Welcome to the Kingdom of Koenig, the small yet legendary human nation at the tip of the Northern Peninsula. Its borders may have dwindled throughout the years, but it still possesses a history as vast and varied as a rainforest. Today, it finds itself surrounded by three other nations.
Tales of the Kingdom scale back thousands of years, some including heroism and kinship, while others are horrid, like the crusades and the enslavement of an entire race. In modern times, the kingdom’s history grows darker, and many would say they deserve what’s coming. Now facing an unavoidable impending threat, will humanity find its way out of this one?
This tale in particular involves a plucky emerald-eyed adventurer, her eyes gleam beneath the night sky, while her golden locks reflect the moonlight. Whether it be on purpose or mistake, she finds herself blessed with an invitation from the royal family itself…
That was how the story was meant to go, a simple but effective introduction to the world. Then, you’d discover all about the woman destined to become Saintess.
On her adventure, she’d encounter all kinds of trials and trepidations, and whether it would be due to skill or luck, she’d overcome them all while travelling with another.
As cliché as you’d expect, the guy she travels with happens to be cold, shallow, extremely strong, and possessive. Oh, it also turns out he was a bastard Prince all along, destined to take back the throne when the kingdom breaks into war.
The Saintess’s personality was far better than the Bastard's. Thankfully, over the course of the story, she manages to change him. Still a bit of a douche, she at least manages to tame the inner scumbag within him. Together, they stand to become the next King and Queen.
This is the key to the story, bloodlines. To suppress the imposing army, the ancient blood of the Koenig family must remain in power and command the kingdom. The problem is, only four people possess that blood and none are a perfect solution.
But that’s a story for another time; today marks a special occasion! On the first day of spring, a secret wedding rocks the capital. Initially, only selected guests were invited, but words spread faster than a plague.
“Today, all the kingdom succession problems will be solved! Let’s wish them the best!”
“Praise be to the King! I can’t wait to see the lovely couple!”
“It should’ve been me! Why? Why must God forsake me!?”
Bells ring out across the kingdom; cheers echo from the endless crowds. Through the commotion, a convoy passes holding the most expensive dowry this kingdom has ever seen.
And following said convoy, the stagecoach arrives, drawing everyone's attention… hours late. No matter, today is a special day! Every single man, woman and child is ready for this moment.
However, their expectations drastically differ when they see who exits this carriage. It’s akin to déjà vu, didn’t the bride already enter…
“AM I LOSING MY MARBLES!?! HAVE I GONE COMPLETELY INSANE!?! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!”
Despite the happy occasion, several people of note haven’t been invited. Spaced around a table "enjoying" afternoon tea, one happens to hold a rage capable of destroying the world. At least in his younger years, he did.
“Let it go, my dearest husband. It’s far too late to do anything now. Whatever the plan is, we’re not a part of it.”
“Has father realised who she’s picked out then? To think she’d go this far just to rebel against him.”
Despite sipping her tea, the woman with the silky black hair facepalms from her son’s interruption.
“Balderdash! Of course I have a say! Boy, who is it she picked? It’s not too late to stop it now!”
Pausing for a brief moment, the son looks toward his mother’s disapproving frown, yet remains uninterested in the slightest.
“You didn’t see her yesterday? She went into your study last night and left with a bunch of papers. You didn’t give her your blessing to do this? To think father could be so ignorant!”
Again, the poor man’s heart beats out of his chest as he’s forced to sit back down. In the process of nearly collapsing, he knocks the table and sends priceless tea cups crafted by blind and deaf monks to their doom.
“Oomph… that girl will be the death of me someday…”
‘Take a deep breath… maybe not. The inventor of corsets should be burned at the stake.’
And so, it happens, the big day. Two souls become one and enter into a loveless marriage, bound by the shackles of God. I jest, but I do find the whole situation funny. I honestly feel entering this church is the most uncomfortable thing I’ve done so far. Nothing good comes from organisations that exploit the poor.
Ah, but I have managed to bypass some levels of uncomfortableness! The benefit of a shotgun wedding is that I didn’t have to spend weeks starving myself, only living on salad, for example. All the preparation was handled by my fiancé, so apart from getting dressed, I couldn’t be less involved in this if I tried! It’s all a show, regardless.
But enough delays, it’s time to make a living. Plucking up the courage to begin this ceremony, conversation is far cheerier inside the church compared to outside… for a moment at least.
As soon as the doors swing open, all eyes are on me, yet the smiles are quickly transformed to confusion as this situation doesn’t make sense. Why would the future leader of the kingdom do something so insane?
“Outrageous! Simply preposterous!”
“Huh? But the bride already entered? What's going on?”
“True love knows no gend— okay, okay! This is wrong, don’t look at me like that!”
All the crowd is now unanimous in their decision-making; this is truly wrong. And yet, I’m unfazed.
'Humorous, to think she’d go as far as to hide my identity. They clearly were expecting someone more masculine. I possess a masculine mind at least.”
A big part of this novel I dislike is how cliché it can be; now I’m a part of the problem. Heart and mind of a dude, body of a dudette.
Let’s back up a bit and maybe things will start to make sense…
[Before & After]
Spoiler
‘I wonder if there’s anything I wouldn’t do for money.’ 'I guess not...'[collapse]