Some of her blood still coated his lips, lingering just at the corner. He was unfazed, meeting her gaze unflinchingly as she clenched her fists by her sides in anger.

This idiot of a man was making an enemy out of her just because she agreed to the wedding. If only he had known that her father would've killed him if anything other than their marriage happened! She would like to see if he could still be so cocky then.

Blood looked so natural streaked across his rugged features. Paired with the hatred in his eyes, Soleia wondered if this was how the dragon felt in its final moments before getting slain by this brutish man.

"Wonderful," King Godwin said with a hearty laugh, his spirits ever lifted now that Orion Elsher was tied down to the royal family in matrimony.

However, by the glint in his eyes, Soleia knew that her father was far from done with his schemes.

Just as she thought, the doors soon burst open and a messenger sprinted down the halls. He carried a scroll in his hands, waving it left and right frantically as everyone turned their attention to him.

"Your Majesty!" the messenger wheezed. "Reports have come from the south-eastern borders! The Levielens are attacking! They've brought fifty mages with them!"

Immediately, gasps rippled through the crowd as the attendees looked at each other in panic. Everyone knew that Vramid was at war with the kingdom of Leviel, but none had thought they would attack the kingdom's borders so soon.

And with fifty mages! Where did they even manage to find so many? Magic practitioners were rare and a few, mostly limited to royalties and the children born to them out of wedlock.

"Send the northern troops to the borders!" King Godwin ordered, slamming his fist against the armrest of his throne. "They must've employed the help of allied kingdoms to garner that number of magic users."

"The northern troops?" Soleia echoed, alarmed. That was her new husband's battalion. "But Father, they will take days to reach the battlefront―"

"Do you have a problem with the arrangement, Duke Elsher?" King Godwin asked, ignoring his daughter's words. "Need I remind you that before you are a duke, you are a general in service to the kingdom of Vramid?"

Orion's tongue darted past his lips, licking off the blood that stained the corner. He met the king's gaze unflinchingly, and without blinking, he said, "Of course, Your Majesty. My duty is to the people and the kingdom's safety."

King Godwin laughed heartily. "Good. Very good." He then waved his hand, gesturing for Duke Elsher to leave.

The latter placed his fist over his heart, bowing before retreating with a flutter of his cape.

"Wait―"

But it was too late. Orion Elsher didn't even turn back to look at Soleia. In fact, he all but rushed down the steps and out of the room, the doors closing behind him. All Soleia was offered was a pitiful look from the man who trailed after him, whom she assumed was Duke Elsher's right-hand man.

But even so, that was short and fleeting.

***

"Father, what is the meaning of this?!" Soleia asked once they were alone, pulling the veil off her head.

The guests were gone, no doubt eager to gossip to their neighbors and the rest of the capital about the way Princess Soleia was thoroughly embarrassed by her new husband who did not love her, and by her father who was only using her as a pawn.

"I am married off to the Duke in a hurry, and right on my wedding day you send him away to war?" Soleia's face was red as she tried her hardest to suppress the indignation she felt. "And to the south-eastern borders?"

King Godwin leaned back in his seat, lazily resting his chin against the back of his hand.

"Is there a problem, my child?" he dared to ask.

The skin under Soleia's eyes twitched. "You're sending him there to die!"

At her words, the king said nothing. That was when Soleia felt her blood turn cold as she stared at her father in realization. Her shoulders drooped back down and her knees suddenly felt weak.

She repeated, muttering to herself this time, "You're sending him there to die..."

Standing at the bottom of the steps that led to the throne, Aldous sighed.

"Your Highness, Duke Elsher comes from... humble beginnings. His surge to popularity could mean good and bad for the kingdom and the royal family."

Soleia turned her gaze to the middle-aged man, staring in disbelief as the king remained silent. His advisor spoke the words the king thought.

"If he returns, he will bring glory to the royal family as the prince consort," Aldous continued. "If he doesn't..."

Aldous needn't finish his sentence for Soleia to guess her father's intentions. If Orion Elsher died in war, there would be one less thorn in his side.

"If he returns―"

"When," Soleia corrected, meeting her father's gaze. "When he returns."

King Godwin gave a sarcastic smile.

"When he returns," he corrected himself, "you are to be a faithful wife to him. But before that, you must be a faithful daughter. Do not forget your title as a princess of Vramid. Everything and anything Duke Elsher does should be under your control."

"You want me to spy on him?" Soleia asked, horrified.

"Princess," Aldous said, "for a man to rise from a mere soldier to a general, then to a duke all in three years is not a common feat. Whether or not Duke Elsher's intentions are righteous, we must remain wary of a man capable of such accomplishments."

"Did you think I married you off to him from the goodness of my heart?" King Godwin scoffed. "If so, you're more foolish than I remember you being."

Before Soleia could craft a response to his cutting words, her father delivered another blow.

"Pack your bags. You're leaving for Drakenmire tonight. With your husband gone, there's no point in you staying here any longer. Make sure you entrench yourself in his estate so that he cannot live without your absence."

"This is our new Duchess? What garbage are you talking about?!"

