I froze, uncertain as to how I should answer him. The Second Prince had made it clear what would happen to me if his brother discovered the truth. But how could I dare to lie to my future King?

And I had no way to explain my situation to him. All I could tell him was yes or no.

I looked back up at him, daring to meet his gaze, begging him with my eyes not to make me answer.

“You needn’t look so concerned,” the First Prince said, “The sound barrier is secure, and no one will know what we discuss today. I imagine my brother has you under some kind of threat, but I can assure you that no matter how you answer, you will be under my protection and safe from the consequences. So I ask you again, did you truly choose this?”

I still didn't know how to answer him.

If I said no, would they send me back to my father? I couldn't go back there. Anything was better than being handed over to Albrecht. But to say yes would have been a lie.

I was so tired of being afraid. I just wanted to be sent as far away from my father's house as possible, somewhere that I wouldn't have to feel afraid. What answer could I give him to guarantee that?

Not knowing what else to do, I shrugged and averted my eyes once more.

“Your Highness,” Amelie interrupted carefully, “If I may?”

“Amie, of course,” the First Prince replied with surprising familiarity, “This is why I wanted to include you in this. I’d prefer for it to come from Marquis Julien directly, but it doesn’t seem like that will be happening.”

I stiffened at their words. What was she planning to do to me?

Amelie closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and grabbed my unsuspecting hand. She stared intently at me for a moment and shivers ran down my spine once more.

“He doesn’t seem to hold hostility toward the beastmen, but he wasn’t a willing party in this either,” she commented, confirming the very thing I hadn’t wanted to answer, “However, even if he was taken from there as a prisoner, he does not wish to return to his father's home. His negative emotions flare up whenever he considers it. I’m also inclined to believe he is under some kind of threat if this doesn't work out the way your brother, the Second Prince, desires.”

How could she possibly know that? Panic began to set in. I pulled my hand away from her, grasping it as if it were wounded.

“My Lord,” she continued, addressing her words to me, “I understand your hesitation but I promise we are here to help you, not hurt you.”

Lord Erris chuckled and said, “Amie, the poor boy doesn't even know about your ability yet. The more you speak, the more uncomfortable you're going to make him." He turned to the First Prince and asked, "Your Highness, if I may?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” the First Prince responded, “I’ve told both of you countless times to stop asking permission to speak freely.”

“Thank you, your Highness,” Lord Erris responded, unbothered by the light scolding. “Julien, like myself, Amelie here is a magic user. She’s a cousin of mine, actually. However, her powers are very different from mine. I can use my magic to control the things around me, but hers is a more passive ability. You've already noticed that she knows far more than she should, right? Well, that’s exactly why his Highness sent her to you.”

I had definitely noticed. I looked at her with fear in my eyes. How much did she know?

“I can’t directly read your thoughts,” she clarified in response to my wary look. “I’m a high level empath. I can read emotions clearly and I can sense some of the thoughts of those around me. But the thoughts are often incomplete and I’m not always completely accurate. Although I admit you are easier to read than most.”

So that’s it, I thought. What an incredible and terrifying ability.

It seemed absolutely surreal to me that I was sitting at a table with a member of the Royal Family and two magic users, who were rare to the point of being legendary. From my lonely bedroom in the back wing of my father’s house to here, how did this happen?

“Julien,” Lord Erris continued, “I have served his Highness since he was a young lad. I know him well and I can tell you with confidence that he will protect you from whatever consequences you fear.”

“Perhaps it would be best if I explained more about our current situation,” the First Prince interjected, “I know it’s a bit much for me to ask you for your trust when I haven't done anything to earn it.

“First, let me say that peace with the Beastlands is of the utmost importance to me. My father, the King, experienced great pressure from the southern and western ducal families to start this fruitless war, which has caused nothing but suffering for both humans and beastmen alike.

“I have spoken with General Rastari about this turn of events, and he is willing to overlook your father and my brother’s tricks. The Beastlands have no desire to continue this war. They had no grievances with the human Kingdom before now, and they fought to protect themselves, not to win.

“I am sick of seeing my people die to protect themselves from something that was never a threat to begin with. The beastmen are not dangerous monsters, and they're not our enemy. They're just different from us.”

