The Royal Agreement

The Wedding

•In the Princess’ Quarters•

“We need her to look as natural as possible.”

        “She is a beauty. She beholds the beauty that women pay to have.”

        “That was overwhelming, Eduardo.”

        “I’m stating a mere fact, my Lady.”

        “Geiyianne, aren’t you nervous?”

        I looked at my mom from the vanity mirror. I shrugged. “Why should I be?”

        “It is your wedding day!”

        Yes. It is now my wedding day. Every plans we made, every adjustments and every detail we have to finish are now ready. Victor is still preparing himself. I called him earlier to check if he’s fine or not. Well he said he is but I don’t feel like he really is.

        Queen Victoria is with him. I’m very much nervous but as I learn from my lessons from Mom and Queen Victoria,  must keep my nerves together, or it’ll be shit.

        Eduardo is fixing my dress, stitching the other parts tight to hug my frame. Lilunah here is fixing my make up. I’m really nervous about the wedding. I know my mom, she knows that I’m nervous but I’m in this façade of a happy girl.

        “Mom, how did you feel when you got married with Dad?”

        “It was very wonderful, Geiyianne. But our situation is far better than yours. Our wedding was filled with love.” Mom smiled at me with sadness.

         “Mom, this is really different from your wedding. We don’t love each other like you and Dad.”

        Mom smiled again but it’s still filled with sadness. “You know that I don’t like you being in this situation, Geiyianne, but that’s the only wish your grandma asked me.”

        “I know, Mom. I may have not known her but this is the one and only wish she asked me. I know you love her so much, that’s why I’m doing this.”

        There were tears on Mom’s eyes. I don’t want to see her this way. I wiped her eyes and kissed her cheek that made Lilunah stop fixing my eyeshadow. “Don’t cry, Mom. If you do, I would, too. And it would ruin my natural look.”

        Mom giggled and she cupped my cheeks. “You’re so young to be married. Both of you.” She kissed my cheek and hugged me. “But we can’t change it now.” She stood up and kissed Eduardo and Lilunah’s cheeks. “Well, I must go now, my dears. I will await your bridal entourage, my dearest daughter.”

        I watched my Mom leave the room. I felt empty. Mom left me here. I ducked my head and rubbed my hands on my silk robe. In an hour, I will walk down the aisle, Victor takes me and we say our vows, take the rings and take the crowns. I still can’t believe all of these. I’m still hoping that I would somehow wake up, start a new day to prepare for a day in school and take exams. I have only one year left until I finish my Pre-Medicine degree. Now it would be delayed because I have this responsibility to fill. A wife’s role to stand on. A Queen for my new country.

Eduardo and Lilunah make their finishing touches. After that they led me to a wall mirror and let me see myself.

        A girl in a wedding dress stares back at me. She wears a crown but not really meant to be hers. She’s sad. And she knows she needs to keep herself together. After an hour, everything in her life changes. Everything she was accustomed to were to be burnt after she took the crown and rings.