25th of First, 3467

I met my betrothed today. She was accompanied by the Eselan ambassador, an arrival that’s been delayed by almost six years. Apparently, the Eselan Haven has been dealing with an internal conflict in that time, one that’s only recently abated.

The woman I’m to marry isn’t of the Eselan race, thank Alouin. Her name is Illasaya, and she’s the first-born daughter of the king of Lyzencroft, the second nation that shares a border with the Eselan Haven. My father hopes that by intermingling our nation’s royal bloodlines, Auden can exploit Lyzencroft’s bustling trade partnership with the Esela.

But enough about the arrangement’s boring details. I’m sure you’d rather hear about my first impressions instead.

She’s… stunning. I can see why so many men have supposedly fallen for her before, but… she’s a bit odd as well.

When the ambassador’s party arrived today, I mistook the princess for one of the group’s guards. She was riding her horse like a man, in breeches and everything, and she even had a sword strapped to her belt! When making our greetings, I completely ignored her at first, which made our personal introduction slightly… awkward.

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And she most certainly speaks her mind too! The first words out of her mouth were disparaging comments about the state of my home, followed by complaints about the long journey she’d made to reach it. To be fair, she followed that up with a few compliments, directed at me, but that first exchange of words sapped any glow I might have felt from receiving those.

Perhaps that was what she meant to do, though. Maybe she’s as skeptical of this marriage as I am.

In these moments, I miss my brother. Nebailie would help me figure out whether this princess is intriguing or intolerable, but he’s on the other side of the kingdom, hunting bandits.

I hope he’s gained some self-worth while serving in the military. Hopefully, some distance from court will have given him at least a chance at that.

But I so rarely hear from him. In my last letter, I begged him to come home during his next leave. I know he hates coming to court, and for good reason, but I need him now. My duties as the crown prince have overtaken every spare moment of my life. Alouin, I need someone I can share my frustrations with, someone other than a blank page that can’t talk back.

I should receive his reply soon, and maybe then, I’ll know how tolerable the next few months will be.