the tears away once more, I promise myself that I was not going to fall apart again. I was going to keep it together and suffer through everything imaginable if that meant I would save the lives of my people. In the end, their survival was much more important than my own and I would be extra mindful of that tonight. With this thought in mind, I turn back towards the mirror and begin applying the makeup that would help me play the part I needed to.

I took extra time covering the yellow-greenish bruise, making sure that no one would be able to see it and begin to question where its origins came from. I then take time to cover my heavy bags and tear streaked face before applying an extravagant eye makeup onto my eyes and then covering my cheeks with a pale blush. With the final touches in place, I manage a small smile at my work before laying down the brush in my hand. I was certain with this, no one would see how I truly felt.