Rebirth (A Remington Leith AU)

BONUS CHAPTER #1

Remington's POV

The day I was arranged to marry the daughter of the king of Apollonia, Princess Lillian, I was somewhat underwhelmed to meet her, but that was only because I had never met her and won't be able to see her again until the day of our wedding. I knew this wasn't to make either of us happy, but only to bring our kingdoms together and avoid facing any conflict with each other. Since I was chosen to rule this kingdom thanks to my mother, I've been doubting if I can do this role properly. I'm very young and only know what my mother has taught me. Still, others have claimed I have the potential to be a great ruler. It helps to know at least some people believe in me, while I don't even believe in myself despite trying my best.

Waiting to meet the king and his daughter, I only had to endure about half an hour more until they were announced to have arrived at the royal courthouse. I stood up to present myself before them and then king bowed before me as I did to him and he introduced himself and his daughter, "Prince Remington, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you. I am King Magnus of Apollonia, and here next to me is my lovely daughter, Princess Lilliana, your bride-to-be in two weeks." The king looked like he was a decent man, hardworking and stern, yet it seemed like he's had to endure many hard trials in his life. His daughter was different in behavior, she seemed careless and wouldn't even acknowledge me properly. I couldn't tell if it's because she's upset about this arranged marriage or she was too involved with herself to care.

I attempted to make myself known to the princess, "An honor to meet you, Princess Lillian." She glanced at me and looked down on me as I held my hand out to shake hers, but she rolled her eyes as she shook my hand rather unenthusiastically and replied in a uninterested tone, "Charmed, I'm sure." It was obvious she didn't want to interact with me, but I didn't want her to get the wrong idea about me. "Well, then", I commented, "I do look forward to this marriage and help our kingdoms unite so we'll be stronger." She gave me a nasty look then and complained, "Ha, just as I thought", her father tried intervening, "Lillian, please don't behave this way", but she ignored him as she stepped forward and was seething through her harsh words at me, "I can tell you don't want this, you're just doing it for others when you've never even met me. Don't count on this marriage between us to be nothing more than a business transaction because I will never feel anything for you."

She stormed off then and the king apologized for his daughter's behavior before he went after her. I admit, maybe I deserved this treatment since I can't exactly fight against this arrangement. If we don't marry, our kingdoms will create a conflict and the worse thing to happen could possibly be war and we might lose both kingdoms to chaos and rage. I wish I could let Princess Lillian understand I don't mean to treat her unfairly or like an object, I was not raised to be like most people in royalty who are spoiled and selfish. I had a feeling, however, that something else was upsetting the princess more than just this unwanted marriage. I hoped I could help her figure our whatever it was even if she didn't want to be in my company.

When the day of the wedding came, I dressed myself in my best suit to look presentable and appropriate for the big event. I'm sure that when I see Lillian again, she'll still resent me but I just have to bear it while the ceremony is happening. I waited at the end of the aisle and as soon as the doors opened to allow King Magnus and my bride to walk through, I watched as she hung her head and just kept her eyes on the floor, probably because she didn't want to look me in the eye as she pretended this wasn't happening. Once she arrived to me and her father kissed her cheek before stepping away, I held my hands out for her to take and hoped she would see I was trying my best to be fair to her. For some reason, she looked nervous at first to do so before she went ahead to place her hands in mine. She started to lift her head up, but my heart was unprepared for when her eyes met mine.

Her eyes were so...gentle and peaceful. But, this didn't seem like the same Lillian I met a few weeks ago. She seemed shy and insecure, like this was all new to her, and judging by how she was looking at me, this was definitely the first time we're meeting. Who was this gentle woman who looked so much like Lillian but acted entirely differently from her? And why do I suddenly feel attached to her without any hesitation? Her timid and nervous behavior was just so adorable to me, I found myself admiring this beautiful, young woman. And even though I faked our kiss at the end of our wedding ceremony, I already knew I found myself falling for this sweet and lovely stranger.

During the reception, I confronted her in private and learned that her real name was Luella and she seemed to be a peasant commoner who took the true princess's role last minute. Even though I didn't know what might have happened to Princess Lillian, I felt terrible that Luella had to go through all this and have everything change for her. But I assured her I wanted to be a good husband to her and give her a good life she'll have to transition into for the sake of our kingdoms. Compared to Lillian, Luella was the sweetest soul I've ever met in my life and even though she seemed scared to open herself up to me, it only made me fall in love with her even more as I try my best to treat her with love, affection and compassion. Her smiles whenever I was with her were what gave me hope that I just might win her affection and be able to love her like she's the best thing that came into my life.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this bonus chapter of Remington's perspective of his arranged marriage initially to Lillian but eventually to Luella. Thought you'd all like to know how he feels since meeting his fiancée and then marrying his bride. If you want to see more of this in the future, there just might be more coming soon! And also, let me know what you think of the story so far and how you feel about it! Votes/comments are always favorable so I know I'm making a great story and also share with others if you believe they'll like it too! Thank you for all the support, I love you all! 🥰🥰🥰