Gianna hated palanquins. She thought it was a shame to put her weight on someone else’s shoulders. Though she asked for a horse, Edgar denied it saying it does not match for a girl to travel on a horse. He had no idea how good Gianna was at horse riding.
After she came out of the palanquin, Gianna gazed at the Hesmian palace which was bigger than any other buildings she had ever seen.
On the other hand, Danyel was trying to recall the weird dream he had last night. This time he saw the brightest sun anyone could ever imagine. It was burning endlessly and it reminded him of a fierce warrior. Not only the view, but he also felt the warmth.
“The sun? Um… According to my knowledge, the sun represents a strong man, mostly a warrior, your imperial highness. Maybe this symbolizes an arrival of a man into your life.” the royal astrologer was confused too.
“What??? A man?? No way!!!” Danyel screamed. A man into his life? Like a lover or something? He felt disgusted.
Understanding his thoughts and fearing Danyel would punish him, the royal astrologer tried to explain it in a better way.
“Um…maybe it means a… a… colleague or um… a rival maybe. It might not be what you think sire.”
“Oh…wait, what? What you thought I was thinking?”
Such an awkward moment.
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On her way to the great hall, Gianna saw various types of handsome young men here and there. As for someone who spent most of her life without seeing men, this was too exciting.
“Hesmians are kind of pretty, right? Or what do they call it? ‘Handsome’.” Gianna’s inner voice muttered.
While living in Stri, Gianna heard that men grew hair on their faces too. She was both confused and disgusted about it. But when she saw a lot of Hesmians without moustaches or beards, she felt relieved.
In comparison to Wertese, Hesmians were more handsome with tan skin and black hair, according to Gianna. But she was not sure how the prince would look.
“I guess he’s going to be a cold-hearted, completely devilish womanizer with a hairy face.”
Wearing a long, uncomfortable princess robe, Gianna could not walk swiftly as her father did. She could see an evil smile under his brown beard. Edgar was having the same dream of ruling Hesmia which his father had earlier. Silently cursing him, Gianna recalled her mother’s beautiful eyes filled with tears.
In no time, they were at the entrance.
As soon as they entered, Gianna could see the expressions of council members who looked like they just met a three-headed dragon. Even Narendra was shocked too.
At first, Danyel did not notice this because he was already shocked by how wrong his predictions were. He felt like he could actually see Gianna’s sparkling aura. Though she was wearing a purple and blue dress with long sleeves and had waist-length hair with some braids, something told that she was no ordinary princess. The jewelry did not go along well with her personality as if saying they were not her thing. She did not need them. She was already shining. In her eyes, there was a gaze of a fearless fighter, and looking from afar, she replicated the rising sun.
Since she was way more different than he imagined, Danyel started comparing Gianna’s features with Yasvie’s.
This girl looked pretty, but compared to Yasvie- the most beautiful girl in Danyel’s eyes, this one could not score more than 6/10. Gianna was much taller than Yasvie. Yasvie’s crystal clear skin was too fair for a Hesmian, and this girl…wasn’t she supposed to be a white girl?
“Father, I thought she was a Wertese. But she looks like one of us.” Danyel asked politely. But Narendra was speechless. He too was seeing Gianna for the first time. This is what happens when you never visit relations.
Even after Edgar and Gianna bowed to the emperor and introduced themselves, council members did not stop chattering. They were questioning Gianna’s nationality.
“I know what all of you are thinking, but do not forget that this is the child of Artha, one of my cousins. She is half Hesmian.” Emperor Narendra spoke.
Still…how could she look like a complete Hesmian?
“King Edgar, I strongly appreciate the support you gave at the council. Standing with us when no one else did, was such a great deed. I am very excited to make a new bond between Hesmia and Werto. Welcome!” Narendra said with a smile.
Actually, Edgar had found about the Hesmian-Lisdonian problem and advised his messengers to speak up for Hesmia foreseeing the benefits. But he was expecting financial benefits; not a marriage. Edgar never thought that a Wertese princess would ever become a Hesmian princess. So this was like a mega prize.
