A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!

Percy closed his eyes and let out a sigh of frustration after his courtiers left the meeting room in Gardenia Palace. He had not even married his legal wife when already one of his ministers was suggesting he take in a concubine from Eldoris to balance the power of the Kiran princess as queen.

Balance what power? Percy scoffed. The rumors had already come from Kiran that their eldest princess was weak in health and personality, so people were beginning to get thoughts in their head. They thought that just because Percy was a young king, hot tempered and craving of beauty, he would be easy to manipulate. Unfortunately for them, Percy had already lived a hard first life.

In the end, Percy berated the minister for being so rash as to shove another woman in his bed when his wife had not been married in. It wasn't as though some of he other ministers weren't thinking the same thing, but this minister of labor was far too hasty and impulsive.

"Find someone to replace him," Percy ordered. "This kind of person can't be used."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Rachel replied.

Percy sighed inwardly and poured himself a new cup of tea. Meeting the crown prince of Tynan had brought back all sorts of memories that he had a headache. It had taken all his willpower to remember that the prince was no longer an enemy in this lifetime but an ally he had to entice onto his side.

For once, he had the opportunity to actually talk to the prince one on one, instead of facing each other's armies on the battlefield. In his past life, Percy couldn't recall talking much to the prince of Tynan at all, taking the diplomatic approach of using swords first. It turned out that Prince Jason was actually quite a sensible man with a strong foundation of political skills and charisma. Percy just couldn't understand how Alana had managed to capture his interest.

"Rachel."

Rachel looked up from her notes.

"I heard you asked Annabeth to be her lady-in-waiting?" Percy asked.

Sir Grover stiffened before he buried his head behind a pile of paperwork.

"I did. But Her Highness did not accept." Rachel quietly said.

Percy stood up and went to the window.

"Is there a reason why you requested that position? Did you find your current work unsatisfactory?"

Rachel hesitated. But Percy already knew that it was most likely her power hungry father who had pushed Rachel into pursuing the lady-in-waiting role. Marquis Dare's tactics were slightly more elegant than the minister who had rashly suggested taking in a concubine earlier today. But just slightly.

"It's fine. You don't have to answer. You already know that my father never took in another woman to be his secondary wife when my mother was alive even under immense pressure because he knew how hard it would be on my mother. And he loved my mother to death, marrying another woman similar to her likeness." Percy said softly. "But I don't want my wife to face that same hardship."

"Percy...do you love her?" Rachel asked, hesitantly, almost afraid to know the answer.

Percy smiled sardonically. "No. I can't say that I do."

In the reflection of the window, Rachel looked up slightly, perhaps astounded at Percy's honesty. But his words weren't meant to give her a sliver of hope.

"But who knows what will happen in the future? She's an interesting woman for sure. Sir Rachel," he called out softly. "I sincerely hope that we can live by what we want, and not by what others want, and especially not by the elders of the previous generation."

Rachel bit her lips. But what if her father's goals and her own goals were somewhat aligned? She didn't care for the power and influence the queen's position held, but she wanted to be by Percy's side. She knew she was selfish enough to want to be the only woman by his side. But what could she do? Percy didn't want her.

Percy left the meeting room while Rachel was in a conflicted state of mind. He had spotted the princess in the garden's gazebo below.

"Enjoying the sunshine, Princess?" He called out to the princess.

"Your Majesty." She looked over the shoulder before looking back to what she was doing. "I thought I would soak in the rays."

"Aren't the dressmakers supposed to be here by now?"

The princess scowled. "I sent them away an hour ago. There's just too many dress fittings. How many dresses do I need anyways? I only have one body."

Percy sat down next to her. Whereas most monarchs would indulge themselves in spending their money on lavish clothing, parties, food, or jewelry, Princess Annabeth had barely made a dent in the budget set aside for her. The most expensive items used were just books. He didn't know whether it was because she had so little back in Kiran that she didn't know how to spend or whether she was just truly frugal. It just made him think of her as a small abandoned puppy that one felt sorry for and wanted to spoil more.

"What are you working on?" He looked at her hands which were nimbly working through a piece of silk. "Is that a fork?"

The princess scowled at his joke. "It's a trident. I've never done embroidery before so sorry if I'm lacking. There! Now I'm done." The princess said in triumph. "Here you go." She presented the handkerchief to Percy with a flourish. "Since you seemed to like this fork, here it is, Your Majesty."

Percy laughed and took the silk. While the embroidery couldn't compare to the royal tailors' work, it looked quite decent. "For a first timer, not bad. Thank you, Princess."

"Hmmph, then it's worth being pricked by the needle now and then."

Hands could tell you a lot about a person. Whether a person worked a tough job using their hands. How easy or hard someone's life was.

Percy caught the princess' hand. In the first days when she arrived, the princess' hands had been rough and calloused as though she was used to doing hard work. The maids had tried their best to soften the princess' hands. They were beginning to look more tender, though the rougher spots caught here and there in the silk material.

In his past life, he couldn't protect his mother. Then he lost his people, his friends, his country, and then his life. Feeling that smaller hand in his own, Percy wondered if in this life he could prevent all those.

"Um, Your Majesty?" The princess slowly retrieved her hand from him.

He watched as her fingers slipped through his hand. He was going to protect them all, he swore. Nothing was going to stop him this time.

Annabeth thought back to that afternoon where the king had suddenly taken her hand. He had held it so gingerly as if she could be broken so easily. His eyes back then had a very solemn look, as if he had been pondering deeply. Hmm, weird. Annabeth soon put it out of her mind since it was time for dinner.

At first, she only met the king for dinner. But now sometimes he popped in for tea or went along with her for walks.

"I thought you would be quite busy these days, preparing the wedding and all," commented Annabeth.

