Chapter 96 - He Had A Lover
Chapter 96 – He Had A Lover
The journey to Ritan was long and hard. To limit the possibility of being attacked by bandits, they had to travel with as fewbreaks as they could manage. The terrain consisted of lengthy forests with wild animals, never-ending woodland and occasional springs.
They only took two breaks a day: one in the afternoon for lunch and another at nightfall. There were just three maidservants who accompanied the Princess to ensure she was comfortable, but there was only so much they could do to aid Lina on this dangerous and turbulent voyage.
"Let me off here," Lina said.
The carriage ride was shaky and there were many bumps in the rocky path. It had gotten so bad that Lina had opted to sit on her horse the entire journey. Her maidservants had heavily protested, but were too exhausted to argue, thus remained in the carriage.
The weather was scorching, for Spring was ending and Summer was beginning. The mornings and afternoons were filled with oppressive heat as they moved closer to Ritan.
"How hot…" One of the soldiers tiredly said to his peer.
Lina agreed.
On many occasions, Lina would tie her hair into a bun, for it clung onto her nape due to her constant perspiration, which made her feel hot and bothered. She was sticky and felt dirty, but couldn't wash.
At night, it was freezing cold and she'd shiver in her tent, but didn't dare to complain.
"This was my decision," Lina had told herself whenever she was faced with difficulties.
Lina had it a lot better than the soldiers and maidservants. They were all extremely polite to her, never once questioning her decision or burdening her with their own woes about the trip.
One time, Lina had tried to collect firewood with them, and they begged on their knees with tears in their eyes for her to stop. She had no choice but to remain idle the whole journey.
"Princess, that's Ritan in the distance!" One of the maidservants gasped, with her head out the window, and her hopeful finger pointing north.
Finally, after a week of travel, Lina could see Ritan from afar. She was sitting on top of a horse and had a better view of the destination. Per tradition, the crew came to a stop at one of the bordering towns.
"What a sight," Lina said with a gasp.
Lina was surprised to see how vastly different the bordering town of Ritan was from Teran. Her mouth ran dry at the realization.
Teran had abandoned their bordering villages during the war. The renovation was caused by Lina's desperately begging her father a few months back.
"This is how an Empire should be," Lina realized.
Ritan had always adored its borderline towns and it was consistently renovating them, leading to a flourishing location
Lina's eyes went wide at the beautiful colors filling this town. There were flowers in pots everywhere, most likely as decoration, but it allowed the streets to have a cleaner scent.
"Ritan is unexpectedly nice…" One of the soldiers grumbled under his breath.
Soon, they approached the inn.
It was bright and early in the morning. They rented four rooms in total; two for the knights, one for the maidservants, and an enormous chamber for the Princess. All of their identities were kept hidden.
Their clothes made it evident they were outsiders.
"Princess, please allow us to bathe you," one of the maidservants stated, after entering the Princess' sleeping quarters.
Lina nodded. She had forgone the etiquette of major sanitization during the journey, and in the entire seven days, only had the opportunity to bathe once. She knew she didn't smell the most pleasant.
"Yes, please," Lina gratefully said, offering them a smile.
The maidservants glanced at each other, shy and hesitant at her kindness. Their hearts truly broke for the Fourth Princess, who was the nicest out of all the other members of the royal family.
No matter how gentle the Princess was, she was still sent off as a war tribute.
They sympathized with her, but respected her even more.
Unlike the Princesses who begged to stay in Teran, the Fourth Princess had boldly allowed herself to be a sacrifice.
Surely, this Fourth Princess would go down in Teran's history books, for her contribution was immeasurable.
"Princess, this is magnolia oil. It's very popular amongst the women of Ritan," one of the maidservants said, after a large metal bathtub was brought into the bedroom.
Lina hummed in response, allowing herself to be properly bathed twice. The first time was to completely get rid of the grime, dirt, and sweat. The next was to scent her body.
"Did you all get the time to bathe?" Lina asked, noticing they had changed their outfits.
