Her Highness's Forced Marriage With An Enemy

Sibyl’s POV "Why do you think our royal family should raise a princess born of a concubine like you?" The Queen stood on a high dais, a gorgeous dress showing off her noble status. She said in a disdainful tone while admiring her exquisite nails. The princess kneeling at the bottom of the steps trembled. "Because we are the daughters of His Majesty ......" "Shut up! You are just girls born to lowly women. Your existence is a mistake. Do you really think you are a princess? Do you think I let you live in the palace as a princess, just out of kindness?" The girl did not dare to speak. She was indeed a princess. 18 years ago, the emperor r***d a woman of low status in a drunken stupor and then gave birth to her. "Now it's your turn, the so-called princess, to repay the emperor and me." The girl lifted her head, and her eyes filled with bewilderment. "The king of the Werebear country needs a concubine." The girl's eyes were filled with horror. "You know, our country is at war with them. As a princess, you need to take your responsibilities." With tears in her eyes, the girl shook her head in despair. The people of Werebear's country are said to be ugly and rude looking. They are far less civilized than in her country. There is even a rule in the bear country that when a father dies, his children can grab the father's concubine. The king of the Werebear is an old man who has many sons. If she married the king, when he died, she would still be snatched by one of the king's stronger sons. "Your Majesty, I would like to be your servant to serve you. please--" "We have only two princesses now, you and Sibyl. You are both born from lowly women. One of you must marry today and go to the land of the Werebear, or you will both die." I hid behind a curtain in a corner of the palace, desperately covering my mouth to keep myself from crying out. I was Sibyl, and I was 13 years old. The girl kneeling in front of the queen broke down and cried. A group of people rushed in, she was dressed in a red wedding dress by some maids, and then taken away by some soldiers. After that day, I never saw her again. We were both princesses, and I should call her sister. …………………………………………………… Five years later. It was just after dawn when my servant Amy woke me up. The servants in charge of food and drink had not yet brought my breakfast for the day. They were late again. I laughed bitterly; I had gotten used to their slowness over the years. I got up, ate some honey, washed my face with water made from rose petals in the courtyard, and then sat at the window, thinking about what my future should be. Tomorrow I will be 18 years old. However, in this palace, no one cares about a princess like me who doesn't even have a mother. Everyone envies being a princess, believing that a princess represents wealth, beauty, favor and love. However, I wish I had been born as a commoner's daughter. Even if I wore ordinary coarse linen clothes, I could live happily with myself every day and enjoy the warmth of my family. For as long as I can remember, I have never met my father, King Campbell. I could only hear about him from the mouths of servants or see him from afar at parties. My father seemed to have forgotten that there was a daughter like me. My birth seemed to be a shame to him because no one in the entire palace knew who my mother was. I was raised as a child by Meggie, one of my father's unpopular concubines, who was also an unappreciated woman in the palace. She was a shepherdess of the steppes and was abandoned in the palace after being snatched back by my father. We spent thousands of days and nights together in the cold palace. She was my adopted mother. She treated me like a daughter and I called her mom. Oh, and she found out she was pregnant right after she was abandoned by my father. So, I have a younger brother. He brought a lot of joy to our lives. If we weren't in the palace, I'm sure we would have been a happy family. Every sleepless dark night, I thought, when I reached 18, I must take my brother and Meggie and leave the palace. We'll find a house in a small town on the mainland and live there. Forget everything about the palace and start living again. But before I could realize this dream, Meggie died five years ago. The witchcraft-obsessed father finally remembered who Meggie was when he heard the news of her death. He just waved his hand gently and ordered his servants to bury her hastily without asking about the cause of her death. If I had stayed in the palace, I would probably have ended up in the same place. …… "Amy, why is there so much noise outside?" The atmosphere of the palace was different today, and I heard some cheering. "Your Highness, Knight Rodriguez has defeated the Golden Dragon, and the Queen is preparing a welcome party at the palace tonight." The Knight Rodriguez? Was he Nuri Rodriguez, the only male of the Rodriguez family and the hero of the servants' mouths? I nodded and didn't ask more questions. The kind of banquet filled with wine, gold, flattery and hypocrisy. As a neglected princess, I have never been invited to such parties. Never mind, it's none of my business. "Your Highness, the Queen has ordered you to go to her palace," Amy whispered to me. The Queen? The Queen had never allowed me to go to her palace, so why did she suddenly change her mind? The image of the queen threatening another princess five years ago came flooding back into my mind. My head tingled and I clutched my head, trying to hide from the news. Why did the queen suddenly think of me? I had a bad feeling. The queen was a lady of nobility and had always prided herself on her noble lineage. She loathes illegitimate daughters of unknown origin like me. For so many years she had hated me and my little brother, and I did not think she would have anything good in mind when she approached me. But I couldn't defy her orders. I put on my long dress and arranged my hair and went to the Queen's palace accompanied by Amy. The Queen's palace looked gorgeous, decorated with jewels and gold of all colors, even plumes of phoenixes and dragon scales. Amy was not allowed to enter the palace. She watched with concern as I entered the lavish hall alone. The queen sat in a golden chair like a proud peacock, her gaze looking down at me from above. This scene is the same as the one I saw behind the curtain 5 years ago. 5 years ago, there was another princess standing here, and now it is me. "Do you know the Knight Nuri Rodriguez?" The Queen's voice sounded icy. "I know. He is the best swordmaster on the continent, a hero who defeated the Golden Dragon." I bowed my head and answered everything I knew about him. "A hero?" the queen sneered, repeating my words, "A knight who hates the royal family, and when he defeats the Golden Dragon, what do you think he'll do next?" "I don't know." "You said you didn't know!" The queen dropped a glazed cup in anger, the shards falling all around me. I really didn't know. All I knew was that Knight Nuri Rodriguez was the only knight of the Rodriguez family. He grew up with great strength and was able to fight evil dragons with his bare hands. Legend has it that he was tall and handsome, but arrogant and cruel. Many women were obsessed with him and wanted to be his wife, but he only treated them as lovers. Women were allowed to make out with him but could never spend the night in his bed. For such a man, I couldn't guess what he was thinking. Perhaps it was my meek appearance that eased the queen's anger. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. "He has always hated us because of his father's death. He could storm the palace and kill us - including you and your little brother - at any time." My body trembled. This was the first time the queen had mentioned my little brother. The queen had found my weakness. "If you want your little brother to live, you'd better listen to me." I bowed my head, not knowing how to answer. My father had many children, but almost all of them had been secretly poisoned and killed by the queen. My little brother was the only prince in the palace. If the queen wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as killing an ant. "Your Majesty, I don't know what I can do." The queen walked to my side and lifted my chin with one hand. "You have a pretty face - I will host a welcome party for him this evening. I will make him a duke on behalf of the king, and at the same time announce your marriage." "Our marriage?" my mouth dropped open and I looked up in surprise, forgetting my manners and looking the queen straight in the eye.