I listened to his words, desperately wanting to believe what he was telling me.

I knew well enough that the beastmen were neither monsters nor our enemies. From the lion beastman and his cub that I’d known in my youth, I had experienced nothing but kindness and friendship.

I didn’t hate the beastmen and wanted to see the war end, but how could I agree to marry someone I’d never met? I wasn’t even sure if I could trust the First Prince’s intentions. He was saying all the right things, but what if he turned out to be no different from my father?

For over nine years, I’d been taught over and over again that I couldn’t trust anything. People who claimed to be on my side were liars, and nobody cared what happened to an unloved, mute bastard like me. If my own father abused me, loathed me, and threw me away, how could I trust a stranger like the First Prince?

“Oh, you poor dear,” Amelie suddenly said, looking at me with a sad expression, “it’s been hard for you hasn’t it?”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Unbidden, tears threatened to fill my eyes and spill over down my cheeks. No, I won’t cry. If I cry, they win. Hold it in, hold it in. Send it to the fog.

I looked away from Amelie and stared at my hands in my lap, trying to contain my emotions. Who knew kindness could feel so cruel?

“Julien,” the First Prince continued, “Perhaps, rather than asking if it is your will to be here, I should ask you a different question.

“Would you be willing to meet with the beastmen who have come here and consider helping us? My brother might have ulterior motives, but his claim that you and your sister are the only ducal children of marriageable age is true.

“I am quite certain that your family will resist if I order your sister to fulfill the marriage condition. Your father sent you out of spite and fear, but despite his intentions, this may be the best solution. I don't like how we got to this point, but I can't help but think that you are the better choice for this union regardless.

“So, will you meet with General Rastari and the other beast generals? For now, I won’t ask any more from you than that.”

I took a deep breath to calm my emotions and looked at the First Prince again. Try as I might, I couldn’t see any deception or malice in his eyes. If he wanted to, he could simply order me to do this and there wouldn’t be anything I could do about it, but instead he had asked. That had to count for something.

Hesitantly, I nodded, agreeing to his request.

It was agreed that the beastman generals would be summoned immediately. I was still terrified, but there was a faint feeling of hope in my heart as Lord Erris went to retrieve them.

“I hope you know that you have my heartfelt gratitude for agreeing to this,” the First Prince said to me after Lord Erris had left. “I don’t know all of your story, but from what Amie has said, I think you’ve been through quite a bit.

“Since my youth, I have always been First Prince of the Kingdom before I was Elantro de Vray, but I cannot deny I was cherished and nurtured by my father, the King. Your father, the Duke of Ramport has long been a thorn in my side. I can't imagine your upbringing was a pleasant one.

“I also can't imagine how it was possible for the Duke of Ramport to have a male heir that almost no one knew about. Odd indeed that the entire kingdom has seen Emma, his beautiful daughter whom he cherishes so dearly, yet I only discovered he had a son when we chose his daughter for this marriage.”

I stared down at the floor, neither confirming nor denying what he was saying. But everything he said was true. My sister Emma was the darling child, taken to Royal events and banquets, and frequently shown off to the nobility of the Kingdom.

I, on the other hand, was kept in a single wing of the Duke’s residence, rarely leaving my room; unloved, unknown, and unwanted. It was as if I didn't really exist.

Amelie got up from her chair to kneel next to mine. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she took my hand in hers. “I don’t know the whole of what you’ve been through, but I can feel the pain you're trying to hide. You poor child. Your father must have been horrible to you for you to feel this way.”

I met her tear-filled eyes for a moment before the weight of her gaze became too much to bear. After years of abuse, it almost broke me to see someone crying on my behalf.

She rested her forehead on the arm of the chair and gripped my hand tightly. I reached out with my other hand and gently stroked her hair, the way my mother used to do for me. It was enough that I had to endure this pain. No one else should have to suffer with me.

The moment was broken by a knock at the door. The beastmen had arrived.

Amelie immediately stood up, wiped away her tears, and gave me a small smile.