"Kindly hold your tongue, Young Killian," The old servant scolded with an aghast expression. "You are speaking to Princess Soleia of Vramid, the current duchess of Drakenmire."

Soleia stared at her new husband's relatives― no, they were her relatives now, and all of them looked at her with various degrees of distrust and dislike. Drakenmire was a cold and dreary place, made worse without her husband's presence.

Her husband, the newly titled Duke Orion Elsher. Born from a commoner family, he had slain a dragon in the army to save hundreds.

And so he was rewarded with Soleia's hand in marriage― an offer made by her father, who wanted her to spy on her new husband. But it was hard to spy on someone who had been packed off to borders mere hours after their wedding.

All she had of Orion Elsher were his relatives. Just looking at them made her heart sink.

"Yeah, and I'm the fucking King of Vramid!" Jeers filled the air as they agreed with his statement.

"There's no way my cousin would marry someone like her! Isn't she the useless princess, the one that everyone says has no powers?" One of the young women complained. Her name was Lucinda, and she enjoyed her status as Orion's favorite cousin.

"No powers? Then what is she good for?"

"So, are you going to do anything for us? You're not planning for all of us to serve you while you sit around and look pretty, are you?"

"That's right!"

"We can't feed you for nothing!"

"Shush, all of you," the most elderly of them all cleared her throat. Soleia focused her gaze on Orion's mother. The hair at her temples was beginning to go gray, yet there was a shrewd look in her eyes that set Soleia on edge.

"Princess Soleia is it? Forgive us for not recognizing you. I am Orion's mother, Elisa. After all, my son has never spoken of you to me."

The room burst into ugly titters while Soleia tried to smile. "Yes. Our marriage was done in haste."

"While that may be the case, I believe every member of the Elsher family must contribute in some form or another. Since you are a member of the royal family, you must be wealthy. Kindly hand your dowry over to support this family."

"I..."

"You are unwilling?" Elisa arched an eyebrow.

Everyone else began to complain.

"I knew it! She's just a haughty bitch that doesn't want to share!"

"If she's not sharing her wealth, then she can scram!"

"It's not that..." Soleia said hesitantly. Their words have brought up something she had forgotten. "I... don't have any dowry to give you."

Her father had given her nothing, as he packed her off to this godforsaken place. After all, she was only one of his many daughters.

"That's nonsense! You're lying!" Lucinda exclaimed, and the others agreed with her. "What kind of princess has no dowry?"

"This is a grave insult to my son," Elisa noted with grim disapproval. "Does your father think so little of my Orion that he assumes that he'll be desperate enough to wed any woman without offering anything else in return?"

"Dowager Duchess Elisa, this isn't just anyone. This is Princess Soleia," Jerome said weakly, trying to remind the old woman. Royalty were bound by different rules.

Elisa scoffed. "So? If she was royalty, she ought to have the dowry to match her status. Even the poorest commoner families prepare dowry for their daughters when they get married. Is she truly a princess, or an illegitimate bastard daughter of the king?"

"I am not!" Soleia exclaimed, nearly shaking with rage at her insinuation.

"Are you sure?" Lucinda chimed in. "I've never seen a royal family member appear without heavy escort. Horses, knights, fancy carriages... you name it. You appeared alone today. If you're royalty, the king must not think anything of you."

"Hey don't say that," One of the men chimed in, a wicked grin on his face. "I saw a cute lass standing outside our gates, with a few trunks. Maybe that's her escort! One extra maid for us to use!"

Cruel laughter filled the room. Soleia sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself down. It was true that her father had sent her away with nothing more than a carriage, a few foot soldiers, and Lily, her personal maid. The foot soldiers had left with the carriage, the moment they had deposited her on the estate. She could not stop them.

Elisa spat on the floor at the news. The glob of spit hit the hem of Soleia's dress, and she scooted back in disgust.

"After all my son has done for the kingdom, they saddled him with a destitute, useless princess! He could do so much better than you, but now your father has sent him off to the borders. I'm telling you right now, if he showed up with another woman, I'd be the first person willing to help him toss you out!" Elisa raged at her, vitriol in her voice.

Soleia's face paled, especially when she caught sight of the many expressions of disgust on her new family members. No one even wanted to know her, the moment they realized she had no money to offer.

"In fact, they shouldn't be staying in the main estate. Escort them to the servants' quarters. Didn't you say you wanted company?"

Jerome spluttered helplessly. Making a princess, the Duke's lawfully wedded wife, stay in the servants' quarters? It was an insane idea!

"If she ends up anywhere else, you'll be sleeping outside instead!" Lucinda added threateningly as she wagged a finger in his direction.

With one last mocking laugh, she turned away and flounced off, her skirts swishing delightedly in the cool breeze. Soleia couldn't help but notice how fine the fabric was, in comparison to how poor the living conditions were.

In fact, all the other family members were dressed to their station. Only Jerome's outfit was weathered and patched at certain parts.

The other family members began to follow suit, in twos and threes. Since Jerome was a servant, educating new servants was his job. Newly titled nobles like them didn't have to care!

