Not Your Princess

Chapter Two

Asch wakes up with the worst headache of her life. Her sheets also feel a lot more lumpy than usual. As if she stuffed random assortments of bricks, rocks, and sticks into her mattress.

Rolling to face away from her room's window, Asch tries to relish in the face that she has been allowed to sleep in this late. Normally, her stepmother would have stirred her awake by now to help with the household chores.

A soft, warm breeze caresses the back of the girl's neck while she tries to settle back into slumber. It takes a few seconds for Asch's groggy brain to realize she should be feeling a breeze since the windows of her bedroom cannot open.

Eyes snapping open, Asch takes in her strange environment with a panic-filled gaze. She is in what she can only assume to be a lodging— a place where people can temporarily buy a room for the night. Yet there is something strange about this lodging's appearance. It's too bright and full of the kingdom's holy symbols.

A small statue of Venera, the goddess of lasting marriage, rests at the table in front of the bed. The purpose of the statue is to be placed somewhere near a newlyweds bed on the night of their marriage. It is said that if a couple spends the entire night watched by the statue, then their marriage will last forever. If, for whatever reason, the statue breaks, falls, or turns away from the couple, the marriage will be short-lived.

Slowly, Asch finds herself sitting up to stare at the glimmering statue before her. Venera's diamond eyes sparkle in the morning light, almost winking at her.

The next thing that Asch manages to find in the room is a gorgeous wedding gown hung up in the closet. She silently wonders who the gown belongs to before resting her eyes on the white trimmed mirror that sits diagonally across the bed.

She's still wearing yesterday's clothes, and her hair is a little messy. If her father ever saw her in this current state, he would disapprove. Luckily, he's not here to provide inappropriate commentary— wherever here is.

Something stirs in the mirror while the sheets beside her rustle. At first Asch expects it to be some sort of wild animal. Instead, she finds a man laying beside her without a shirt on.

A quiet squeak of surprise leaves her lips while she scrambles out of the bed. She presses her left hand to her lips, feeling cold, hard metal pressing against her face.

Horror flows through her as she slowly looks at the gold ring with a large purple stone sitting on her finger. First the statue and now the ring. The only thing she's missing now is—

The paper sitting on the nightstand draws Asch's gaze. Acting as if the paper is a hostile animal, Asch slowly grabs it off the table and reads its contents.

Of course, it's a marriage license with Aschleigh's full legal name on it. She is in so much shock, she doesn't even manage to read the stranger's full name before the paper slips from her fingers. No longer able to stand, she sinks back down onto the bed.

August stretches beside her in the bed, finally stirring awake. It takes him a moment to register her presence. "Isn't this a lovely surprise," August starts in a half groggy tone. "My memory is a little faint, so I'd like to apologize ahead of time if you want to talk about what happened last night."

Unable to bring her gaze away from the paper, Asch is quiet for a few moments. "We're married," she informs him after a brief moment of silence.

Immediately, the boy sits up in his bed. "What?" His eyes rest on the paper on the ground, snatching it up without hesitation. He takes a good, long look at the words. Silence fills the room while he stares and stares at the paper. "Fuck." He wracks a hand through his hair. "Fuck."