It was at a feast two days later that the engagement was announced. All of the important people were set to attend, as it was deemed mandatory by the king himself. Generals and politicians would be present, even the ones from the Fount. Why wouldn't they be? This wasn't just a common dinner. It was the one that would introduce them to their future king and queen.

Judith was upstairs in her room getting ready for the moment her life would be ruined permanently. Her parents had already finalized the deal with the king, but it wasn't made official news yet. The king would toast at the table with everyone around, and once it was made common knowledge, there would truly be no way out. Even if there was a small chance before of escaping her terrible fate, it would be more than impossible after the announcement. There was no way her mother would let Judith make a fool out of her in front of so many important people.

The gown Judith was to wear for the occasion lay across her bed, silently waiting. Susannah had come by earlier and picked it out for her. It had always been easy for Judith to select her own attire, but today was different. She had no idea what to wear. It was the dress she would wear in her presentation as future queen, something that increased the level of uncomfortable anxiety she felt about choosing it herself.

Judith's personal sense of style had always been a quality many people admired about her, but this time she couldn't bring herself to choose. She might as well be choosing the dress she would be buried in. It was for that reason that she needed her sister's help. Her misery was to be put aside and a gown was to be chosen for the occasion. The time to make an impression on everyone was now. Whether it was good or bad impression was another story. First, she had to get there.

As one of the guests of honor, Judith had to be at the dining hall in half an hour. She secretly thanked her good fortune that her appearance was completely independent from that of her parents. Having Vikus around wouldn't be so bad, but she couldn't stand having Solovet breathe down her neck the entire time leading up to the dinner. Her mother had been absolutely unbearable since the news was broken out to Judith. She had done her best to avoid Solovet since breakfast a few days back, but that careful game of hide and seek would end tonight.

As slowly as she could, Judith dressed herself, making sure to take her time. She was in no hurry. Most of the guests had already arrived, but that was all part of the plan. It was preplanned that making quite the entrance would be in her best interest to impose her authority. The very idea was something that almost made her laugh out loud.

What authority? She would have none. Queen was a title everyone feared, but only because of the King. He was the true ruler. Judith was only expected to bear him children so the bloodline would continue.

When she was finally able to get all the pins of her dress in place, Judith turned to look at herself in the mirror. The gown really was beautiful, a gift from her father on her sixteenth birthday. She had forgotten all about it to be honest, and now she was wearing it with a sad smile. It was a wonder how Susannah had found it under the piles and piles of clothes Judith had. She had never worn it before, and she guessed that if there ever was an occasion for it, today was as good a day as any.

Due to the length of the gown, the issue with what to wear on her feet was less of a problem. Since no one would actually see what shoes she was using, Judith went with the most comfortable option. If today was going to be a day of nightmares and terror, she would at least let her feet breathe. She refused to wear those outrageously uncomfortable things Susannah liked to use for special feasts and other events in the palace.

Judith took one final moment to put on her earrings and necklace. They were part of a set, and they seemed to contrast with the gown, making them more prominent than usual on her pale skin. She smiled sadly at her reflection, finding no joy in her stunning appearance. She'd always known she was beautiful, but even when she lived in the city, no one really approached her searching for something more than friendship. Every potential suitor was usually too scared of her mother and her brother.

Perhaps this wedding was the only way she would end up with someone. Who knows? Maybe she would have ended up a spinster.

"Miss Judith?" called a small voice from outside her room.

She turned her head towards the curtain at her door. "Yes?"

"I have come to escort you to the dining hall for the feast," came the reply from the servant girl.

"I will only be another minute."

With one last final breath, Judith silently said a prayer. She hoped with everything in her being that something would happen. Anything at all as long as the wedding was called off and she wouldn't have to go through with this public humiliation.

The servant was patiently waiting for Judith outside the door with her hands clasped together loosely. As soon as Judith walked out, the young girl turned on her heel and was instantly on her way. Judith followed with little difficulty, hardly glancing around. She kept her face firm and her eyes focused on where she was going, feeling her heartbeat increase with every step she took.

