"What's he like? My soon-to-be husband?"

Reiju hummed. She combed her slender fingers through Eris's hair as the said woman stared at her melancholy expression in her vanity mirror.

"He's my little brother; my answer doesn't matter," she replied honestly – Eris assumed she'd say this; it was inconsiderate of her to ask. "Those sorts of judgments are best left for you to make."

She was right.

"Pardon me. I realized how biased that was too late," Eris stated.

Reiju laughed softly. "Not at all. He is a rotten brat; marriage to him won't be easy. I didn't want to bum you out is all."

"It's far too late for that," Eris admitted with a sigh.

She saw Reiju narrow her eyes in pity, but didn't comment on it. Eris assumed the princess lacked sympathy; she spoke to her with a level of maturity that always seemed impersonal, so it was a breath of fresh air to witness something other than a fake smile on her face. Even so, her answer did not ease Eris.

"Are you having second thought?" Reiju asked.

Eris snorted. "No, and even if I were, it's not like I can walk away."

"Not unless you want my father to go to war with your country," she stated with a grin.

Her tone was good-humored but Eris knew that it was the truth. Gloriosa purposed a ceasefire with the Germa Kingdom, but that did not mean that at any time if the marriage went south Judge couldn't end the agreement. The women of Amazon Lily were trained warriors since birth, but Eris feared how they would fare against an army of enhanced soldiers.

She sighed.

"How do I look?"

Reiju grinned.

"It's a shame you weren't given to me," she remarked.

Eris felt her face heat up. It was indeed a shame.

She stood up and gathered her shoes, assuring Reiju that she was ready, despite the obvious lie, and followed the princess from the tower. Eris had ventured as far as the washroom, but she had never seen the outside past her window. Once they were in the open air, a warm sea breeze tugged playfully at her dress, making her smile. She missed being free, trekking through the jungle outside her village. It was nothing more than a fond memory now, unfortunately.

Eris averted her eyes and stared at Reiju as the said woman led her to a large castle to which her tower bordered. The layout was unnatural to her; fake even. It had five tall turrets; curving conical spires, which complemented the outwardly-rounded walls of the structure. As they entered, Eris was not impressed; the interior was impersonal. The walls were made of stone and hardly a picture could be seen. What was the Vinsmoke family like?

From the foyer, Reiju led Eris into the dining hall. The said woman hummed in thought as she took a brief look around. As expected, it was as depersonalized as the rest of the main tower. Strange. And not to mention, the entire room was vacant; not even the head chef or servers were present.

Reiju shook her head.

"Have a seat. I'll check on my brothers," she ordered.

Eris did so and watched her leave the room. She waited for a minute or two in boredom, before the door opened. Instead of Reiju coming in, as she expected, a trio of gorgeous men walked through the entrance. Eris was in awe. Were these Reiju's brothers? One of them was her fiancé. But which one?

The green-haired prince noticed Eris first and puckered a brow.

"Who is the babe?"

His eyes poured over her hungrily.

"And why is she sitting at the table like she's one of us?" The brother with the blue hair asked.

"Because Niji, Eris is soon to be wed to Ichiji," Reiju answered back, coming into the room behind them. "And father won't be joining us, so behave. It's not cute when the lot of you act like brats." She sat next to Eris at the table.

The green-haired prince glared at her, as Niji hummed.

"So this is her," he said with a grin. "She's easy on the eyes."

The redhead snorted.

"Lucky me."

So, he's the one.

It was ironic to her that their hair was the same color; mere coincidence Eris imagined. She was supposed to marry the third prince after all.

"I mean if you don't want her, I'll take her off your hands," the one with the green hair suggested. He eagerly licked his lips making Eris shiver.

Ichiji sat at the table across from Eris and hummed.

"Have at her, but remember, brother, marriage is a bitch. It comes with a high price."

"No more one-night stands, Yonji," Niji teased, following suit.

Yonji groaned and sat beside him.

"Way to suck the fun out of it."

Eris was repulsed. Why did she get stuck with such a horrible arrangement? Thank the heavens she found her soon-to-be husband a prick because loving him was the last thing she wanted to do.