Meanwhile, Gianna was silently studying Danyel. He did not have a beard or a moustache. His height was normal; not too short nor too tall. Wearing a ceremonial dress, he looked handsome but Gianna thought that some Hesmian men she saw on the way were more handsome than him. But he has maintained a good body figure and matched to the description of a typical prince, only if Gianna had ever seen one before.
As both Gianna and Danyel were studying each other, their eyes met at a moment. None of them gave up and kept looking into each other’s eyes. Danyel could feel the warmth in her gaze.
After all the introductions, Narendra spoke.
“Very well, before discussing the wedding I reckon you must rest. I have prepared the best chambers for my future daughter-in-law and her father. Make yourself at home.”
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The next day, Narendra started the discussion about the heir’s wedding which must become the greatest wedding ceremony of the era.
“As our astrologers informed me, there will be an auspicious time which exactly suits for a wedding in fourteen days. I reckon Artha should be here too. Is her sickness too serious?” The Emperor asked.
“Yes, your majesty. As I mentioned before, her illness might spread too. And she is very weak. She hardly walks.”
When Edgar said this, Gianna almost yelled but controlled herself for the sake of her mother.
“And forgive me, your majesty, I will not be able to stay here for fourteen days. I will leave tomorrow and return before the ceremony.” Edgar said politely.
“Oh, that is fine. You are a king. You must go to your kingdom. But your daughter can stay here and be prepared.” Narendra agreed.
What? Leave her here…all alone?
Edgar nodded.
Gianna was left alone in Hesmia, but she was given a huge, charming chamber with three handmaids.
Much to Gianna’s wonder, one of them was a Lisdonian-born Strian.
“Emse Minnah?” Gianna recognized her immediately.
Minnah secretly signaled her to stop.
“My name is Nadya, your royal highness. You must have mistaken me for someone else.” Minnah said in an alerting tone.
After sending the other maids out, Minnah started talking.
“Ginger! Don’t ever do that again, okay?”
“Sorry, I was very surprised. I thought I was left all alone. And now I have you.” Gianna hugged Minnah. She was too excited.
Minnah, who was among the best warriors in Stri was appointed as the chief spy in Hesmia. She was disguised as a handmaid and worked for a daughter of a concubine until she found out that Gianna was coming as the future crown princess. Then she tried many tricks and finally got the opportunity of being a maid to Gianna.
“I thought it would be a relief to have someone you know. And I can protect you if I stay closer. The only regret I have is that our spies in Werto failed to give you the news about your father’s trap. If they acted a little more quickly you wouldn’t have ended up here.” Minnah uttered dearly.
Strian spy system was the strongest among all, but no one else knew that. And no one else knew that Strians had the best military power either. Anyone who tried to sneak in or invade Stri never lived to tell the tale.
“Thank you Emse Minnah. I’m not thinking about the past. It only makes me feel sad.”
*****************************************************************
The next day, Gianna got a message from Danyel to meet him in private in his chamber. Upon hearing this, Gianna’s thoughts became very complicated. What is he going to do?
Though Gianna had to force herself into this marriage to save her mother, she did not want to lose her maidenhood either.
“Sire, i received your message. What is the reason for this meeting?” Gianna asked in the most polite way possible.
“Well, I don’t care whatever happened between our fathers and the kingdoms. I want this marriage cancelled. I want you to give up and go.” Danyel said while keeping a straight face.
What? He called her into his chamber to tell THIS?
“Why sire? Did I do anything wrong?”
Though Gianna did not want to marry either, she simply could not avoid it.
“No…but yes. Coming here to marry me was enough. Listen up, I have someone I love. I will marry no one but her. You must refuse to marry me and return to your kingdom. If you do it, I’ll reward you when I’m the Emperor.”
Gianna did not expect him to say this because she thought that he was a womanizer. Gianna’s heart immediately melted when Danyel mentioned a lover. Instead of having affairs with multiple women, he said he had one lover. He did not want anyone else in his life. He must be a good man, Gianna thought. But she still could not trust him to tell the truth. What if he directly asked Edgar?
