The Devil's Bride

Kathleen was sitting in her dressing room, getting ready for her birthday celebration with the help from her maids. Her personal maid, Lucy, busily combing her hair and fold it to make a perfect up do bun, while another maid putting makeup to her already gorgeous face.

Soon, they were helping her to fit into her ball gown dress, which specially created by the royal tailor for today's occasion.

The gown was in dark blue color with glittering gold dust looked stunning, except for the uncomfortably tight corset which were tightened by the two maids. The soft silk dress with a huge puffed out skirt was made to impress.

Standing and looking at her own reflection on the standing mirror, she got goosebumps!  

Her hair was decorated stunningly with diamonds and flowers, and the ball gown fit perfectly on her curvy body.

She wore a necklace made of diamonds and white pearls, together with earrings of the same pattern. The jewelry was a birthday gift from her grandmother.

"You are so beautiful princess"

"So lovely, I wish I could have a little bit of your beauty"

Lucy and the other maid complimenting her nonstop that they make her blushed. She herself couldn't believe her eyes, she did look great today, it was a great transformation thanks to her maids help.

"Oh my, you are flattering me" Kathleen said shyly. She was horrible at accepting compliments, but this time she thought perhaps they were right. Indeed, she looked prettier than ever.

"I heard that there will be many bachelors coming for tonight's banquet, princess" said Lucy.

"I'm sure they all will look stunningly charming. How I wish I can see them waltzing on the dance floor. Some romance might spark!" said another maid excitedly.

Kathleen smile listening to their conversation, imagining things that might happen at the celebration later on.

Speaking of romance, she wondered if by any chance, she can meet again with the mysterious man that she met at the garden earlier. Will he make an appearance tonight? She asked to herself.

It seems like the man had caught Kathleen's attention. It was like he stuck to her mind the whole day. His voice, his unique eyes' color and his beautiful face keep on dancing in her mind that made her wonder what was happening to her.

A sudden knock on the door stop Kathleen from he own thought. They all bowed to Queen Helena who entered her room with her entourage following from behind.

Queen Helena was a beauty even when she's reached her fifties, and Kathleen inherited every point of the queen's beauty.

"My, how lovely you are my dear" said the queen looking happy to see her youngest daughter. The queen herself was dressed to impress, with her royal crown looking grand on top of her head. She looked regal.

"Thank you and you look stunning as always mother" she replied to her mother.

"I came to have a word with you dear, before the banquet start" said the queen while signaling the maids to wait outside. The queen's together with Kathleen's maids move out of the room give the mother daughter some privacy.

Taking a seat on one of the couch in the room, the queen looked serious when she said, "I want you to pay attention to the crown prince from the southern kingdom, Prince Henry. Make sure to get him set his eyes on you".

The queen's word was firm without giving any room to argue.

"May I know your reason, mother?" asked Kathleen. The queen's sudden request was a bit suspicious to her, and she felt that her mother was planning something again.

"I intended for you to marry the prince, which is why you must get his attention today!" said Helena.

"Are you planning to make a political marriage to me, the same as you did to sister Isabelle?" asked Kathleen feeling anger started to build up in her.

By the queen's persuasion, the king had arranged a political marriage for Princess Isabelle two years ago to a neighboring kingdom, a marriage without love. The intention behind the marriage was to ensure trading economy between the two kingdoms.

But such marriage only brings disaster and her sister ended up in worst possible situation ever for a women. She was made a concubine even though she came from a royal blood. Her husband had eight more concubines and a wife. The king was abusive to a point where Isabelle lost her baby in her w.o.m.b.

In the end, Isabelle begged for King Lionel's help to end the marriage.

"Isabelle's marriage was a mistake and I truly regretted it, but Prince Henry is a great young prince, most importantly he doesn't have any wife yet. You will be his Queen when he ascended the throne" said Helena.

"There is no guaranty that I will be his queen, mother. Besides, I don't want to force myself on someone whom I barely know, this is wrong mother, I don't want to marry someone out of love" explained Kathleen.

She was scared and worried. History might repeat and she doesn't want to be in it.

"You are a princess, Kathleen, and you've grown up now, you should start thinking about what you can do for our kingdom instead of for yourself" her anger was obvious from her tone. The queen rose up from the couch and walked to the door.

"The southern kingdom can supply numerous numbers when it came to military, Kathleen, think about it" added the queen before she went out of the room.

Kathleen was left standing there, speechless. Worried, anger, hopelessness engulf within her. She doesn't know what to do.

After a while, she composed herself and trying her best to understand her mother's intention.

'Mother got a point, I can't think about myself, I'm a princess of this country' she said to herself.

Though she thought like that, Kathleen was aware of her mother's greediness. Helena was not from a royal blood before she married Lionel, she was the daughter of a ministry.

She scheme to get Lionel's attention, and when she became queen, she wanted more, which is why she try to arrange political marriage for her daughters. Helena hasn't set any man for Princess Anne for she couldn't find any man who can easily be in her grasp to marry her first born. She wants to control the throne when Anne and her husband ascend the throne in future.

But what Helena and Kathleen didn't aware was that history of Hemsford kingdom will soon repeated itself, and for this one nobody can run from it, neither Helena with her power as the queen, nor Kathleen who wish for marriage with love.