When they finally arrived, Judith was surprised to see that other people were there waiting for her. Before she even made it all the way, a woman ran over to Judith and put a firm hand on her back, ushering her to a certain spot. Judith's heart sank when she saw she was being placed right next to the prince. He was dressed in fine clothing that truly spoke of the wealth and power he held.

The prince hardly even glanced at her, something Judith was thankful for. She doubted she could look him in the eyes after their…last encounter, if one could call it that. Judith still wasn't sure what he had heard her say, but no matter what it was, it wasn't good. Not one thing that came out of her mouth in that outburst had been good.

"Alright! Time is running short! Everyone just breathe!" cried the woman in a jittery voice.

After placing Judith next to the prince, the woman had taken to fixing Judith's hair. She was not doing much to change it, but it was probably just to keep her hands busy. The poor woman seemed more nervous that Judith. Sliding her index finger under Judith's chin, she pulled her face up so that Judith's line of vision was more even.

"Chin up, never down!" she ordered. "Hands must not swing and do not speak unless spoken to! Understood?" With that, she patted Judith lightly on the cheek. "And do not forget to breathe!"

At that moment, the doors leading inside began to swing open, causing Judith to tense her shoulders even more tightly. She could already hear the excited murmur of the people at her arrival with the prince.

"Lock arms!" squeaked the nervous wreck of a woman, waving her arms frantically. She and the rest of the servants had moved to the side in order to avoid being in the line of sight. The only people the guests from the inside could see were Judith and her fiancé.

Judith instantly clung to the prince's arm, not worried about whether he liked her or not. His arm was raised slightly, indicating his desire to lead her into the room. Whether it was out of pure necessity to keep appearances or because he just followed orders was a wonder to Judith. And it wasn't like she could think too much about it anyways. Her mind was too busy telling her stomach to stop doing backflips.

Deciding to follow the advice given to her, Judith took to inhaling and exhaling very slowly. As she heard her name being announced and the entire room clap for her, she was sure her face had turned a different color. The embarrassment had surely flushed her face red, but she was also feeling sick enough to believe it could have been green.

Judith walked numbly as the prince led her through the room to their spot at the dining table. She did her best to smile at the strangers she saw sitting all around. Everyone seemed to be staring at her with curious eyes, some of them even hinting at caution. She was not a new face entirely because of who her parents were, but never had she attended a dinner with so many people. No doubt some of them had already connected the dots between her mother's position as Head General and Judith's new position as future queen. What sort of future awaited Regalia with a family that had almost as much power as the royal bloodline?

Having every person of influence in one room and all focused on her was making Judith more nervous than ever. With her luck, tonight out of all nights would be the time for her to do something stupid. Like trip. Almost by reflex, she looked down to make sure nothing was in her way.

After what seemed like an eternity, the pair finally took their seats at the table. Even after getting to their spots, the two of them had to stand patiently and smile until the applause died down. When she was seated, Judith let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. Everyone else was slowly returning to their private conversations, though this time they continued to glance at her. She smiled back at the people she caught staring, knowing their conversations were about her.

Judith was new to the game of politics and deception, but being the daughter of a feared general and a respected politician had taught her a thing or two. Telling a sincere smile apart from a grin laced with malice was not easy, but they could lead to serious issues in the future if one was to misinterpret them. She wasn't sure whether the smiles thrown her way were out of benevolence or spite. Just to be safe, Judith responded to all of them with the most honest smile she could muster. You know, despite the circumstance. If this was truly to be her fate, no need to make enemies so early on.

It was another moment until the food finally arrived. Everything smelled absolutely delicious, filling the air with a very pleasant aroma of herbs and spices. Servants stretched their arms to carefully place all kinds of dishes in the center of the table. When they were finished, a few more servants stepped in to fill their goblets with rich red wine.

Good. She was going to need it to get through the night.

The sudden growl of her stomach made her realize she was hungrier than she thought. Judith looked down to locate her fork and knife, completely ignoring the other utensils. She was about to reach for them when she heard the slightest noise come from her fiancé. It almost sounded as if he were trying to clear his throat, but if that were the case, the effort wasn't strong enough to actually fulfill its purpose. Since she wasn't about to turn and ask him directly, Judith decided to ignore it. There was no way she was going to risk looking like a fool. What if it was nothing? She would be the laughing stock of the high society.

