QTMWSFC Chapter 48.1

The journey out of Serorida took only four or five days.

Truth be told, although there was a group of knights to escort them, they were still being watched. Being under constant surveillance was certainly not comfortable, so it was best to keep a steady pace.

Alterg was next to Serorida, separated only by the Ata River. The Ata River was also known as the Roaring River, named for its roaring waves all year round.

Crossing the Ata Bridge on the Ata River meant officially leaving Serorida’s territory and entering Alterg. The escorting knights then turned back and departed.

Not surprisingly, Alterg sent no envoy to receive them. Freya and her group would have to rely entirely on themselves for the rest of the journey.

Over the past two years, Alterg had sent a lot of troops to test Serorida. Now they were also somewhat worn out, otherwise they would not have agreed to a marriage alliance. The two countries were evenly matched, and both needed an excuse to recuperate.

Freya revealed her plan to fake her death and elope, which received unanimous support.

The other side didn’t even bother to send someone to meet them. This was a clear sign of how eager they were to humiliate Serorida. So the Alterg Palace would not be a good place for them.

The group deliberately dragged their feet for over ten full days before formally presenting themselves at the palace.

They had their pride too! Why would they rush to accept such a humiliating position as a concubine?

And those days were not wasted. Gathering intelligence was the top priority.

As soon as she entered the palace, Freya immediately changed back to her former frail, sickly appearance, having to stop and catch her breath after every few steps.

Lita stayed by her side, ‘attentively’ and ‘thoughtfully’ caring for her. Their act was seamless, leaving no room for suspicion.

For the first fourteen years of her life, they had lived like this. Now that they were performing again, it was effortless.

Soon, everyone in the Alterg knew that a frail, sickly little princess had been married over from Serorida.

The eldest prince Grady had always believed in free love and had disliked this arranged marriage from the start. When he heard that Freya was also a sickly princess, he disliked it even more. She was only a concubine after all. The position of his primary wife would be reserved for the one he truly loved.

If Serorida was going to be perfunctory with Alterg, Alterg could naturally be perfunctory in return. They were just going through the motions. So Freya used the excuse of poor health and the need for rest and took a few more days off before formally meeting the king of Alterg.

After all, she was a princess who had traveled a great distance to be married. Appearances had to be maintained. The king of Alterg hosted a grand banquet to welcome Freya and officially set the wedding date.

When the wedding date was announced, Freya keenly sensed a malicious glare fixed upon her. She casually glanced in that direction and saw a young woman about her own age, looking very displeased with the marriage. The silk handkerchief in her hand was almost crumpled into a ball.

Freya made a mental note. The more others disliked her, the more room for operation and the more naturally she could ‘die’ in the palace in full view of everyone. So she was not angry or sad. On the contrary, she was so pleased she almost laughed aloud.

Because of her ‘poor health’ and because she was an honored guest for the next few days, no one dared to treat her too shabbily. They let her return early to rest.

Grady watched her receding, graceful figure, which looked as though a gust of wind might knock her over, and felt slightly less disgusted than before.

With such a constitution, it was a miracle she had survived to adulthood. Not being bedridden was already a blessing, let alone bearing him children in the future. And aside from her weak health, she was at least a delicate beauty. He could simply treat her as a decorative vase to admire.

Freya was placed in a nearby guesthouse. Since the grand wedding was in five days, after which she would move into the eldest prince’s palace, this was only temporary residence.

Even though it was temporary, the furnishings and treatment were far better than Freya’s side palace back in Serorida.

Without comparison, there was no harm. Once again, everyone felt just how little King Serorida valued his youngest daughter.

Freya sat in the empty bedroom, organizing her dowry and the recent gifts she had received. There was little of real value or that could be quickly liquidated. Most of the items looked rare and splendid at first glance but were useless except for display.

Now was not the time to openly cash in her dowry. Freya merely sorted the items so they would be easier to carry and sell when she fled.

“Lant, are you there?” After tidying up, Freya found the empty room dull and lonely.

“Princess, I’m here,” a figure slipped in through the window. “You wanted me?”

Freya glanced nervously out the window, then quickly closed it. “Can’t I want you if there’s no reason…”

“Don’t worry. No one will notice.” Lant smiled faintly.

This was not the carefree side palace before. On the contrary, in the past few days, the series of complicated rules had already given Freya a headache. Every day, she had to pretend to be sick while learning court etiquette from the ladies-in-waiting. It was exhausting on top of exhausting.

In the past, Lant used to live right across from her. It was very convenient to see him. Now, he stayed somewhat farther away.

Freya blinked and looked at his outfit. He was dressed entirely in black, nearly blending into the night. Truly, no one would notice him.

“Lant, I miss you,” Freya said, reaching out to hug him. She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his crisp, clean scent.

Although he had been following her all day as her personal guard knight, the two of them could not hold hands, could not hug, could not even make eye contact. That in itself was a kind of torment.

“Princess, don’t worry. I will always be behind you.”

Behind you, protecting you.

Lant wrapped his arms around Freya’s shoulders.

He would be lying if he said it did not hurt. No man would willingly watch the person he loves marry someone else.

But he remained calm and rational. This was the responsibility Freya bore as a princess. For the sake of millions of people, she must fulfill her duty.

Freya raised her head from Lant’s arms, looking at him with watery eyes. Then she bit her lip and lowered her head again, simply hugging him tighter.

…

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and the grand wedding day arrived.

Because she was not the eldest prince’s primary wife but only a concubine, the scale was naturally much smaller, and the ceremony and formalities were also simpler.

But Freya thought this was good. Every extra ceremony was like a knife to her heart, reminding her that the person she was marrying was not Lant but a stranger. If there were too many processes, she might have actually made herself sick with anger.

They exchanged vows, put on rings, and kissed—or rather, Grady and Freya went through the motions without any real affection, ending the ceremony with nothing more than a handshake.

After the wedding, she officially moved into the eldest prince’s palace.

Grady initially wanted to assign her a few more attendants, but Freya covered her mouth and coughed slightly. She declined his offer, saying that due to her poor health, only Lita understood her and could take care of her properly.

Seeing how insistent she was and since he was only going through the motions anyway, he let her be.