There was no way I should have been chosen, but sitting in the carriage, wearing the a royal tiara, on my way to our neighboring kingdom, across from the cruel High Chancellor, reality began to set in. I didn't dare let my shoulders relax but I did allow a soft smile to touch my face.
"Remember you aren't really the princess." The smile faded from my lips and I looked up at the High Chancellor sitting across from me, a pretentious smirk on his aged face.
"No one is the princess" I replied indifferently.
"Exactly you are nothing." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, that hadn't been what I meant, but as the automatic script flowed from his mouth I had no choice but to sit there and listen, "you live to serve the will of the King and as I am his High Chancellor you will follow my orders."
"I've already been given my orders" I interrupted softly, only to grunt a moment later, as his the cane came in contact with my foot, despite the layers and layers of gown I was wearing.
"You will only speak when you are asked a question. Do you understand?"
Resisting the urge, once more, to roll my eyes, I gave my passive response of "Yes High Chancellor."
The High Chancellor hesitated then after glaring me down for a minute, nodded satisfied, before looking back out the window. Resisting the urge to sigh I looked out the opposite carriage window the moment of content long gone.
We had been on the road for four days and didn't speak unless absolutely necessary. There were a couple of Inns but as the High Chancellor's only duty was too see to my survival I had been required to stay in the Inn and only come out for meals. I knew better than to protest, although I had been chosen there were two other girls stashed close by ready to take my place a moment's notice.
I was replaceable, the High Chancellor had been sure to make me fully aware of that minutes before I got on the road, while on the road, and as the maids were putting the gown on me for the second time. Even now just hours before we were due to arrive at the to our neighbors to the south and for the most part that necessary speak involved High Chancellor reminding me who was in charge.
The female servants who came with me acting as my maid servants followed in a carriage behind us knew that I was worthless too, so they could never intervene with the reminders that the High Chancellor would bestow on me.
My treatment was considered a mandatory part of my "princess training" and the "princess training" was necessary for the survival of the kingdom so everyone in and close to the castle turned a blind eye to it.
Ten years ago our kingdom attacked our neighbors to the South. We are a landlocked nation and our King wanted a connection to the sea and the South had that.
It was a doomed war from the start and we were quickly overwhelmed within the year. Our Southern neighbors could have chosen to invade our kingdom in return but instead the King and Queen offered our dear King a deal, a marriage deal between their descendants.
The only problem was that our dear King had never been able to produce children with the Queen or with any of his Mistresses, which exposed a weakness that he had to eradicate, before it was too late.