When I entered that royal carriage, I realized that its interior was more luxurious than its outside appearance. It had wide cushioned seats on both sides with plenty of legroom and curtains attached to the glass windows. I made myself comfortable inside and found that the red-eyed man did not follow me inside. For a moment, I was relieved.

Through the glass window, my eyes were drawn towards Martha who was standing at the edge of the crowd, away from the royals surrounding the carriage. Somehow, the small distance between us felt very far, as if she was standing somewhere where I might never be able to reach her. There was strange, heavy desperation weighing my chest. Was it because I couldn't even go hug her for the last time, or was it because I was sad and disappointed that I will be parting from a person I considered my family?

​​

I saw the red-eyed man talking to my father and my brother with the First Prince of Griven also joining them.

The voice of the First Prince of Griven was loud enough for me to hear. "We'll be traveling together till we reach the capital of Griven. Since we'll be escorting a lady and the entourage is huge, I will make sure our group will travel slowly and make stops in the major cities."

"It will be a good chance to rest as the journey to Megaris is long," my brother agreed.

I saw the red-eyed man then talk to his knights, something that I couldn't hear clearly. One of the knights who had a tall robust appearance looked like he was not in a fit condition. He had an injured leg and had difficulty walking when he approached. That red-eyed man said something as he observed his leg and patted his shoulder.

I strained my ears to hear what was going on and heard him instruct that knight, "Don't ride a horse. We have prepared one of the carriages for you."

That knight lowered his head and said, "I am fine, Your Majesty. It would be a shame if I cannot lead the royal entourage when my king is returning with his bride."

"This is not a time to act stubborn, Slayer," the red-eyed man said. "We don't want your leg to get worse. You are yet to fight many battles for Megaris."

"Your Majesty…"

"Do you dare defy the order of your king?" the red-eyed man said, his tone so cold even I felt scared.

That knight bowed his head, finally giving up in front of his king, and walked towards one of the smaller carriages standing behind my carriage.

Thud!

Just then, I heard a sound from the roof of my carriage, as if something had just fallen on it. I looked up but there was no sound again. When I noticed that the red-eyed man was looking at the roof of the carriage, I confirmed the sound I heard was not my imagination. Something had fallen, or landed, on top of the carriage. Before I could think what it could be, the red-eyed man walked towards me.

'He is coming to sit inside in my carriage,' I realized when a knight held the door of the carriage and opened it for him. I felt my heart skip a beat. 'This scary man will sit with me in this carriage till we reach Megaris.'

When he entered the carriage, he took the seat opposite to me. Like me, he too no longer wore the ceremonial clothes from the wedding ceremony. He had changed into a fitted black robe embroidered with gold threads in what appeared to be a royal crest, and his long jet black hair was tied in a pony with a gold accessory at the upper back of his head. It made him look sharp and dangerous, yet elegant and dignified at the same time.

His cold expressionless face made me fix my gaze on the embroidery on the long sleeves of my robes, as my hands were on my lap.

'The entire journey, do I have to face him like this? I can't even look somewhere else. He is a king. Can't he just get another carriage for himself?'

"Are you comfortable, my queen?"

"Huh?" I looked at him, a bit startled. I was too busy in my thoughts, I did not realize he was trying to start a conversation with me.

"I asked if my queen is comfortable in this carriage," he repeated as he looked straight into my eyes. I wanted to turn away, but those red eyes of his stared at me with such fiery intensity it made my entire body shiver.

'I was fine till I was alone,' I thought as I controlled my emotions, replying with a polite, "Yes, Your Majesty."

When I answered, I noticed a light smirk on his thin lips as he continued to stare at me.

'Can he hear the thoughts in my mind? Can he? He seems to have lots of powers, maybe it's possible…' The smirk on his face widened, causing my heart to start beating fast. 'Can he really?'

'Stop! Stop thinking! I am not thinking about anything… just be blank...'

I tried to chant to myself, but this stupid brain would not cooperate and stop working. In fact, it did the opposite, making me panic even more.

'What should I do to not think about anything? Ahh..." I made myself look outside of the window so I would only focus on something else and stop thinking.

Soon, the carriage moved and I realized we were leaving the palace. I gazed at the scenery flashing past the window to get the last glimpse of it. When we passed through the main gate of the royal palace, we had officially left the palace grounds. My gaze continued to linger at the palace's main gate.

'I might never return here.'

The man accompanying me—my husband—was silent the entire time, but from the corner of my eyes, I could see him staring at me. I didn't dare look back at him. I had many questions for him about our encounters till now, but I decided to not voice them out. He knew I was trying to run away, which meant he also knew I was not willing to marry him.

'The way he looks at me… can it be that it's because he is angry with me? Of course, he is! In the end, he is a king and his pride must have been hurt that his betrothed wife tried to run away, not just once but twice. He must be keeping quiet because he does not want to show how angry he is with me inside the royal palace. Maybe, once we reach his kingdom, he will punish me for it. Will he keep me locked up thinking I will run away again?'

The silence inside the carriage was getting on my nerves. I was getting more anxious the more I recalled the past. Moreover, the man in front of me had made it hard for anyone to guess what he was thinking.

In the end, I simply decided to close my eyes to avoid his stare.

=====

This chapter is dedicated to the readers "RMehrotra" for gifting the first ever Magic Castle to the novel. Thank you so much!