Chapter 2: The Curse
Seven years passed since then. The only time Ailea was able to see her family members once again was the day her mother passed away.
During their first five years, Cyril rarely had the opportunity to leave Ilyanna Castle to visit the Imperial Palace. Moreover, she was sick and wrought with a contagious disease that afflicted her for the past two years and thus informed Cyril that he not visit her.
Ailea would soon be twenty years old soon. She was alone in the Outer Castle with only her wedding dress. It would take an hour’s time on a fast, speedy horse to get here from the center of the Imperial Palace.
Only wastelands surrounded the area and the servant who feared catching her infectious disease was long gone.
“Still, time passes. It can’t be kept at bay nor does it wait.”
Ailea looked at the stark white dress and then her darkened hands.
Since entering the Imperial Palace, she’d come across many women who flaunted their beauty. In comparison, she was a mere country bumpkin unable to capture the Crown Prince’s heart.
Then, in her sixteenth winter season, she caught a disease, causing dark spots to appear all over her body. Due to this, the date of her wedding which was originally set on her eighteenth birthday, on the fifteenth month of May, was pushed back by the Crown Prince without any reasonable explanation.
Two years passed since then and her wedding dress arrived in front of her. She stared at the dress quietly till she could no longer hold back the excitement rummaging inside her. With frantic hands, she took off her clothes.
“It might not fit me, so it’s best that I try it on,” she said.
She gave an excuse to no one else but herself and changed into the wedding dress. She had gotten used to dressing herself without the help of the servant girls. She had no help growing up, it was no different here in the Imperial Palace.
When she finally wore the dress, a dejected expression crossed her face. In those three months it’d take to make the dress, she’d grown haggard and thinner.
She rarely had food brought over in the Outer Castle. Though she wrote countless letters requesting more, her pleas were ignored and she received only a paltry amount.
The servant’s award of her illness believed that she was struck with a curse. Their continuous whispers behind her back made her believe that she, too, was cursed. But on the day she saw that wedding dress, all her heartbreak, pain, woes, and suffering flew out the window.
Ailea stood in front of the mirror and examined her reflection.
“It needs to be adjusted,” she murmured with a smile.
Since she already had the dress on, Ailea decided to practice her wedding day makeup and began applying the makeup while looking at the mirror meticulously. When finished, she practiced her smile multiple times in full ensemble.
After a long while, the girl forgotten by the world would soon stand in front of them once again. She was scared, but it was better than wallowing in pitiful loneliness.
Donning a happy face, she picked up a pen and wrote a letter.
Dear Cyril,
At last, my wedding day will come. It must’ve been difficult for you to concoct many excuses on behalf of your foolish sister to our dear family. I tried on my wedding dress for the first time today. Choosing one from the endless arrays was so difficult. I felt sorry for the servant girls.
I’m sure they were struck with exhaustion.
My dearest brother, I apologize for leaving you to take care of our family while I’m out here living a life of splendor. No matter how many times I apologize… it’ll never be enough.
While writing the letter, the sound of hooves echoed and Ailea lifted her head.
Startled, she rushed over to the window and peered out. She saw the man whom she was to marry… Crown Prince Lawrence and his subordinates stood outside the Outer Castle.
Her heart felt like it’d burst out of her chest at any moment. She hurried out to greet her soon-to-be-husband.
Lawrence was there.
He came to see beer.
It was as if her wedding day was growing near.
Her heart pounded erratically.
Rushing over to the front door, she stopped momentarily before opening it. There was an age-old superstition that the groom should never see his bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony.
Looking around the vicinity with frantic eyes, she spotted a blanket and quickly wrapped it around her.
As she finished covering herself, a handsome and well polished red-headed man glistened under the boughs of light. Sitting atop the horse, he entered the castle courtyard. He showed the manners of a gentleman from the royal family, but to Ailea, she thought that there was no need.
“Ailea, it’s been a while,” Lawrence gave his greetings curtly.
“Your Highness.”
Upon seeing Ailea’s current appearance, Lawrence’s face wrinkled in distaste.