Chapter 1
"Felicia!" the teasing voice from the doors pulled her away from the book in her hand. Felicia stared at her sister who walked further into the room with a teasing smile on her face.
Irena never brought good news to her, and it made Felicia chew on her lips.
"Ye- yes-" her eyes fluttered away from Irena's face down to her fingers.
"You're reading your silly books again." Felicia remained silent, afraid to answer.
"Father wants to see you." she dropped the message that made her heart sink.
"He- o- he-"
"Stop being an annoying brat and get to the study." Irena raked leaving her to herself.
It wasn't news that Felicia was the unloved one out of the two, her sister Irena treated her like garbage and her father Duke Alfred Frandrea allowed it, he felt the same way about his last daughter Felicia.
Felicia slowed down as she climbed the steps leading to the study. It was dimly lit with candle lights leading to hell, the air was suffocating the more and her breath shaky.
Counting her breaths she curled her knuckles and hit the large doors gently knowing how much it annoyed the duke to be disturbed rudely.
She waited for a response and was about to hit again when the large gruff voice called her in.
Her hands covered the cold knobs and she pushed the door opened. The smell of rum and dried twig greeted her as she stepped in. With light coming from the large window at the far centre of the room, Felicia could see his scary silhouette.
"Yo- you sent se-n sent- f- f-or -e" He glanced up from the table and set his eyes on her.
"I didn't hear you Felicia. Speak up when you're required to and stop being an imbecile!" he thundered from where he sat. Her teeth clattered in her mouth at his words and her eyes teary.
"How would anyone love someone like you? You stammer all the time, bringing disgrace upon this family. If not that Falgar is one of my loyal knights who would do whatever I ask, I'm sure he would've rejected you the moment I betrothed you to him." He brawled his heavy breathing filling the room. "Do you know that? Do you know that no one can ever love you?! Do you?!" he yelled.
"N-" Felicia's eyes watered and everything in front of her blurred.
"Speak up!"
"No-" she squeaked.
"Good. Now I'm giving you an order that you must not disobey, with every wretching thing in you, make sure that you please Falgar at all cost, make sure he doesn't change his mind, make sure he doesn’t divorce you. Is that clear?"
This is going to be really hard, Falgar already hates me. She thought.
"Y yes- " she replied.
"Princess Adala has also proposed marriage to Falgar, if this fails that means she will have Falgar and King Kevin won’t hesitate to boast about this, making a public mockery of our family in the seven kingdoms. DO NOT MESS THIS UP.” He thundered and she swallowed both saliva and fear.
I’ll try not to father. I’ll try my best to make you want me again. She pledged in her head but muttered a curt reply instead making him dismiss her.
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Getting married to Falgar was the second strangest thing done to her after being locked up in a castle most of her life, she barely interacted with anyone in those years and now that she was back in the open Felicia didn’t know what more to do but jitter.
The memories she had of Falgar were faulty, right from where she got out of her room in her dress and walked down the aisle with her father by her side, to the time she was unveiled by him.
She won't forget the scowl on his face and the way his hands shook in anger as he stared at her, images of the unhappy man burned deep in her head.
He doesn’t want me. He hates me, just like everyone else. He hates the fact that he’s tied down to someone like me, a worthless lady. She told herself as they pronounced them husband and wife.
He refused to hold her hands and never smiled at her, instead his hollow eyes caught her staring a couple of times and she could feel herself get lost in the darkness.
The night as newly wedded left Felicia empty and broken, with no love in the way he touched her or void caresses Felicia watched as Falgar loomed over her taking the one thing that gave her any value, her virginity. She cried to sleep that night and when she woke up the next morning he was gone.