Judith had just reached for her fork again when she felt his knee rub up against hers. It was more of a light shove than a simple brush, but now his intention was clear. Understanding that he was trying to tell her something, Judith placed her hand back on her lap slowly and spared a glance around. She realized that no one was actually eating yet and thankfully, they hadn't seen her actions either. They were just sitting patiently, waiting. But for what?

The answer came when another wave of servants approached the table, placing a small bowl filled with warm water in front of all the guests. No one but Judith seemed confused about it, so she did her best to keep a straight face. Watching the prince from the corner of her eye, Judith mimicked his actions and placed both hands in the water. She dipped her fingers again and again, giving her hands a thorough rinse. When he withdrew his hands, Judith was quick to follow, drying her hands on some of the softest towels she had ever felt, which were also provided by the servants.

Once everyone's hands were clean and dry, the servants picked up all bowls and towels before stepping back from the table completely. When the last servant had retreated, the king stood from his chair and smiled wide.

"Let us feast!" he boomed, startling Judith slightly. She might have jumped if she weren't so focused on giving a good impression.

It was only half a second after the king's words that everyone at the table started reaching for the food. Seeing that the prince was grabbing his food already, Judith helped herself to the feast in front of her. She was too nervous to actually eat anything, but she knew it was pointless to refuse the food. Not a very good impression. Plus, Judith couldn't deny that some of it looked really good. Maybe she would actually try some. She hadn't eaten very well since a few days ago when she received the news of her engagement.

Finally ready to try the food, Judith lifted her fork to poke at some of the roast beef on her plate. As soon as she had a firm grasp on her knife as well, she felt the prince's knee on her again. Judith immediately dropped everything as quietly as she could and sat up straight in her chair. Obviously she was doing something wrong again.

Stealing another glance, Judith noticed that everyone had started eating. Even her parents, who sat across the table a few chairs down to her left, had joined the guests and were enjoying their food. The only ones not eating were her and her fiancé. Another glance revealed that the king and her future husband's younger brother weren't eating either. She tried not to frown out of pure confusion.

The arrival of more servants made her want to internally groan. This time, however, the servants were limited to just the four of them. Judith watched as the men and women took the time to inspect her personal platter, even going as far as taking tiny portions of her food and eating them. Her confusion turned to slight trepidation when she realized they were taste testing for poison.

Would anyone try to poison her? Assassinations were rare, but she knew they happened in the past. The thought of that was unnerving, overtaking her initial feelings that something like having taste testers was excessive. She had to stop thinking like a normal person.

She was royalty now.

Er, well at least she would be. Very soon. Too soon.

After a short moment, the servants seemed convinced enough to let them be and back away from the table with a small bow. Judith stared awkwardly, not exactly knowing how to react to someone bowing to her. The others seemed to just wave it off as if it was nothing special, so Judith just looked down at her food again. Despite the tiny amount of disturbance to her plate, the food still looked and smelled delicious. Turning her head by a fraction of an inch, Judith noticed that the prince gave her the slightest of nods before picking up his own utensils.

Letting the corner of her mouth rise to give him a smile, Judith finally began her meal. Whether the prince had seen her smile or not was of little importance. She had made the effort, so that's what mattered.

Then she remembered that if it weren't for what he just did for her, Judith would probably be in tears. There was no way she would live through the embarrassment of having everyone laugh at her for not knowing the proper procedures of a formal dinner.

Returning the gesture of nudging his knee, Judith got his attention pretty quickly. As soon as he turned to see what she needed, Judith gave him the same half smile and quickly dropped her gaze, focusing on her food once more. He seemed to get the message and nodded once more.

It was about halfway through the meal when the King stood up again and demanded silence. He was shaky enough on his feet to have Judith believe he had something a bit stronger than wine in his goblet.

Through slightly slurred words and hearty laughs, the King gave an elaborate speech about how he was proud to have his legacy continue in his children. He mentioned how proud he was to see his son find himself a good wife to support his reign as the next king.

