Eldoria [ENG]

1.

Agnes

Today, my destiny sealed by a feared alliance becomes reality.

I am promised to the one nicknamed "the Scourge", the ruthless king of the vast kingdom of Eldoria. Disturbing rumors, nothing more, shape the image of my future husband.

Raised apart from the kingdom, I grew up under rigid discipline, deprived of all freedom. I was taught that my only reason for existing is to become a suitable wife and queen, capable of ruling alongside my king. Devoted, obedient, and ready to sacrifice my desires.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

After 18 years of relentless preparation, the dreaded day has finally arrived. Awoken at dawn by my servants, I had little time to wake up before everyone was bustling around me. They dressed me in several layers of clothing, a sumptuous dress, too heavy and flashy for my taste, weighing on my thin shoulders. The servants busied themselves in silence. A young woman with gentle eyes handed me a brush.

“Madam, allow me to comb your hair,” she said softly.

“Of course, thank you,” I replied, trying to hide my apprehension.

She began to untangle my long ash-colored hair, whose light curls cascaded over my shoulders. My pale complexion contrasted with the bright red of my lips, accentuated by the heavy dress I was wearing. Each of her gestures was marked by delicacy.

“Your hair is magnificent,” she added after a moment. “It shines like silk.”

I smiled weakly. Such compliments were rare in my life.

“Thank you,” I said simply.

Another servant, an elderly man with a pale and wrinkled complexion, approached with a velvet box.

“Here are the jewels you must wear, Madame,” he announced respectfully. He opened the box, revealing sparkling finery.

I looked at them indifferently, knowing that these symbols of wealth would never make up for the lack of freedom.

“They are magnificent,” I murmured politely, without conviction.

When my preparation was complete, I looked at myself in the mirror. An elegant young woman, adorned in a thousand lights, stared at me, but her green eyes betrayed a deep sadness.

“Everything is ready, Madame,” one of the servants announced. “It is time to join the ceremonial hall.”

I took a deep breath and headed for the door, my heart beating wildly.

Destiny awaited me, relentless and inevitable. Growing up, I had often imagined what the king would look like. I hoped he would be a kind, loving and gentle man. But as the years passed, unflattering rumors came to disturb my dreams. They said that the future king of Eldoria was a hard and cold being, with a heart of stone, a vain man, a drunkard and a womanizer. Each new rumor was a hammer blow to the anxiety already present in my heart. Deep down, I hoped that all this was just unfounded rumors, and that I would finally taste a semblance of happiness, after a life of rules and prohibitions, without ever knowing the pleasure of living.

Marked from birth with a mysterious symbol, my destiny had been sealed. My parents, indifferent to my fate, saw it as an opportunity for profit.