Goodness, everything is already so uncertain and the mysteries keep piling up.
“I just remembered,” Eric interrupted my musings, “you said you’d visit your sister on your next day off.”
“Yes. She sends me letters about how great life at the convent is, but I’m still worried about her. It’s just, with everything that’s happening, I’m not sure if tending to a personal matter would be responsible.”
“Fair enough. But you want to make sure your sister is doing well, don’t you?”
“Well, of course I do.”
“Then you should go see her. Don’t worry, it will be fine.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Eric gave a slow, approving nod. He clearly understood my feelings. “Don’t worry about it. Now, aren’t you supposed to go try on your wedding dress?”
“Oh! That’s right… Well, I’d better be off.”
Discussing Nash’s mystery had taken longer than I realized. With a bow to Eric, I left for my fitting. It was to be held in another room in the palace.
When I arrived at the room, a maid greeted me at the door. “Lady Leia, we’ve been expecting you. Everything is ready. Please come on in.”
“Thank you.”
I followed the maid inside.
“And this is your wedding dress, Lady Leia.”
“Oh my heavens, it’s beautiful.”
I was utterly enchanted by the gorgeous dress. I couldn’t believe I was about to wear a dress so opulent and yet so dignified. Of course, I already knew what the design would look like, but seeing the real thing with my own eyes had so much more impact.
“Now let’s try this on.”
“Yes, please.”
The maids helped me put on the wedding dress. This was probably the only time in my life I would be able to wear such a dress.
“Lady Leia, it suits you beautifully.”
I looked in the mirror at myself wearing the wedding dress. The white gown was smooth to the touch and beautifully made. It was made of the most luxurious materials of any dress I had ever worn. Nothing was as beautiful and comfortable.
“What do you think, my lady?”
“I think it’s absolutely divine!”
“So glad to hear that. And I know Prince Eric will love the sight of you in it on your special day.”
Our conversation was blissful, and I felt completely satisfied with my wedding dress. With all the burdensome problems weighing me down lately, this was a welcome respite.
I can’t wait for Eric to see how I look in this dress.
As I stood before the mirror, thinking about the special day, I heard a knock at the door.
“Yes? What is it?”
A maid answered, “Lady Leia, so sorry to intrude on your fitting, but if you’ve finished, Prince Eric requests your presence in the study. Margrave Linboldt is there, you see…”
“Margrave Linboldt? Understood. I’ve just finished, so I’ll change and be right out.”
I quickly changed back into my normal clothes. My little break from reality was over all too soon. But with Linboldt waiting, there was no time to rest.
“All right…let’s go.”
I returned to Eric’s study. Margrave Linboldt sat across from Eric…
“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” I said as I entered. Linboldt’s expression was as severe as ever, and he didn’t even raise an eyebrow at me, so I turned my gaze to Eric.
“No need to apologize, Leia,” Eric said gently, gesturing for me to sit beside him. “You were at a fitting, and the margrave came unannounced.”
He may have come unannounced, but the fact remained that I had kept him waiting. I still wanted to apologize.
“A fitting, you say? Very good, yes. Did that satisfy you? Now that you’ve tried on a dress made by a master tailor of the royal family, you have a memory you can treasure.”
Of course, when the margrave finally deigned to speak to me, it was to deliver a cutting remark. He sounded convinced that I would never be wed, and he wanted to make sure I knew that. Clearly, he was still opposed to our wedding.
“Margrave, that’s a tad impertinent. I told you that nobody is better suited to marry me than Leia.”
“No, there indeed is somebody! The twelfth princess of the Ren Empire—Xu Lingsha!”
Eric and I exchanged horrified glances. Why did the margrave bring up her name out of nowhere? Had Liu made contact with him?
“Don’t think I’m ignorant—I was just made aware of a wonderful proposal,” Linboldt said. With a smile on his face, he elaborated, “You could marry the refugee princess and strengthen relations between both countries. It’s an offer you cannot refuse.”
From his perspective, Liu’s harebrained idea sounded rather appealing.
“What the devil are you saying? I can imagine nothing more dishonorable than letting a foreign prince threaten me into changing who I wed.”
“Prince Eric, isn’t it a bit rude to Prince Liu to call it a threat? He presented you with a generous offer for an alliance through political marriage. From a geopolitical perspective, it will clearly benefit Elshaid. I implore you to think as a crown prince, Your Highness—then you’ll know which choice is best.”
He could be right. I couldn’t possibly see how Elshaid would benefit more if Eric took me as his wife instead of the princess of a greater nation. Regardless, I still wished to marry him.
And maybe…maybe that was a selfish wish.
“You’re wrong. With Leia as my wife, I would become the best king for Elshaid. No other woman could bring out the best in me. I don’t care about short-term gains; there is no brighter future than the one in which I marry Leia.”
“Oh, Eric…”
“The first day I met her, she bravely rebuked me for my unfair judgment as crown prince. She has an unyielding moral code; that’s why I have faith in her. When compared to a faith so great, improving relations with an empire is trivial.”
My eyes stung with tears at his words. I didn’t realize how deep Eric’s faith in me went. Now that I knew how much he trusted me, I felt ashamed over my petty self-doubt.
“Are you suggesting personal feelings matter more than positive relations with an empire? Open your eyes, Your Highness. I cannot conceive such words coming from you—you are far too intelligent.”
“You’re wrong, Margrave Linboldt. The words I just said were quintessentially my own. I value trust above all else. I trust you too. Which is exactly why I have faith that if I explain myself like this, you will eventually understand.”
“Your Highness!”
The margrave’s stony expression finally cracked. Eric had apparently gotten through to him somewhat.
“Margrave Linboldt. Please, trust me. I would never betray your hopes for me, and that is exactly why my bride must be Leia Westoria.” Eric’s speech was logical, passionate, and soft-spoken. His gaze was strong, without any doubts.
“I…cannot believe this! Prince Eric, Lady Westoria is the sister of a criminal. I cannot believe that a woman like that could possibly be of such great character!” Linboldt jumped to his feet and glared at me. Even Eric’s impassioned speech was not enough to change his rigid mind. “However, I now understand that your trust in her far exceeds anything I imagined. I’ll take my leave for now.” He bowed deeply to Eric and left the study.
From the very start, I was the one that the margrave could not trust. I needed to earn his trust myself, otherwise, he would never approve of our marriage.
But how do I even do that?
Not even Eric could convince him. How would I get him to understand? I was at a loss for an answer.