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THE voyage from Saleilles to Ferrier took two days.
The seas were calm the entire journey. They never encountered any bad weather, nor did Sara ever come down with seasickness. The ship was met with only a very comfortable breeze as it pulled into Ferrier’s port.
Maybe…maybe this wind is pushing me forward, Sara thought, trying to be optimistic as the chamberlain took her hand and helped her off the ramp.
The salty sea breeze swept through Sara’s long hair. She felt the sunshine, gentle and warm, on her cheeks.
The Kingdom of Ferrier was an island country shaped like a pancake slightly indented at the top, with mild temperatures year-round, and it was often blessed with fair weather.
The northern side of the island was slightly above sea level, with the royal castle at its highest point so that the royals could watch over the lives of Ferrier’s citizens.
From where she stood in the harbor town at the southern tip of the island, Sara could see a very distant pale-blue mountain range to the north, as well as the miniature sprawling townscape of the royal capital.
The prince had wanted to keep his marriage to Sara quiet, so there was no extravagant reception for her at the harbor. Some townsfolk watched from a distance as Sara was led by knights in full regalia into a carriage.
I feel like I’m a criminal…, Sara mused, sitting in the dim carriage.
But then Sara remembered that she was no better than a criminal to the people of Ferrier, and that her presence might not be a welcome one. As the princess of a kingdom that had opposed the ascension of their current king and then started a war, she was lucky not to have stones thrown at her.
She could only imagine how she’d be treated at the castle. She may have been betrothed to the king’s brother, but she was as good as a hostage. They may not try to poison her or murder her, but she had to prepare herself for the possibility that she may be treated as a nuisance at best.
When Sara arrived at the castle, she was ushered in through the back gate before she got a chance to get a good look at the castle’s exterior.
I knew this was a country of mutants, but…from what I’ve seen, the people and the architecture look quite similar to that of Saleilles.
The castle looked newer than Saleilles’s and was generally more roundish in shape. Even the surrounding town, which Sara could see from the round windows carved into the walls, felt brighter and more vibrant—perhaps because the roofs were painted in brilliant colors, like bright yellows and reds.
“We originally wanted you to have an audience with His Majesty the King,” said the young man showing Sara around, “but His Majesty is very busy at the moment… I’m terribly sorry, but I’ll show you straight to His Highness’s royal villa instead.”
The young man looked like he was probably younger than Sara, and he had an adorable, good-natured smile that stretched across his freckle-peppered face. He looked like he was wearing a chamberlain uniform, although the design was slightly different than the ones in Saleilles.
Sara had parted with her guards back at the harbor, and per the terms of the peace agreement, they would now only come visit her from time to time to check on how she was being treated.
So now Sara was left only with the young man at her side, and she couldn’t help wondering if it was all right for him to be so defenseless. But then again, he was a mutant, so even if Sara started to struggle, he could use his powers to suppress her—that was probably why security was so thin.
Even so, you could never be too vigilant.
But they didn’t meet anyone else on the way to the royal villa. Once they reached the pretty castle passageway that seemed to connect to the villa, however, the young man became incredibly talkative all at once.
“Oh—I’m sorry! I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? I’m Daniel, Prince Richard’s chamberlain. Since the prince is currently the only member of the royal family in residence at this villa, please think of this place as your own and make yourself at home here, since you are to become the prince’s consort.”
“Thank you… But I’m afraid I would just annoy everyone by acting like I own the place…,” Sara murmured, deflating slightly.