Judith knew that most of the words were scripted, making this seem as normal as possible. The prince didn't "find" himself a queen. They were arranged to marry and there was nothing Judith could do about it. When she heard the King congratulate his son for having such good taste in women, though, Judith couldn't help but blush. Something about choosing someone smart and beautiful.

Finally, as the king's speech came to a close, he ended by saying he was sure he would leave the kingdom in good hands the day he lost his light. Then he lifted up his goblet for a toast. When everyone followed his lead, the King drank down and slammed his cup on the table with a cheer. He motioned for the two of them to stand up as the whole room started clapping.

Getting up quickly, Judith stood next to him awkwardly with a fake smile plastered on her face. The prince looked like he was having the time of his life, waving every once in awhile when he caught the sight of an approving politician or military official. Judith was looking out to the crowd that surrounded the dining table, aware of the glare her mother was sending her. It was a simple look, one that held a very specific message.

Don't mess this up.

So she didn't.

Even after the toast was over and they went back to eating, Judith smiled throughout the entire meal, trying to look interested in everything that was being said. She knew the prince hated this as much as she did, but they had to make everyone believe they were happy. If he could act like this engagement was the best thing that ever happened to him, so could she.

Most of the conversations were complete rubbish, small talk to keep the light mood going. There was mention of the red light district of the east wall, the quick demand for more gold, and the transition from old style weapons to bows and arrows. Advocates for the new weapon system spoke openly about making new designs for machines that could launch projectiles while others were worried about what would happen if the gnawers got their hands on them.

Conversations about the harvest and the fishing expeditions would sprout here and there, but in the end, everything always came back to the war. It was through that topic that she managed to notice how the prince would tense up whenever someone mentioned the king. His majesty would be leaving in a few days to lead the fighting in the Dead Land. During the toast, as soon as the king had announced his son's marriage, he went on to say that he would be personally leading the next set of battles.

Glancing over at the king with what she hoped was the highest discretion, Judith saw him enjoying every bit of the night. He had a steak knife in one hand and a large mug in the other, laughing it off with a man sitting next to him. They looked strangely alike in both facial features and physique, as they were both very big and very, very drunk. She almost believed they were brothers but she knew the king had no siblings. Or maybe he did, but they were conceived outside of marriage. Perhaps her future husband's grandfather had been a womanizer as well. Something that was passed on to every generation.

Looking around the table, Judith saw the fake smiles and the false friendships. The more the night progressed and the more people got drunk, it was easy to see how tense things could get. It was all a game of putting up your walls and getting lucky enough to peek past someone else's.

So this was the life that awaited her.

A pang of sadness hit her as she realized how pitiful her outlook on life had turned. All of her dreams were slowly being crushed.

Judith was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she almost didn't notice when her fiancé clenched his fist around a napkin. It was very slight, unnoticeable to anyone else, but she was sitting right next to him. She could almost feel the anger radiating from him as his body tensed even though his perfect smile betrayed nothing. On the outside, he was the ideal prince. A drunk colonel was talking to him and seemed to be the reason for all the anger, but Judith couldn't hear enough of what was being said.

He needed a distraction. Something to get his mind off of whatever that drunk man was telling him. He had helped her, so why couldn't Judith do the same for him? She had never heard anything about the prince being short tempered, but today wasn't the day to find out. Or any day. But the way he was almost shaking with rage made her want to do something to interfere. What could she do, though? Nudge his knee again? Pretend she was confused about something royalty-related and ask for his advice?

Just as she was about to make an excuse to distract him, he got up from the table. There were a few questions from the others as to where he was going but he simply waved them off with a smile. He excused himself politely after wiping his mouth with a napkin and left the room, leaving her there by herself with a roomful of strangers. He was a stranger too, in fact, but she was expected to share her life with him. She was expected to live with him by the end of next week. She expected to find him distant and slightly uncaring towards her for all the things she had said in his presence. She expected him to find companionship in another woman.

Judith swallowed a lump in her throat as she saw him leaving the dining hall.

What she didn't expect was to be abandoned so soon.