“I am sorry, sire. Regardless of what happens, I am strongly determined to make this marriage work. But I promise that I would not get between you two. I will only quit after having a child with you.” Gianna said confidently, but inside she was feeling sick.
“Marrying me means getting between two of us. A child? No way!!” Danyel’s tone changed. His hatred toward Gianna increased rapidly.
“Listen to me, Giselle. If you do not quit now, I will make sure that you will suffer day by day, wanting to quit but unable. You will hate yourself so much that you want someone to kill you instantly.”
“Now you listen to me. I came here because of your father’s invitation. If you want to marry the person you love, why don’t you go and tell your father? Why hide behind me?” Gianna argued.
“Do you think I tried nothing and stayed silently like a total dumb? I tried. I am fed up trying. Now, do as I said or prepare yourself to suffer.” Danyel threatened. Though he knew Gianna was different and strong, he was blinded by the anger.
“Well, I will prepare myself. But you should do it too. If I suffer, you’ll suffer too. Let’s just do it together. Ah…I am Gianna, remember the name. You’ll need it.”
Gianna left the crown prince’s chamber quickly, feeling extremely guilty for ruining his life. But she had nothing to do with it. They were all trapped in a political game. It was not Gianna’s fault at all. She was a victim too.
Soon after Gianna left his chamber, Danyel realized that he was never this much angry at anyone else. Though he maintained a rather tough, warrior-like personality, he was nice to everyone just like his mother. But with Gianna, he completely lost his temper. “I should have been more patient.” Danyel thought. As the girl would not give up, Danyel thought to convince his father to stop this wedding. “Father, I have something important to tell. Can you spare me some time?” Danyel asked in a hurry when he met the Emperor in the royal garden. The emperor was on his way to a concubine’s chamber. “A private matter, I guess?” Narendra raised one eyebrow. “Yes, your majesty.” All the maids and guards left them alone in an instance as if they disappeared into the evening breeze. “Father, I don’t think this Wertese girl is suitable to be the crown princess. She…um… she doesn’t seem err…royal enough. Maybe because she did not grow up in a
After the royal council was dismissed, Danyel went to Gianna’s chamber. “How are you feeling now? Does that hurt a lot?” He asked keeping a neutral face, though he sympathized with Gianna. Gianna was guessing that Danyel was the one behind the assassination attempt. When he came to see her, which never happened before, Gianna confirmed her guess. This brat! How dare he try to kill her! “No, sire. That doesn’t. I can’t feel the pain because I’m overwhelmed by the satisfaction that I didn’t let those cowardly losers kill me. It increases when I see their hopeless faces.” Gianna uttered, looking Danyel in the eye. “Oh, but I expected you to be more intelligent. That assassination attempt was a warning. It was a message asking you to quit. I thought you understood that. This whole place is dangerous for you. This might be only the beginning.” Danyel said. “Why didn’t you just send a note with them? I don’t like hidden messages at all.” Gianna gave
Danyel was going on a morning walk with his spy, maids, and guards when he saw a partially huge mess in the swordsmanship-practice area. The trainees were gathered in a circle and cheering loudly. When Danyel reached there; curious to see who was fighting, he was shocked to see his friend Amell- one of the best fighters in the empire being knocked about by…Gianna. Wearing armor, she looked better than he had ever seen her before. Her hair was tucked into a bun which was wet from her sweat. She was smiling and panting at the same time. Some were cheering for Gianna while others were encouraging Amell to get up and fight back. However, Amell was lacking energy so he gave up. He got up and said, “You’re such a fighter, aren’t you? You defeated all the best guys here.” Gianna smiled. She too was a bit tired after wrestling with seven muscular guys without taking a break. She defeated all of them; one by one. Though she was tired, she wante