To her relief, a group of maids came out with trays of food and served them. Eris thanked the maid who poured her a mimosa and frowned when Yonji mocked her.

"You are soon to be a princess, so you need to act like one," Ichiji mentioned.

"Having manners is completely different," Eris argued back.

Reiju laughed.

"She's right, little brother."

He curled up his nose.

"If she's to be my wife, then she will act like a princess."

"That may be asking too much of her, brother. She's from an island of warriors. The closest to royalty she's ever seen is that hag empress," Niji remarked.

Eris glared at him, clutching her fork. She felt a light tap on her knee and glanced at Reiju as the said woman shook her head.

"Pay him no mind," she mentioned.

Empress Gloriosa may not have been her favorite person in the world at the moment, but Eris didn't take kindly to Niji poking fun at her. She was an empress; Eris still had respect for her. The said woman took her in when her mother died, and trained her how to use a bow and Haki. She owed Gloriosa her life. It's why she went along with the marriage even though she was so young at the time. It was a mistake.

"I heard the women of Amazon Lily are beautiful," Yonji brought up. "Is there any truth to that?"

Eris nodded.

"In terms of looks, yes. But true beauty on my island is characterized by how strong a warrior is."

"Are you considered strong?" Niji asked.

Eris hummed.

"Who's to say."

She never got the chance to fight the village warriors; Eris was torn away from her island before then.

"Then why didn't the hag send someone else?" Niji asked.

"Because the Empress had no kids and I was an orphan," Eris answered back.

She picked at her food. Sooner or later, she assumed that she would have to tell her fiancé more about her past; it was the sole purpose of this meeting, but Eris didn't expect to have to tell his siblings too.

"Awe, pour baby," the blue hair prince snorted.

He and Yonji laughed; her fiancé cracked a grin, but she ignored them and ate her breakfast. Their mockery meant nothing to her.

"Perhaps Niji will agree to spar with Eris tomorrow," Reiju mention. She took a drink of her mimosa, then sat the glass down. "I mean, he seems to have an issue with her. It's the least he can do for harassing her."

Eris gave her a surprised look. Was she serious? There was no way she could take him on.

Niji tsked.

"I don't have any reason to spar with her. Besides, it wouldn't be much of a workout."

Ichiji grinned.

"Then you shouldn't have an issue beating her."

The said prince hummed, standing up.

"Whatever," he grunted, storming out of the room.

Eris clutched her fork in annoyance. Lucky her. She had no interest in fighting any of them, but unfortunately, the final say-so wasn't up to her. Her aim was rusty; she was sure her hand-to-hand combat skills were too. There was no point dwelling on it much; the thought was spoiling her apatite.

After breakfast, Reiju offered to escort Eris back to her room. She declined, claiming to be able to do it on her own. Even if she were to attempt an escape, Eris doubted she'd be able to escape the Germa Kingdom unharmed. She wished the princess a good afternoon and fled back towards the tower. A sound caught her keen ears and she turned to see the red-haired prince at her heels. Eris stopped to wait for him and puckered her brow.

"What do I owe the pleasure?" She asked with sarcasm.

Ichiji grinned.

"A word of advice, my brother isn't going to play fair or pull his punches."

"Why are you telling me this?" Eris asked.

The said prince hummed.

"Perhaps I want a good show out of it. I suggest you don't hold back either," he answered back.

How generous of him. Eris scoffed and turned her back on him, but just as quickly, Ichiji turned her around by the arm to face him again.

"Is there something else?" She asked in annoyance.

"You're about to be a princess, so don't forget how to act," Ichiji mentioned.

Yeah, you mentioned that before, Eris said to no one but herself.

She shuttered as his finger caressed her arm. What was he doing? Eris pulled away and scowled at him as he grinned. She excused herself and returned to her room, cursing him every step. Ichiji was a prick; an ill-mannered brat to who Eris knew she'd hate being married to. Dropping onto her bed, she sighed.

"It was horrid, Tanis."

A large mottled snake slithered down from the bedposts and leaned its head against her. Eris stroked her.

"He's gorgeous, I admit, but he's never going to be a good husband."

She shut her eyes and grinned.

"At least I won't be doomed to die."