Besides, they would be more than happy to bully the young princess when she entered the castle. She would be scrubbing floors until her hands bled!

"I'm truly sorry for their behavior. I'll let your maid through now," Jerome said, embarrassed by the behavior of his masters. Soleia followed him to the gates, where poor Lily was waiting with a frantic expression on her face.

"Princess! Are you alright?"

Jerome quickly stepped forward, wanting to help Lily with the trunk, but Soleia stopped him.

"It's alright, I can pull it along like this."

"You can... what?" Jerome asked, befuddled.

"Wheel it," Soleia said, as she pulled her trunk up vertically. She pointed to the bottom of the trunk, where there were apparently miniature wheels made of clay attached to the bottom, joined together by a wooden pole. "I made this because I got tired of doing nothing on the route here."

"How ingenious!" Jerome praised, his face beaming with delight. Perhaps this new duchess was just what the estate needed to thrive. As they made their way back, Jerome began to inform Soleia about the estate's multiple issues.

Long story short, they had no money. This territory was not considered important by the King, which meant that it didn't get any support from the royal family.

Multiple generations ago, it was considered a stronghold for Vramid, but in the eyes of the current ruling family, it was nothing more than a dumping ground for troublesome court members who made too much noise. As such, no one wanted to lend a helping hand to save the crumbling estate from ruin. Doing so might draw the ire of the current King!

It was simply too much risk for too little reward.

The only thing Drakenmire could boast about was its beautiful scenery, but pretty sights couldn't feed a man. Soleia could only sigh; perhaps she would take a look at the accounts later to see what she could do.

But deep down, she knew the real trouble was going to be dealing with her new family members. Never before had she seen such a group of shameless people!

As Jerome showed her around the pitiful estate, they eventually came to a stop right in front of a door.

"This is the master bedroom where the Duke resides," Jerome said.

"Thank you," Soleia said, but before she and Lily could move another step, a familiar redhead came rushing over.

"Hold it!" Lucinda snapped, using her body to block the path. "What do you think you're doing? Who said you could move into this room?" She then turned to Jerome and reprimanded, "Jerome, this is my cousin's bedchambers. Not anyone and everyone could stay here."

"This is my husband's chambers," Soleia replied evenly. "Why can't I stay here?"

Lucinda scoffed, glaring at Soleia's luggage with disdain. "Either stay in the servants' quarters or scram," she said. "We have no room for a worthless princess. Funds are tight and there are mouths to feed, stomachs to fill. Feel free to leave if you're unhappy about it. Otherwise, pay up."

Soleia gritted her teeth tightly together, suppressing her anger as best as she could. It had been a long, tiring day. If she left, there wouldn't be anywhere she could rest her head for the night other than in the bellies of the monsters.

Going back to the palace wasn't an option either. Her father would simply cart her right back half-alive.

"Fine," Soleia spat out. "I'll chip in to provide for the family. At least until my husband's return."

Lucinda's lips slowly stretched into a broad, sinister smile.

"That's more like it."

Two years later...

Soleia pored over the account books under the candlelight, her quill scratching against the yellowing parchment. Unfortunately, no matter how she balanced the sums, there was still not enough money to buy grain for the estate. Her mother-in-law needed medicine, the horses needed to be fed...

Once again, she would have to dig through her own meager savings to supplement the budget.

Thankfully, Lily had packed all her jewelry so she wasn't completely destitute. Otherwise, she wouldn't have even made it through the first week here in this crumbling, god-forsaken place.

Soleia sighed. Perhaps it was time for her to sell yet another invention.

Previously she had sold a recipe for a thick cream that could protect the skin from cold winds, but the gold coins were slowly running out. She would have earned more if she had produced and sold it herself, but her husband's estate was simply too inconvenient!

"My lady!" Lily knocked quickly on the door. "I've got big news!"

"What is it?" Soleia yawned. "Did Lucinda demand another hot bath? Tell her we have no more hot water to spare!"

"No! It's Duke Elsher! He's returning from the war!"

Soleia immediately shot up from her seat.

"Come again?"

"It's the Duke, Your Highness," Lily repeated. "He's come back―"

Soleia didn't wait for Lily to finish her sentence before she darted off. With her skirts in her hands, Soleia raced through the halls to the front door of the estate. It wasn't a huge building, unlike the palace she grew up in, and it took her no time to arrive at the gates.

She was just in time too.

Winter was much colder here in the northern territory of Vramid, and after the sun had set, fog had quickly gathered in the woods that surrounded the Duke's estate. However, even from a distance, Soleia could see the men on horses marching back in with torches in their hands, Vramid's flag raised high in the air.

An excited breath of air escaped her lips as she descended the steps. After two whole years of guarding the nest alone, her husband had finally returned. She finally wouldn't have to deal with those insufferable relatives of his alone ever again―

Soleia stopped in her tracks when she realized there was someone else leading the troops. Duke Elsher was not on the horse at the front. He was walking right beside it, leading the horse while someone else sat on the animal's back.

A woman.