Upon hearing someone’s footsteps, Danyel took his sword and prepared for a fight. His hand was still hurting, but he did not care. Even though Yasvie wanted to stand by Danyel and help him, she was too afraid to go forward. She hid behind Danyel. Danyel tightened his grip on the sword. The sound of the footsteps was increasing. Using his predicting skills, Danyel identified that only one person was coming their way. But he could not feel relieved because he knew that only one extremely skilled Lisdonian soldier was enough to kill both of them. Every passing second felt so long as if they were experiencing a slow-motion mode. Fear, curiosity, anger…all the emotions were bursting at once. The moment came…and the person was………Gianna! Again wearing armor. “Oh, it’s you! You scared me to death!” Danyel let out a big sigh. “Thank god it wasn’t another Lisdonian killer!” Gianna uttered. She felt so relieved. She was looking for a place to sto
Yasvie felt relieved as Danyel finally agreed to leave Gianna and save their lives. But she was wrong. Danyel had had other plans. After running a few yards up on the hill, Danyel found a nearly-perfect hiding spot filled with bushes. He stopped. “Yasvie, hide near the bushes. I’ll get Gianna.” He already had the idea of going back. “Sire no! Please don’t…” Yasvie did not get the chance to complete her line. “Here, keep this dagger with you.” Danyel gave her a dagger and ran instantly. He opened the temple door with much effort only to see Gianna falling on her knees in front of his eyes after an enemy’s sword went across her chest and belly; giving her a HUGE cut. She was not wearing a metal chest shield. Gianna went unconscious instantly. But she had managed to kill five men of Remington’s army. Seeing this horrific incident increased Danyel’s energy. He swore to himself that he would kill each of them. Showing off the combat
Hesmia was being prepared to welcome the new era under the new emperor. Remington was overwhelmed by the idea of sitting on the throne which he always dreamt of. In his youth, he challenged Emperor Narendra, stating that he could defeat the emperor in any form of combat skills. The reason for his overconfidence was a prediction from an astrologer whom he met while training in the Elville Mountains. The astrologer said that Remington had a kingly aura and that he could definitely rule a widely-spread nation. Emperor Narendra was shocked at his loyal friend’s sudden change. However, the emperor managed to defeat Remington in every battle. Filled with shame and rage, Remington vanished into the evening breeze without a sign. Everyone thought that he might have either changed his identity or been committed to an asylum. Merikh Remington, who was meant to be a forgotten memory, had unexpectedly returned to Hesmia with the most dramatic entrance. Nevertheless, the astrolog
The Great Empire of Hesmia has a long history of 3000 years. It was founded by 'Nihas the great'- a soldier who worked for the Findaivian (now a part of Lisdonia) Emperor. The majority of the Findaivians had fair skin, so the tan-skinned people were considered 'low'. They were given less opportunities and their rights were frequently ignored. Nihas gathered all the tan-skinned people and began a revolution. His side won the war and eventually founded the kingdom 'Hasvia' (Nihas+Findaivia).Its name changed from 'Hasvia' to 'Hasmia', then to 'Hesmia'.Nihas' descendants- known as the 'Sammata clan' continued to keep the monarchy stable. Only the sons of the queen consort were considered heirs to the throne until Princess Anantha defeated all her brothers and uncles in an all-in-one test to prove that she was the most eligible person to be the monarch. After that, Hasvian women got the opportunity to rule.Among the
Danyel came out from the hollow first. Gianna left the hollow only after Danyel confirmed that the villagers had gone. Seeing each other in the bright light was more awkward. Gianna kept staring at the ground while Danyel tried to explain the situation. He could not stop stuttering. “Um…I just… I just wanted to uh, stop you from screaming. If they heard you…um, it would be bad. That’s why I… Gianna, I’m so sorry.” “I-I understand you, sire.” Gianna stuttered too. She wanted to pretend that she did not like it, but she could not deny that she had already developed feelings for Danyel. She just did not know when it started. “You know what, let’s forget it. Let’s both erase it from our memory, alright? Whatever happened between us was a mistake. No need to make it a big deal.” Danyel said while avoiding Gianna’s eyes. Though Gianna nodded and agreed, inside, she felt sorrowful. A man kissed her and awakened her feelings, but immediately told her to forge