“Believe in us. It will all be okay,” she said softly, “Don’t let your fate be decided by fear, remember? You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

She walked over to the door and opened it, leading four imposing figures into the room. I instinctively cowered in my chair as they entered. I had no fear of beastmen, but I was ever fearful of knights and soldiers.

“General Rastari,” the First Prince greeted, “Generals Shidah, Coraggio, and Andrian as well. Thank you for attending on such short notice.”

The most noticeable of the group stepped forward. He was well over six feet tall, with powerful looking muscles and skin so dark it was almost black.

His eyes weren’t human at all, but bright orange in color, reminiscent of the eyes I could imagine his tiger beast form having. He smiled broadly, revealing beautiful white teeth and large fangs.

“So this is him?” Rastari asked in a deep, booming voice, gesturing towards me. When the First Prince nodded, his grin widened and he greeted me, “Well, hello future husband, haha.”

I shrunk a little in my chair, intimidated by his loud presence and bold words. Watching my reaction seemed to amuse him, and he laughed heartily, the ears on top of his head twitching ever so slightly. I had no idea what he was so cheerful about, given the current situation, but I did my best to smile and not cower away from him.

“General Rastari,” the first Prince interjected, “May I introduce Marquis Julien de Ramport, son of the Duke of Ramport, and the person who might become your marriage partner. The choice will be left up to him.

"As I explained last night, Julien's father refused to send his daughter, and thought to trouble us by sending Julien in her stead. But there is more to it than just that. Simply spoken, the boy can't speak and doesn't trust a one of us regardless. But he hasn't refused our offer as of yet.

"Amie has read him a few times now, and it is safe to assume that he has seen nothing but the worst of that bastard Duke. It is our current understanding that he is a victim, not a pawn.”

I flinched at his words. Nothing but the worst indeed. Even if I ignored the years of abuse, he was still hoping I’d be killed when I was presented at the engagement banquet, finally freeing him of his useless, worthless son.

“Hey kid,” Rastari said to me, “I get this isn’t your ideal situation, and I can assure you it isn’t mine either. But if we go ahead with this, your asshole dad's plan will be ruined, the war will be ended, and I'm pretty sure your life will be a lot less shitty in the Beastlands. So what do you think? Wanna get married?”

He wiggled his eyebrows at me as if it were all a great big joke to him. But I didn’t miss the implications in his lighthearted words. Before I could really consider it, the largest of the four figures stepped forward.

“Enough Rastari,” said the enormously built man, “You heard the story last night. The boy was essentially taken hostage and sent here. I doubt he’s in the mood for your behavior.”

He spoke in a calm, low voice that left no room for argument. Other than his face and neck, the man was covered in brown fur, and he was by far the tallest and widest person in the room. However, he had a serene aura about him that didn’t match his physique.

He turned to me and said, “My name is Shidah. I’m the general of the northern bear tribe. My greetings to you, Julien de Ramport.”

He stepped forward and extended his hand to me. Not wanting to offend him, I stood up and nervously held out my hand. His furry hand completely engulfed my own. Now that I was standing next to him, I realized he must be close to seven feet tall. I was completely dwarfed by the giant beastman and felt like a small child next to him. He took a step back and gestured to the smallest of the four.

“That one there is Coraggio of the eastern wolf tribe,” Shidah told me. Coraggio took a step forward with his hand extended. I stepped past Shidah and held out my hand to the wolf general. He took my hand between both of his own and squeezed them gently.

“Rastari is a good beastman,” Coraggio assured me, rather than greeting me. “Despite his personality, he’ll make a fine husband for you.”

Coraggio was only a little taller than me, and not particularly furry at all. His eyes, however, were the lightest color of blue I’d ever seen, and his hair was a silver-grey color that you’d usually only see on someone older. The ears atop his head stood up straight and I could see a tail twitching behind him. He somehow reminded me of an excited puppy.

“And the youngun in the back here,” Shidah continued, “is our newly appointed general for the western lion tribe, Andrian.”

I turned to look at General Andrian, who stood quietly at the back of the group. He was certainly younger than the other generals by a number of years. I held out my hand to greet him as I had with the other two.

However, the lion general made no move to greet me. He just stood there, staring at me in shock, as if he’d seen a ghost.