"I am quite busy. But now that there's more people in the royal palaces, there's a lot more eyes on us," the king answered, placing her hand on his arm so he could escort her.

"Ah."

So he wanted to show that they were a loving couple? He was really trying to push this narrative.

"Besides, look at Prince Jason and Lady McLean."

Annabeth and the king turned their heads slightly to the side where the prince and Piper were talking in a heated discussion. At first listen, one would think that they were arguing. But at second glance, one would see a fiery spark in Piper's eyes and a similar smile alight on the prince's lips.

"Ah, they grow up so fast," Annabeth said.

She smiled with the satisfaction of potentially eliminating one death flag. If Lady Piper could interest the prince and he was interested in return, she just might be able to fend off Alana, leaving just two more male leads to deal with. Unfortunately, these two were going to be the most difficult to face.

"Grow up? They're just a year or two younger than us."

But Annabeth was in her late twenties. To her, teenagers were just babies. She was still astounded that more than half of those born in the year 2000 were legally allowed to buy alcohol now.

Watching through the windows of Gardenia Palace secretly, the palace staff whispered among them that the two couples seemed to be paired well.

"Serve the future queen well," the head maid said solemnly. "If not, you know what will happen."

The maids bowed their heads lower. There were fewer people planning on trying to climb ranks, at least for now. One golden haired maid frowned, her lips pursed in thought.

"Almost all the countries had arrived," the king said. "Kiran hasn't arrived yet."

"Really? But the wedding is tomorrow." Annabeth thought for a moment.

If Kiran was trying to arrive late to embarrass her, then she was afraid it wouldn't work. In the first place, Annabeth was from the modern world and had no obligations to Kiran. Secondly, being tardy would only truly embarrass Kiran themselves. After the wedding, Annabeth would be the queen of Eldoris while the Kiran delegation would have to face the consequences of being rude to another sovereign. Their reputation would be damaged. Surely, they wouldn't do such a stupid thing?

"Are they close to the royal palace?" Annabeth asked.

"Compared to other countries, Kiran started travelling late. They seem to be taking their time on their journey. But at the pace they're coming, they should arrive just when the crowning ceremony begins." The king answered.

Annabeth had heard of being fashionably late, but this was just truly trying to insult Eldoris. Perhaps this was how Kiran was trying to start a war? Still, their reputation would take a hit with so many foreign dignitaries about. There had to be something else they were planning with the results offsetting the cons of ruining their image.

Perhaps Alana was trying to signify that the future queen of Eldoris did not have the support of Kiran. This could encourage other countries that were more allied with Kiran than Eldoris to pull away. Not to mention that it would give ideas to Eldoris noble ladies to still compete in being the king's mistress. But no matter how much Annabeth could think, this was a lose-lose situation.

A small flick on her forehead called Annabeth back to earth.

"That's enough thinking about it for now," the king said. "You'll stress yourself out. We'll just have to make some preparations for whatever may happen. Eldoris won't be affected that easily."

"Still, I can't help but be worried."

"I should punish those who are making my fiancee so worried that she can't think about her wedding happening tomorrow. Otherwise, I'd be seen as a bad husband."

The king smiled at her.

Annabeth shook her head to clear away the effect of a handsome man's face so close to hers. "Look at you, being a player. No wonder all these women want to get with you." She muttered.

The king seemed perplexed. "Player? Get with me?"

"Never mind. I'll explain another day."

The king looked at her strangely but didn't press on the issue.

Annabeth suddenly thought of the characters in the historical setting saying things like "simp" or "no cap" and fought an urge to laugh out loud. Her younger twin brothers were Gen Z and were always yelling those phrases when they were gaming or filming TikTok videos. She had already wrecked the plot of Clarisse's manuscript by staying alive, but she couldn't continue to sully her friend's novel that way.

"Annabeth," the king said seriously. "I know that the Kiran royal family has mistreated you. But I want you to know that I will never hurt you, I promise. And no one else will, either."

The king took her hands and gave them a warm squeeze. No matter the descriptions of him being a tyrant, Annabeth could tell from the bright look in his green eyes that he was being sincere. They were partners now, helping each other through the thick and thin.

Hearing his promise, a small flood of emotions filled Annabeth's chest. This must be the original princess' feelings, Annabeth recognized. No one had ever said such reassuring words to the original princess. Annabeth felt the wave of sorrow wash over her, reliving the memories when the princess had quietly cried underneath her covers at night, wondering why the world was so unfair to her. She had been living in a world of darkness, wishing that she hadn't been born. Now someone was offering a hand out of that cold, lonely world.

I will help you, Annabeth thought. Those who trampled on you before, before I leave this world, I won't let them do so anymore. This I promise, she thought. Annabeth could only hope that the original soul was in a better place.

"All right. I understand."

A small tear escaped Annabeth's eye before she knew it. She quickly turned away and brushed the tear off before the king could see it.

The original princess had cried many times before. For the first time, it seemed the original soul was crying out of happiness.

A/N: Omg, I didn't realize that "How to Seduce an Earl" had a wedding in chapter 13. I'm not sure if "The Demon Lord is Whipped by the Saintess" counts, because technically I didn't write a wedding after the final episode? Perhaps I should say that the wedding in this story is faster compared to my other stories in terms of where it is in the story/chapter length if that makes sense? Also, "How to Seduce an Earl" was over a year and a half ago...where did the time fly by?

Thanks for the support as always! When I'm having a bad day, I like to read ya'lls reviews. I do hope those ranting about my fics are good rants lol, though I don't mind constructive criticisms to improve my writing. I do think some of those rants in the future will be about all those cliffhangers I've planned in the upcoming chapters...hehehehe.

As always, stay safe, and see you all next chapter!