"Yes, Princess. Per the royal decree, only presentable maidservants can meet the Imperial Family," one of the maidservants responded.
As the Princess was settling down in her room earlier, the maidservants quickly took a bath together to conserve time, money, and space.
The maidservants had rushed here to get the princess ready for the marriage ceremony, for she was to be delivered in the carriage in her red wedding dress.
Whilst they spoke, two of the maidservants were bathing her, and the other was outside the inn, supervising the decoration of the carriage.
Now that they had passed the dangerous part of the journey, they could take off the fake tattered material on the outside, to let the true beauty of the carriage shine.
"Princess, if you may…"
Lina stepped out of the bathtub as one of them quickly covered her in white linen. They dried her off and she was surprised by the fluffy material.
"This is a towel, Princess. It's developed in Ritan decades ago," another voice timidly explained.
Lina slowly nodded her head in understanding. It seemed Teran was advanced in military development, but Ritan focused on bettering the lives of its people. She was astonished by this.
Soon enough, Lina was primed and prepped for the wedding. Her sweaty skin had been cleaned and pampered until it glowed underneath the sunlight.
Powdery make-up was dusted onto her face, golden accessories strung upon her intricate hairstyle, necklaces, and earrings weighed her neck and head down while a blinding, glittery, and elegant red dress was slipped onto her body.
"Woah…" Lina trailed off in shock, unable to recognize herself in the yellow mirror.
Lina peered at her reflection, noting her red lips, subtle make-up, and the hairpins with rubies that dangled from the woven strands. Red pointed shoes lined with gold, pearls, and rubies, graced her feet.
Lina finally revealed her glory as the Fourth Princess.
Even the maidservants wept with joy at the sight of their beautiful lady.
"You're the prettiest bride I've ever witnessed, Princess."
"Indeed, there is no other woman more beautiful than you, Princess."
Lina shyly smiled, not believing their compliments. She could never outshine her beautiful older sister, who was the kind of woman painters would beg to be their muse.
Nonetheless, Lina slowly nodded.
"Thank you," Lina gratefully said.
When Lina stood up, she nearly fell over, but luckily they caught her. The jewelry was heavy and the dress had too many layers. With each step Lina took, the dress flowed elegantly behind her.
"Princess, if you will…" one of the maidservants whispered, draping the red silk over the Princess' head.
The veil was meant to be lifted by only her husband. It made it difficult for Lina to gauge what was ahead of her, but she could see a small distance from her feet.
With the guidance of her maidservants, Lina walked downstairs. The inn people paused to look at her, their eyes wide. None of them knew who she was, but they knew she was the most beautiful bride they had ever laid eyes on as her radiance shone out even though her face was disguised by the veil.
"Oh my…"
"Whoever is marrying her is one lucky bastard."
"Which Young Miss is this?"
Eventually, Lina made it to the carriage ride. She was unable to see people's reactions, but judging from their words, they weren't cruel.
Even the soldiers were left speechless. Then again, they barely spoke the entire time.
Once everything was packed and ready to go, the carriage headed for the capital of Ritan, which was half a day's journey. As close as Ritan appeared in the distance, it was not that near. It was only their enormous infrastructure that made it seem that way.
The maidservants were forced to ride with the soldiers, not that any of them minded. It would be improper for them to sit in the bride's carriage.
"My neck…" Lina muttered under her breath.
The golden and pearl accessories weighed everything down. Lina could already feel a knot in her muscles.
The entire carriage ride to the capital was uncomfortable. There was not a moment that Lina felt at peace. The closer they approached the streets of Ritan, the more nervous Lina became.
What if Kade had concubines? What if Kade went back on his word? What was he like as a husband? So many unanswered questions ran through her mind.
The one and most heartbreaking was…
"What if he had a lover?"
Lina's heart fell at the very thought. Her lips trembled. She didn't want to share her husband, but knew it was inevitable.
In this era, men were allowed to take as many wives as they pleased and women were only allowed to love one man.
"Even so, I hope he only looks my way," Lina foolishly said to herself. "Please high heavens, let him only love me."