The Queen's Wife (girlxgirl)

13. How to value a woman

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"-And then you kiss"

Maud blushes, looking away from the prince in front of her. Just so that she can avoid his lips, which she will inevitably stare at if given the chance. Partly to avoid the dark and scary eyes of her fiancé, who stares at her like he hates her, with coldness and anger unlike anything she has ever seen before.

It makes her feel unwanted and terrified for the future. It also makes her feel oddly attracted to the mysterious aura around him. Something about him just makes her like him, she can't hate him like he hates her. There is a sense of something more, like an untold truth, like a secret hiding between them. And that's not a ridiculous thought to have. They haven't spoken over the past four days, so obviously there is a sense of mystery between them. Maud just wishes that Adelio wouldn't hate her so much. With his cold eyes that pierce into her soul at every opportunity he gets, Maud just wishes that he would find her attractive and interesting, like she finds him.

It's a strange feeling of longing to have, right at the altar. The priest in front of them claps his hands together with a stressed smile. Maud guesses that priests get really busy around royal weddings, since they are the ones running the show. The couple forced to get married won't really do much except say yes. Maud thinks about all these things during their practice ceremony, just to distract her from the truth of tomorrow.

Tomorrow she'll be married to this man, tomorrow the wedding will be held. Tomorrow they will kiss at the altar in front of hundreds of guests. Hundreds of strangers, really, who will watch her and this scary man kiss. And then, what happens afterwards, is a bit foggy for the princess. The weird lady who sat her down to talk about it a few days ago didn't really explain properly. Maud didn't understand it. So she's left nervous and unprepared, about the marriage, about her fiancé, about the kiss, and about whatever comes after.

Standing there, in the huge cathedral right next to the palace, Maud wonders how she will be able to do this in front of a huge crowd tomorrow. How can she marry a guy like Adelio. Cold, dark, hateful and quiet. There is not a single ounce of love or compassion within this man, and there are so many secrets and unknown things about him that Maud wished she knew. If only she had been engaged to a more simple man, who would be easy to read like a book with only a few pages. Instead she has stumbled upon this one-thousand page novel of a man, who will be her husband for life. And whether his story is that of a romance or a thriller, Maud is terrified to know.

At least he's on the same page as she is. They are both being forced into this, and they both know their duty. At the engagement ball three days ago, he proved that by agreeing to dance with her. So Maud is somewhat comforted by the fact that her future husband has a similar goal to hers. To survive. She can sense that he has the same thought in mind. This world holds them down and keeps them on the ground. This world is where they are powerless under a higher power, so they must do their best to survive. It's just terrifying to know that despite all that, Maud is still powerless beneath Adelio. If he ends up being a monster, as he is described, she will have no power to stop him from hurting her in any way that he wants. She will be his by this time tomorrow, and not even her brother can stand against her husband after that.

Maud turns back to her fiancé once the priest continues talking.

"After the kiss, you will walk down the aisle and attend further arrangements. Prince Adelio, you will put her veil back on after the kiss"

Adelio nods, seemingly bored. Maud is all jittery and nervous, so she can't relate to his emotions at all.

"Lets try walking down the stairs of the altar again, with the princesses shoes on this time?"